It seemed like hours ago when Chris Moneymaker sidled up to Joe Hachem's table, joking that he needed to bust quickly because they needed three more players for a satellite out in the poker room. Oh wait... it was. Hachem was short-stacked then, but managed to survive for several levels. Anytime we were about to count him out, he'd manage to double up or chop out a decent pot to keep himself alive.

Things looked grim for the Melbourne native when he got his stack in with A-3 only to run into A-K. However, the board ended up pairing nines and tens to give him a lucky chop. Saved by the river.

Hachem's tournament, though, would come to an end only a few hands later. Moving in with [Kh][Qd], Hachem again ran into [As][Kd]. This time there was no miracle, no lucky chop, no river save, the board running out [9c][2s][2d][Ts][5h] to send the world champion to the rail.

One table over, Alexandre Gomes had put his opponent to a huge decision on the river. With the board reading [9d][7s][3d][4d][Ad], Gomes set his opponent all in for 25,700. Ultimately he made the call, turning over not another diamond for the flush, but [Ac][9c] for top two pair. Gomes could only sigh and muck after his failed bluff, left with only a bit over 20,000 in his stack.

Over at the table Humberto Brenes had vacated only moments ago, his executioner David Schechter fell to Marcelo Giorgetta in what was perhaps the tournament's largest pot thus far. The board reading [9s][9d][8s][7d] on the turn, the two got their (pretty darn substantial) stacks in the middle, Schechter's [7s][8s] in dire shape against Giorgetta's made straight with [Js][Ts]. The [As] hit the river, eliminating Schechter and sending Giorgetta to the top of the pack with over 105,000 in chips. He's easily the current chip leader, with Luis Jaikel right behind him with 96,000.