THIS GIBRALTER

JEFF GIBRALTER HEADS INTO FINAL DAY ON TOP OF THE PACK

Bossier City, LA (September 24, 2012) -- What began two days ago with 405 entrants has reached the final 11.

The second annual WSOP Circuit Main Event Championship at Horseshoe Bossier City played out its second of three days on Sunday. The restart field of 129 was trimmed ever further as the finalists are now at 11 and on the cusp of making the final table. Two more eliminations will result in the official final nine.

Heading into the final day, Jeff Gibralter (Rockwall, TX) enjoys a decisive chip lead. He is significantly ahead of the field. However, three players are stacked together in a close race for second -- with Jay Diaz, Clifford Fisher, and Pedro RIos all hoping day three will spark a come-from-behind victory.

Also of special note is Abe Araya, currently in third place. He won the Choctaw Casino's Main Event Championship last season.

As expected, there were major shakeups on the leaderboard. Perhaps the most notable surprise was triple gold ring winner Caufman Talley's fall from the top of the chip stacks to a disappointing 18th-place finish.

Meanwhile, Gibralter and the others moved in the opposite direction, rocketing the from middle of the pack when the day began into the catbird seat of potential victory.

Players will play down to the winner, expected to be crowned sometime Monday night. The new champion will collect $133,648 in prize money, plus the widely-coveted WSOP Circuit gold ring. The winner also receives an automatic bid into the season-ending National Championship, coming next May.

Play resumes on Monday at noon (CST). Stay tuned to WSOP.com for the latest updates from Bossier City, and beyond.

Official chip counts and seat/table assignments entering final day:

 
Jeff Gibralter1,569,000
ROCKWALLTXUS2T471
Jay Diaz1,118,000
BROWNFIELDTXUS2T469
Clifford Fisher1,085,000
ADDISONTXUS2T462
Pedro Rios1,047,000
HOUSTONTXUS2T464
Abraham Araya852,000
CARROLLTONTXUS2T474
Jimmy Parker731,000
YUKONOKUS2T472
Jesse Maupin612,000
ROCKWALLTXUS2T476
Mark Burford415,000
SHREVEPORTLAUS2T473
Jeff Siler310,000
HENDERSONNVUS2T478
Seneca Easley296,000
FORT WORTHTXUS2T468
Michael Sanders202,000
LAS VEGASNVUS2T465