Wednesday, July 13, 2005 | 11:13 a.m.
LAS VEGAS -- With the fourth round of the no-limit Texas Hold 'em event completed at the World Series of Poker, defending champion Greg Raymer found himself losing ground after a series of big hits.
Once in the lead, Raymer saw a stack of more than $1.5 million reduced to about $700,000.
To be crowned poker king again and claim the $7.5 million top prize, Raymer will have to find a way to get more chips if he wants to get through 57 other gamblers and the fifth round that begins Wednesday.
Some of the remaining players that Raymer could face on his way to the nine-person final table that begins Friday are among the most feared in the game. Tim Phan was first with $3.2 million, followed by Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, with $2.6 million. Both Phil Ivey and Farzad Bonyadi had formidable stacks and remained on the leaderboard.
Russ Hamilton, the 1994 champion, busted out of the tournament at the end of round. He, along with Raymer, were the last of more than a dozen former World Series of Poker champs entered in the 36th annual World Series.
Tiffany Williamson of London was the lone woman left in the event. A woman has never won the tournament, and making history could be tough in this field that has been whittled from 5,619 original players.
If Raymer can hold out, the 41-year-old patent lawyer from Stonington, Conn., could join an elite crowd by winning back-to-back titles. But his luck had better turn soon. In the latter half of the round, with the board showing a jack, five, five, ace and five, Bonyadi bluffed Raymer out a sizable pot with only a king-high hand.
Raymer later lost about $500,000 in another costly hand, trimming his wedge of chips.
Then, his stack took another whack when his king-queen failed to outlast another opponent's ace-queen when fifth street produced a queen.
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