After nine hours and four minutes of play on Day 2A and 2B respectively, 800 players remain to battle it out on Day 3.

After nine hours and four minutes of play on Day 2A and 2B respectively, 800 players remain to battle it out on Day 3. Gus Hansen is number two with 530,000 in chips and must be tipped as a favorite when play is resumed later today.

There were two second days at the WSOP Main Event this year, and a total of 2,340 survivors from Day 1 came to play. Eighteen effective hours later, 800 still remain in the competition.

They will gather at the Rio convention centre at noon today and take up play for the most coveted title in the poker world.

Before the day is over, we'll know which player gets the dubious pleasure of lasting longest without getting paid; that is, the dreaded bubble.

Some successful players play a stable form of poker, building slowly, basically flying beneath the radar. Some gamble it up in the fast lane. These may go broke before the first coffee break, or they may end the day with a very threatening pile of chips.

Gus Hansen, recently winner of the Aussie Millions, is one of the most fluctuating players on the circuit and should never be left alone with a big stack. After two days in the WSOP Main Event, his stack is the second biggest, at 530,000.