Bodog Beat

The WPT North American Poker Championships are being held at the Fallsview Casino and online poker player Vivek Rajkumar is currently the chip leader. (Image from fallsviewcasinoresort.com)

As is not always the case with poker tournaments, although it definitely should be, the cream has risen to the top at the WPT North American Poker Championships. With 27 players remaining there are several well-known tournament vets and a quickly rising star atop the leaderboard.

Online poker pro Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar leads the way into the second-to-last day of play with the only chip stack above the million mark. Rajkumar has had a very good year so far and will be looking to add at least $38,039 to his earnings even if he were to somehow bomb out as soon as play began today. On top of the WPT title he captured just about a month ago at the WPT Borgata Poker Open, he cashed three times at the 2008 WSOP and chalked up a LA Poker Classic prelim event win, giving him more than $1.6 million in earnings already this year. (So THIS is what inadequacy feels like…).

Even with the hot streak he's riding at the moment, Rajkumar will have a tough time getting to the final table and captuiring his second WPT title in a month. Breathing down his neck are poker pros Gavin Smith (979k) Matt Matros (943k), who cashed four times and reached a final table at the 2008 WSOP, Erik Seidel (851k) and Kathy Liebert (879k). If he can get past them, the rest of the leader board is just kind of ho-hum. Jason Potter is still hanging around with an average chip stack, but if he comes back to win, Rajkumar could just wait outside the casino and take his lunch money from him.

Anyway, play resumes at Noon ET and will end when the six-person WPT televised final table is set. All eyes are on the $1,090,589 first-place prize and the chance to become the next WPT-Made Millionaire.

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