A whopping 6,844 entrants for the 2008 WSOP $10,000 NLHE Championship is just unthinkable.

As we go deeper into the 2008 World Series of Poker tournament, we saw the second largest field in WSOP Main Event history. A total of 6,844 aspiring bracelet winners trooped to the Rio pumping up the total prize money to a staggering $9,119,517.

Doomsday soothsayers beware. Top 666 of the players will get paid and the minimum cash-out will be $21,230. How about that huh?

Day 1D of the 2008 WSOP Championship saw former champions Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, Jerry Yang, Carlos Mortensen and Noel Furlong joining the fun.

Poker stars Phil Ivey, Jennifer Harman, Annie Duke, Phil Gordon, Allen Cunninghan and Men ‘’The Master'’ Nguyen also joined the fray. Celebrity sightings include MLB pitcher David Wells and UFC fighter Chuck ‘’The Iceman'’ Liddel.

Casualties were many too. EPT Scandinavian Open winner Tim Vance lost when his opponent gambled with middle pair and hit a runner-runner flush to beat his straight on the flop. Poker pro David Williams was cruelly eliminated when his set of nines was beat by an opponent who hit a gutshot draw.

Annie Duke busted out when her pocket tens ran into pocket queens. 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider’s dreams of a Main Event bracelet ended when his top pair couldn’t hold up against an open-ended straight flush draw.

Other notables who busted out were Phil Ivey, John Phan, Chris Ferguson, Todd Brunson and Michael Mizrachi.

All is not lost for the poker pros. A total of 1,362 poker players survived Day 1D and these entrants include Phil Hellmuth, Gus Hansen, Johnny Chan, Howard Lederer, Jerry Yang and Kirill Gerasimov.

Day 1D Chip Leader is Steve Austin with 149,000 in chips. Close behind him is Mohamad Kowssarie with 146,000. Closing Day 1D in third and fourth is David Stucke with 140,525 and Sami Rustom with 140,450 respectively.

Which former WSOP Main Event champion will last the longest at the 2008 World Series of Poker? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

Doyle Brunson 6.50

Joe Hachem 8.00

Phil Hellmuth 5.50

Chris Ferguson 5.50

Want more odds? Visit Bodog for more poker betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today’s biggest sporting events.

2008 World Series of Poker NLHE Championship