On to Day2

This is where it's all happening.....at The Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. I'm very excited because nine players in Michael's group of friends have made it through to Day2. With 6844 people starting on Day 1 of the Main Event, 3638 have made it through to Day 2. 1251 will show up to play on Day 2a on Tuesday and 2388 will show up to play on Day 2b on Wednesday. Whoever survives these two days will all return to play on Day 3 on Thursday.

I'd like to give them all a shout out here so you know who to root for if you're following this event.

Brandon Schaefer, from Seattle Washington, who goes into Day 2 with 62,975 chips. The smile you see on his face in this picture is the way he always is. He's just a happy guy who loves life. He's very well traveled and especially loves baseball. When I first met him, he had just finished a quest trying to see a baseball game in every state where a major league team plays. I knew when I first met Brandon that I would like him because when he made the final table in Monte Carlo in 2005, he had his mother there rooting him on. He came in 2nd place in that tournament which was only a month after he won the French Open in Deauville. Brandon was also with Michael when Michael was at both final tables in Amsterdam and Monte Carlo. He stayed in the audience for hours on end so Michael would have his very own cheering squad. I so appreciated him doing this.

Steve Billirakis, aka MrSmokey1, comes into Day 2 with 70,775 chips. Steve has the distinction of being the youngest player to ever win an American WSOP. In 2007, just eleven days after turning 21, he won the 1st event of the World Series of Poker. At the time, I hadn't met him in person yet but, during his post interview, after winning more than half a million dollars, he said he wanted to help his grandmother and mother with the money. How could I not be crazy about him right then and there? I met him in person for the first time this summer and he was everything I thought he would be.

Chris Lee, aka Genius28, goes into Day 2 with 18,000 chips. Chris lives in Maryland and went to Duke University. He's one of Michael's closest friends so I've seen a lot of him. He spent a considerable amount of time with us last summer at the shore so I really got to know him well. He is also one of Belle's favorite players. He and Michael lived in Omaha together a good part of this year. Chris just turned 21 in February so this is the first time he's eligible to play in the main event. Chris is one of the best online poker players in the world and is known to play many of the pros heads up online. While he's probably feared as a poker player, he's one of the sweetest and cutest guys I've ever met. He's probably going to kill me for saying this.

Nick Van Newkirk enters Day 2 with 69,025 chips. He's a graduate of the University of Nebraska and Michael also lived in Omaha with him this past year. Nick was also the person Michael went to Brazil with for Carnival. This is another guy I know pretty well as he was also at our house at the shore last summer. Nick went deep in the 5K six handed event last year. He is also a big cash game player online. Last summer when we were at the shore, we all went to the Borgata and I got to play in a cash game with Nick at the same table. After that experience, I don't think I'd want him at my table during a tournament because he's very unpredictable and that's probably why he wins a lot.

Steve Buchanan comes into Day 2 with 43,225 in chips. Steve is from California and this is the second year that Michael has lived with him in Vegas for the summer. Last year it was very exciting as they were both playing in the 1st event of the WSOP, (the event Smokey won) and Michael came in 12th place and Steve came in 11th place. We were all hoping they would make the final table so that three friends would have been on TV together. I did get a chance to meet Steve this summer when we had dinner with the whole group at Maggianos. He's a great kid and his parents should be very proud of him.

Ryan Daut enters Day 2 with 23,750 in chips. Ryan is a mathematical genius having attended Penn State's Ph. D program. He is best known for having won the 2007 World Poker Tourn event in the Bahamas for 1.5 million dollars. Ryan is from New Jersey and has traveled a lot with Michael to various events. When Michael was playing in Amsterdam, Ryan and I followed him together online and, by the time the day was done, we were both speaking to each other in fluent Dutch. I spoke to him many times online and on the phone before I finally met him in person this summer. What a great guy! I knew I would like him immediately. Kathy Daut, his mother, can be proud.

Ben Sprengers enters Day 2 with 52,375 chips. Ben is the only one of Michael's poker friends I have yet to meet. When we all had dinner this past summer in Vegas, he was playing in an event so couldn't join us. Ben had a very successful summer coming in third place in the 5K No Limit event and winning almost $300,000 for his efforts. He and Michael spent a lot of time in Europe together this spring playing in different tournaments so I've heard all good things about him.

Clint Brotherton begins Day 2 with 25,900 chips. Better known as Beatiful Man online, he and Michael became friends when they played in Monte Carlo together in 2007. In 2006, Clint came in 66th place in the main event winning $90,000. I feel like I know Clint but, as I'm typing this, I realize I've never met him. He's a top online player and I've watched him play many times. I always thought his online name was Beautiful Man but then realized there was no "u" in his name and it was actually Beatiful Man. I think that's probably a better online name for a guy than what I had originally thought it was.

Michael Martin begins Day 2 with 123,025 in chips. Now this is a player I happen to know a lot about. Having graduated from Penn State in December 2006, Michael has been playing professionally for a year and a half having amassed 1.3 million dollars during that time playing in live tournaments. His most recent accomplishment was coming in 5th place in the Grand Finale of the EPT in Monte Carlo. Michael spent a considerable part of the past year traveling mostly around Europe. He also spent some time in Brazil when he was there for Carnival. We do get to see him when he stops home between tournaments, but never for more than two weeks at a time because he gets itchy to get on the road again. He has definitely made us very proud of him both as a poker player and a son.

Then there are two other players who aren't in Michael's house this summer but two people of which he speaks very highly and are very definitely his friends.

Noah Boeken, professional poker player and hearthrob of Amsterdam. Just by this picture, I think you can see that my statement is justified. This is who Michael is usually spending time with when he's in Amsterdam. Noah is a team PokerStars pro and is very well respected in the poker community. I was so disappointed that I didn't get to meet him this summer. He comes into Day 2 with 30,775 chips.

Trond Eidsvig is another European player who is from Norway. When Michael was at the final table at the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam, Trond was there with him and he and Michael ended up going heads up for the win. Trond was victorious and he and Michael became good friends after that. This is another very well respected poker player both in Europe and when he plays in the states. He begins Day 2 with 26,525 chips.

So now you know who I'll be rooting for in the next few days. May they all make it on to Day 3 on Thursday!!!! As much as the money would be nice with first place paying over nine million dollars, this is what they're all really playing for.....the bracelet. This is what says you've made it. I hope when all is said and done, one of the above will be wearing it home.