Mike Sowers tops $10,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship

North Carolina’s Mike Sowers leads the field after day two of event #46, the $10,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship, at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas as 22 survivors chase the biggest prize so far of this summer’s series.

Having started out with 474 entries at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino on Monday, the field was yesterday chopped down from 162 players over 12 hours and 10 levels with a $1,158,481 first prize and gold bracelet on offer.

Sowers holds 1,468,000 in chips, to be followed closely by Essex pro Chris Moorman (1,458,000) and Frenchman Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier (1,409,000), while other big-name stars still in with a chance of victory include David Benefield (622,000), of Texas, Washington State’s Lee Markholt (368,000) and Ben Lamb (501,000), of Oklahoma.

Other well-known faces failed to make day three – and the money – though, and include the likes of Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, McLean Karr, Dwyte Pilgrim, James Akenhead, Alan Sternberg, David ‘Bakes’ Baker, Jonathan Duhamel, Andy Frankenberger, Huck Seed and Ali Eslami.

However, others did cash, including Joe Cada in 26th for $29,228, Phil ‘The Unabomber’ Laak (28th for $29,228), Jason Koon (29th for $29,228), Dmitry Gromov (34th for $24,773), Isaac Baron (39th for $21,787), Daniel Alaei (43rd for $19,159), Davidi Kitai (45th for $19,159) and Tom Marchese (47th for $19,159).

Lamb, meanwhile, is poised to have an incredible WSOP 2011 after winning event #42 – the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship – as well as securing a runner-up spot in the $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event to sit atop the Player of the Year table.

He has already accumulated 486.25 points to be over 60 points above his closest rival – and that is before this event finishes!

Grospellier is also looking to pick up a second gold bracelet this series after winning the $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship and sits 18th with 299.25 points on the POY leaderboard. He is certain to move up the table – no mater his final placing at this event.

Lifting two gold bracelets in one WSOP is extremely rare, but to be in with a shout of winning a Championship double is incredible, so Grospellier and Lamb will no doubt be doing everything within their powers to take down event #46 as the POY race hots up.

Top 10 chip leaders after day two of the WSOP 2011 $10,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event:

1. James Sowers (USA) – 1,468,000

2. Chris Moorman (UK) – 1,458,000

3. Bertrand Grospellier (France) – 1,409,000

4. Taylor Paur (USA) – 1,005,000

5. Joseph Ebanks (USA) – 893,000

6. Nicholas Grippo (USA) – 886,000

7. Greg Dyer (USA) – 709,000