Duhamel extends lead; 11 still remain

With 11 players still in the hunt for a seat at the final table of nine in the World Series of Poker’s Main Event, Canadian Jonathan Duhamel of Boucherville, Quebec, has extended his lead.

Players were vying to become part of the final table of nine in the $10,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em World Championship. They will return to the Rio on Nov. 6 to play for a top prize of more than $8.9 million. Some 7,319 players began play in the Main Event on July 5.

Duhamel has 53.26 million in chips, well ahead of John Racener of Port Richey, Fla., who is in second with 30.1 million. Joseph Cheong of La Mirada, Calif., is in the third place with 26 million in chips.

Matthew Jarvis of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, who held the chip lead at several points during Saturday’s play, is in fourth with 21.825 million in chips.

John Dolan of Bonita Springs, Fla., is now in fifth with 20.8 million in chips.

Meanwhile, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, a 29-year-old professional poker player from North Miami Beach, Fla., continues to defy the odds. He is in 10th place with 7.82 million in chips.

Entering the Main Event, Mizrachi had four individual event cashes, in the 2010 World Series of Poker including a victory and two other final table appearances.

By winning the Main Event, Mizrachi would tie Frank Kassela for World Series of Poker Player of the Year title.