LIVE EVENTS

Play has just concluded on Day 2 of the Colossus. Jishant Sapra, the long time chip leader throughout the afternoon, maintained his composure after going through some serious swings that saw him not only lose the chip lead but also put his tournament life at risk to regain the chip lead by the time play concluded.

Day 2 got off to a very fast start. All the returning players were already in the money so they brought a very aggressive approach during the early levels. During the first two hours of play, more than 200 players hit the rail. Although the pace of play slowed from there, it maintained a surprisingly brisk pace all the way until the field was reduced to the final table.

Play will resume tomorrow at noon and play until there is a winner.

The final nine:

Following Felix Noiseux’s in seventeenth place, there was a seating re-draw for the final two tables. The players racked up their chips and shuffled around the two remaining tables to find their new seats. Some players were re-united after starting in the same starting flight at the same table, while most others encountered their new table mates for the first time.

Play will continue until the final table is reached.

Only 19 players remain on Day 2 of the Colossus.

The chip lead changed hands several times during the last level. When the dust settled and the players left the tables on their latest break, Jonathan Barrette had emerged as the new chip leader.

Barrette tournament run took on new life when his pocket kings survived a three-way pre-flop all in that eliminated two players and helped Barrette capture the majority of his current stack. He is closely followed by Laurence Louie, who has quietly maintained an above-average stack throughout the day and now finds himself within striking distance of the chip lead.

Play will end for the day when nine players remain so the pressure will continue to mount from here.

Only three tables now remain in the Colossus. At this stage, most decisive hands are being played out entirely pre-flop, which has turned each flop, turn and river into emotional roller coasters for the players involved.

Matthew Horovitch’s elimination reduced the field to 24 players and brought about the closure of yet another table. Horovitch had made a miraculous comeback to reach this stage, as he was down to only four big blinds earlier in the flight. Although his run ended earlier than he wanted it to, he will find some comfort when he collects his $3,600 payout ticket.

What started as a flight with over 500 runners now fits on just four tables. Less than 30 players remain in the Colossus, as the field inches closer to the final table and the end of Day 2.

The blinds have reached the staggering level of 60K/120K, giving every hand great importance and creating the potential for some huge swings. The players still in contention have come too far to leave things up to chance at this point so most pre-flop decisions have been exceedingly cautious in the recent levels. But the blinds only go up in tournament poker so they will begin pressuring most players into uncomfortable positions, if they haven’t already. The chip average now provides scarcely more than 21 big blinds so the margin for error is now razor thin.

The chips have shifted significantly since our last leaderboard update. Long time tournament leader Jishant Sapra still has a healthy stack, but he has fallen off the leaderboard.

Our new chip leader is Salah-Eddine Ibnou Elghazi. He spent most of the afternoon dominating table 17, and he is now one of only two players in control of a stack of more than double the current chip average.

Everyone still in the running is assured of a payout of at least $3,000, but they have clearly set their sights much higher.

When Day 2 play began six hours ago, the field took over the Playground complex. Now that they have entered the twenty-sixth level of play, the remaining players fit into one small corner of the tournament hall.

The chip average continues to hover in the 20-25 big blind range, and the payouts are starting to become quite enticing, as everyone is now assured a cash of at least $1,600. But the mood around the tables is more serious than it has been all day, as the players are determined to extend their run in the Colossus as long as possible.

Here’s a look at the field from level 25:

The players have just returned to their seats following the latest break in the action with 24 levels of play in the books. The blinds continue to catch up with the field, as the chip average now provides slightly less than 25 big blinds.

Jishant Sapra accomplished an unlikely feat this afternoon by maintaining the chip lead from the first to second break, despite the fast and aggressive play that reduced the field to double digits in such a short amount of time. But there are a number of players hot on his heels as the huge blinds give each passing hand more importance so he will have to stay sharp in order to maintain the pole position.

Now that the Colossus has entered its twenty-third level of play, simply limping in will cost as many chips as provided by a starting stack in this event.

The massive field of 3,538 entries has been whittled down to only 128 players, and the chip average continues to hover around 26 big blinds. Although the pace of play has slowed from was what seen earlier in the flight, things are still moving along at a brisk pace. The top-heavy payout structure has enticed most players into taking a “boom-or-bust” approach this afternoon, and the result has been an average of about 100 eliminations per hour since play began.

Here is an updated look at some of the players still in the field:

The players have just returned to their seats following the first break of the day. There are now 195 players still in the running, less than half of the players who started this flight only three hours ago.

The remaining players have made several pay jumps since the start of Day 2 and will earn at least $1,000 for their performance so far. But you can be sure that everyone has their sights set on the five-figure prizes that await the fortunate few who will make the final table.

At this stage, Jishant Sapra has a hefty chip lead over the field, as one of only two players to reach the seven-figure plateau.

As expected, Day 2 got off to a flying start. The short stacks in the field wasted no time in their attempts to double up, and the result was a steady stream of players heading towards the tournament desk to collect their payouts tickets. There were over 200 eliminations within the first two hours of play, but things have stabilized (somewhat) now that the stacks are a bit deeper than at the outset of the flight. The current chip average provides just over 30 big blinds, but you can be sure that the players in this flight will continue their aggressive approach as they try to accumulate as many chips as possible.

Here’s a look at the action from the early levels:

With less than 30 minutes of play completed on Day 2, there have already been over 50 eliminations. The fast pace is likely continue for the majority of this flight, as players pull out all the stops looking to run up their stacks and gather enough ammunition for a deep run.

There are some huge prizes at the top of the money list, including a six-figure amount and a prestigious WSOP-C ring for the eventual winner. Here is complete list of payouts: