Chan in position to tie Hellmuth; three final tables slated for Friday

While no bracelets were awarded at the World Series of Poker yesterday, there was plenty of action, as one tournament played down to a final table and two events began.

Chan looking to nab number 11
Johnny Chan, who was tied with Phil Hellmuth and Doyle Brunson with 10 career WSOP bracelets until Hellmuth won his 11th on Monday, sits in fourth chip position with 23 players remaining in Event # 23, a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament.

The tournament will resume at 2 p.m. PST today and will play until a winner is determined.

Scott Clements, who won a bracelet in Omaha Hi-Low last year, leads the field with $248,000 chips. Dau Ly is second with $187,000, with Chan in fourth with $116,000.

Other notable contenders include Eric "Rizen" Lynch (sixth; $97,500) and Andrew Black (13th; $54,000).

Schulman makes first WSOP final table
Nick Schulman, who broke onto the scene by winning over $2.1 million on the World Poker Tour at the 2005 World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, makes his first WSOP final table appearance today in Event #21, a $5,000 No Limit Hold'em event. But it's not going to be easy for Schulman. He will face one of the most talented final tables this year's Series has produced.

Schulman is in third position with just over $1 million chips. Karga Holt leads the field with just over $1.2 million, with James Mackey in second.

Stuart Fox, who made two WSOP final tables last year, is in fourth with $718,000. Tex Barch, who was third in the 2005 Main Event, is in fifth with $709,000. Michael Gracz, a bracelet winner in 2005 who is making his second final table of this year's Series, is in sixth with $534,000, two-time bracelet winner Jan Sorensen is in eighth with $349,000, and Michael Binger, who was third at last year's Main Event and already has three top-30 finishes this year, is in ninth with $240,000.

First place will pay $730,740.

Several notable players just missed making the final table, with Phil Laak finishing 11th and Kathy Liebert 13th. Liebert, who has 20 career WSOP cashes, now has over $4 million in career tournament winnings.

Long final day in Stud Hi-Low World Championship?
Event #23, the $3,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better tournament, started yesterday with 236 players. After 10 hours of play, the field was cut in half to 118.

The tournament was originally scheduled to last just two days, but some tournament have been extended when necessary. This just might be the case for this one.