In what was the biggest pot of the tournament so far Stewart “Stuman123″ Yancik (pictured left) and Allen “AawwNutz” Carter clashed in a hand that would determine the chip lead early in Day 3.  With the blinds at 6K/12K ante 2K Carter raised to 31K from the button and Yancik reraised to 105K total from the big blind.  Carter then moved all-in for 600K more, which was enough to have Yancik covered.  After tanking for several minutes, Yancik called with AQ, Carter turned up 33, and the two were racing for their tournament life.  The board ran out 852K7 and Carter won the 1 million chip pot, further increasing his chip lead.  Yancik is eliminated in 22nd place for $13,186.

Ben Fineman (pictured right) was sent packing shortly after that when Jeff Coutroulis opened for 30K and Fineman reraised all-in for his remaining chips.  Coutroulis called with A9 which had Ben’s A6 dominated.  The board ran out {jd725A and Fineman was eliminated in 20th place.

18 players remain and they have redrawn seats for the final two tables.  Here are some updated chip counts midway through the level:

Allen “AawwNutz” Carter - 1.19 mil
Tyler “Tydean” Smith - 1 mil
Hevad Khan - 600K
Mohsin “chicagocards1″ Charania - 245K

• January 17, 2009 -- Final Table Set — Carter 2nd in Chips, Smith 4th
• January 17, 2009 -- 3! Oh Its the Magic Number.
• January 16, 2009 -- Shamseddin Headin’ Up the Chip Counts
• January 16, 2009 -- Charania Heads Back to Chicago