2008 WSOP Diary, July 9: Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan Still in the Game, Jerry Yang Out

  It is almost unfair that in a field of players that is bigger than some rural cities, one player commands more attention than the rest of the field. Unfortunately for a lot of lesser known players who want to say, "Hi Mom" on ESPN, Phil Hellmuth is, as always, the story of the day.  He started the day with a modest stack of chips, and while finishing the day still in the middle of the pack, he had managed to more than double his starting stack. He was in the sort of true "Poker Brat" form that makes a lot of folks wish that somebody would slap him with a dead fish or slip something into his drink.  Even though the day ended with Phil in the middle of the pack, he was no longer in the sort of danger he was when the day started. The worst thing for the rest of the field is to have Phil Hellmuth hanging around. This is a player you want to eliminate quickly, instead of letting him gather strength.  Johnny Chan's quest for an 11th bracelet continues, and he and Hellmuth are almost equal in the chip count. Johnny Chan trails the twelve time bracelet winner by less than 20,000 chips, a drop in the bucket considering how many chips are out there for the winning.  It is hard not to be pulling for these two to be there at the end, that would make for a very interesting final in November.  Last year's champion, Jerry Yang was eliminated today so it is guaranteed that there will be no repeat champion this year. He was in good company on the rail as Howard Lederer, Beth Shak, Michael DeMichele, Clonie Gowen and Danny Wong all found themselves on the wrong side of the chip count and busted.  That's about it! Good Night!