More pros fall as WSOP day 2A ends

Main event action over the past twenty four hours has included the completion of Day 2A, which started with a field of 1 037 players who prevailed in Days 1A and B, and played late into Tuesday night before the target of 350 survivors was reached. These players will combine with the survivors of Day 2B for the next leg of the main event on Thursday of this week.

Wednesday's Day 2B contest will see a somewhat larger field comprised of the victorious players from Days 1C and D slugging it out for a position on Day 3 Thursday.

Surprise elimination late in the Day2A leg was the elimination of David "The Dragon" Pham, but he was preceded to the exit door by a string of other big names busted out of their chance at the biggest money in poker, including Gene Strickland, Joe Sebok, former champ Tom McEvoy, Adam Richardson, young gun Jeff Madsen, "Miami" John Cernuto, 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider, Evelyn Ng, The Hendon Mob's Ross Boatman, Barry Greenstein, Paul Wasicka, Tony G, Dan Harrington, Mark Seif, Patrik Antonius, Rhett Butler, who finished fifth in last year's Main Event for more than $3.2 million, former WSOP champ Joe Hachem, television host Montel Williams (who was the first casualty of Day 2A) and the mother of 2006 champion Jamie Gold, Jane Gold.

Surviving the slaughter was Spiderman movie star Tobey McGuire, but Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett did not make it through the afternoon.

Other well respected names who managed to make it into the list of 350 players going forward included Kenny Tran, Scotty Nguyen, Huck Seed. John Duthie, Kirk Morrison, Jared Hanby, Cliff Josephy, John Dutchak, Tinten Olivier, Robert Mizrachi, Bruno Fitoussi, Richard Lee, poker journalist Dennis Waterman and film director and writer Todd Phillips.

Phillips was in trouble for using inappropriate language and was slapped with a penalty round, after making comments about another player that he claimed were in jest. He still managed to finish 21st with a chip count of 310 000.

The chip leaders at the end of play looked to be Jon Moonves on 570 000, Jeff Bangart (551 000) and Tuan Lam (515 000)