Ring Event #10A/B: $1,675 MAIN EVENT

Day 2 of the WSOP Circuit Cherokee Main Event returned to action at noon on Sunday with 199 players. Most were eyeing the 108 spots that earned a cash and after ten levels 19 players remain. Jong Kim holds the lead heading into the final day where a winner earns $279,722 and a seat in the Global Casino Championship.

Cory Bierria sits in second with 2,245,000, then Hamid Izadi, Karthik Ramakrishnan and Jesus Cabrera all bagged up 1.6 million and Leif Force returns with 1.5 million. Chip Ervin, Spencer Champlin and Alex Moore also return, but at the bottom half of the counts.

But the biggest storyline heading into the final day of play is Maurice Hawkins. He is in the midst of a heater that's lasted a month. He won two WSOPC rings in Council Bluffs, including the Main Event, for his fifth and sixth career rings. Hawkins looks to be the first player in WSOPC history to win back-to-back Main Events.

More than half the Day 2 field earned a cash, but defending champ Daniel Weinman, Allen Kessler, Cord Garcia and Aaron Massey are a few that hit the rail with nothing to show for it.

Justin Liberto, NFL standout Richard Seymour, BJ McBrayer, Aditya Prasetyo, Orlando Romero and Virgil Beddingfield all did not last the day, but did make a stop at the cashier's cage before leaving the casino.

The money bubble only lasted three rounds of hand-for-hand play before Ezekiel Shelton was eliminated. He had a very short stack and was all in preflop while Ralph Massey and another player formed a side pot. The board ran out      , Massey bet the river, the third player mucked and Massey held    for a king-high flush. Shelton showed   , left the stage and everyone left in the field locked up a minimum of $2,783.

Mike Gracz had a roller coaster day on the felt -- before the money bubble he was down to a single big blind. He manged to stave of elimination holding    with a chopped pot against an opponent's    and made a deep run into the money. He managed a five-figure score, but fell short in 21st place when his pocket queens ran into pocket kings.

Day 3 has cards in the air at noon and they won't stop until a winner is crowned.

Click here for a full list of chip counts.

Milan Dragic moves all-in from the button. Seville Hale is in the small blind and asks for a count. The dealer starts counting Dragic's stack and before she is finished Hale calls.

"That's not good," says Dragic.

Dragic's stack ends up totaling 257,000. Brannon Cashion thinks in the big blind for about 30 seconds before folding his hand. Dragic and Hale table their hands.

Dragic:   
Hale:   

The board runs out         and Dragic survives and double through Hale.

Milan Dragic - 550,000 (22 bb)
Seville Hale - 540,000 (22 bb)

Seville Hale raises to 43,000 from middle position and Brannon Cashion three-bets to 109,000 from the hijack position. Action folds back to Hale and he four-bets to 250,000. Cashion five-bets all-in for 586,000 and Hale quickly calls. Both players table their hands.

Cashion:   
Hale:   

The flop comes     vaulting Cashion into the lead. The turn is the   and the river brings the  . Cashion doubles through Hail and avoids elimination.

Brannon Cashion - 1,210,000 (60 bb)
Seville Hale - 775,000 (38 bb)

Chip Ervin opens the action to 50,000, Leif Force three-bets to 145,000 and Mike Gracz moves all in from the small blind. Ervin kicks his cards back to the dealer, Force calls, tabling two black kings and Gracz is behind with queens.

The board runs      , Gracz taps the table and leaves the tournament area.

Leif Force - 1,300,000 (65 bb)

Jong Kim opens with an under-the-gun raise, and two players call, including Eric Sutton on the button.

The flop comes    , and it checks to Sutton, who bets 100,000. Kim is the only caller. Both players check through the   turn. The river is the  , and Kim checks again. Sutton moves all in for 457,000, drawing a pause from Kim. He cuts the call from his stack to eye up the potential damage, and it would cost him about half his remaining chips. After a couple minutes of deliberation, he slides the calling chips into the pot.

"Good call," Sutton says. "I missed." He throws his cards face-down on top of the pot, adding, "Club draw."

Kim takes his cue to table   , winning the pot with two pair.

Since Sutton is all in, his hand is tabled as well, and the dealer reveals   . He's eliminated in 23rd place.

Jong Kim - 1,930,000 (95 bb)
Eric Sutton - Eliminated

Tommy Ly open-ships his short stack all in holding    and Jong Kim calls with pocket jacks. The board runs      , Ly doesn't improve and Kim earns the knockout.

While the cards were on their backs Ben Reason was eliminated at the far table in unknown action.

Jong Kim - 1,120,000 (56 bb)

The 26 remaining players have redrawn for new seats around the final three tables in play. Here's how the field is laid out:
 

Table 17

Seat 1: William Buckmaster - 1,100,000
Seat 2: Ben Reason - 560,000
Seat 3: Diana Dinser - 135,000
Seat 4: Corey Bierria - 1,000,000
Seat 5: Andrew Nguyen - 145,000
Seat 6: Jared Palmer - 735,000
Seat 7: Jason Sandling - 535,000
Seat 8: Randy Lowery - 1,175,000
Seat 9: Jesus Cabrera - 1,330,000

Table 18

Seat 1: Karthak Ramakrishnan - 1,750,000
Seat 2: Spencer Champlin - 850,000
Seat 3: Milan Dragic - 150,000
Seat 4: Tommy Ly - 150,000
Seat 5: Eric Sutton - 1,100,000
Seat 6: Seville Hale - 1,050,000
Seat 7: Brannon Cashion - 975,000
Seat 8: Jong Kim - 675,000
Seat 9: Jeff Morrill - 420,000

Table 19

Seat 1: Mike Gracz - 375,000
Seat 2: James Gaskill - 700,000
Seat 3: Alex Moore - 1,000,000
Seat 4: Chip Ervin - 775,000
Seat 5: --empty--
Seat 6: Leif Force - 1,275,000
Seat 7: Hamid Izadi - 1,350,000
Seat 8: Martin Debruhl - 225,000
Seat 9: Maurice Hawkins - 390,000

Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $8,906 now, with a gold ring and a top prize of nearly $280,000 awaiting the eventual winner. Play will continue this evening until the end of Level 25.

Eric Sutton raises to an unknown amount form middle position and play is folded to Khanh Nguyen in cutoff. Nguyen three-bets to 90,000. The button and blinds fold. Sutton four-bets to 300,000. Nguyen pauses and then calls.

The flop comes     and Sutton quickly moves all-in. Nguyen asks for a count. The dealer breaks down Sutton's stack and tells Nguyen 380,000. Nguyen eyes his stack, he has about 400,000. He thinks for about two minutes before folding. Sutton quickly shoves his cards to the dealer face down and starts stacking his chips.

"I ain't never won a flip," says Sutton. "I gotta win it like that."

Eric Sutton - 1,020,000 (63 bb)
Khanh Nguyen - 400,000 (25 bb)

Eric Sutton limps from under the gun and play folds to Marty Debruhl on the button. He moves all-in for 153,000 and action is folded back to Sutton. He calls and the hands are tabled.

Debruhl:   
Sutton:   

The flop comes     and Sutton curses. The turn is the   and the river is the  .

"I never win flips," says Sutton. "I haven't won a flip all tournament."

Debruhl escapes elimination and rakes in the pot.

Marty Debruhl - 340,000 (21 bbs)
Eric Sutton - 625,000 (39 bbs)