Bodog Beat

Bodog poker pro Justin Bonomo is one of seven remaining players at the final table of the 2009 WSOP 40th Anniversary event. (Bodog Beat Image)

The final table for Event No. 2 – $40,000 40th Anniversary Special – is underway over under the lights of the televised are in the corner of the Amazon Room and Bodog poker pro Justin Bonomo remains in the thick of things.

Play has been going on for just a little over an hour and two players have already been eliminated, Ted Forrest (8th – $246,834) and Noah Schwartz (9th – $230,317). The leaderboard has been shaken up quite a bit since the players sat down. Greg Raymer (5.72 million) is now the chip leader thanks to the pocket aces that sent Schwartz home. The chip leader at the start, Isaac Haxton (3,825,000), has fallen to third behind Vitaly Lunkin (4,435,000).

Bonomo (3.03 million) is now in fourth, up from fifth place where he started, followed by Alec Torelli (2,175,000). The short-stack at the table is now Lex Veldhuis (1.91 million) after a brutal suckout that left him with about half as many chips as he started with. On that note, we can report that Bodog poker pro Evelyn Ng had signs made up for both Bonomo (teammate) and Veldhuis (boyfriend), so while her loyalties may be divided, he support is for both.

The players are currently on their first break of the day and will return in about 20 minutes to play toward the $1.89 million first place prize. What will be interesting is to see if Raymer will run (*ha* run)  over to play in the WSOP Champions Invitational that is just now getting started during other breaks in his final table action.

Stay tuned for more updates from the 2009 WSOP and don't forget that the Main Event Semifinal is taking place in the Bodog Poker room this afternoon with a chance to win a $12,000 WSOP prize package and a shot at poker immortality.