Main Event field at 78, Mizrachi in second place

The Main Event of the World Series of Poker will cut the field to 27 sometime Friday as the battle for a portion of the $68.8 million prize pool enters its final stages.

The action begins at noon at the Rio in the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Hold’em World Championship when 78 players begin the seventh round of eliminations. On Saturday, 27 players will return to play for a spot in November’s final table of nine players.

The winner will collect $8.9 million while the runner-up earns $5.54 million. The 2010 Main Event had the second-largest starting field in tournament history, 7,319 players.

When poker legend Johnny Chan was sent to the rail Thursday, the story in the Main Event turned to Michael Mizrachi, a 29-year-old professional poker player from North Miami Beach, Fla.

Entering the Main Event, Mizrachi had already earned his place as one of the top players in the 2010 World Series of Poker with four individual event cashes, including a victory and two other final table appearances.

That streak continued in the Main Event. Mizrachi enters Friday’s play in second place with 7.535 million in tournament chips. Theo Jorgensen of Denmark currently has the chip lead with 9.3 million in tournament chips.

Mizrachi began his 2010 run by winning the Poker Players Championship, a $50,000 buy-in event, and earning almost $1.56 million and his first-ever individual event bracelet.

Later in the tournament, Mizrachi finished 6th in the Seven Card Stud World Championship, 8th in the Limit Hold’em World Championship and 26th in a Mixed Event.

In his World Series of Poker career, Mizrachi has 23 cashes and almost $2.4 million in winnings.