Monday, Aug. 7, 2006 | 12:34 p.m.
DAY: 9 (Officially known as Day 5)
BIG NEWS: Humberto Brenes remained one of the last big-name pros still in the running to win the World Series of Poker with 480,000 in chips. Brenes was playing cautiously, even folding a pair of jacks when an opponent bet an amount that would put him all-in. "I have time. I'll come back," he said.
STUD OF THE DAY: Jamie Gold, the 36-year-old former agent to "The Sopranos" star James Gandolfini and "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman, was in the lead with 3.9 million in chips. Gold attributed his success to 40 hours of poker a week, playing the big cash game at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles and coaching by mentor Johnny Chan. "In exchange for me helping him in the entertainment field, he helped me with my poker game," Gold said. Michael Binger and Lee Kort were in second with 3.6 million.
BUSTED OUT: Annie Duke.
POKER TALK: Tell: Something a poker player does that gives away the strength or weakness of his hand. Some say to "never call the shaking hand" because it indicates strength. Sighing, leaning back from the table and looking away are all accepted signs of strength. Signs of weakness include touching one's face and rechecking one's cards. Of course, the pros all know this and sometimes send "reverse tells" to throw their opponents off.
UP NEXT: On Monday, whatever number of survivors remain from Sunday will play down to the last 27. With 80 players left late in the afternoon, play is going a day faster than expected, so tournament organizers hope to give the players a rest Wednesday, before the final table of nine begins Thursday. The winner will take home a top prize of $12 million while the final 12 will all win more than $1 million.
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