Down to Six - WPT World Championship Day 5

Seventeen battle-weary poker players met in the Fontana Room on Thursday and by the end of the night only six remained - including one very dangerous Danish player.

Play began with WSOP bracelet winner Amir Vahedi holding the chip lead at approximately $4 million but all eyes were upon the notoriously aggressive Gus Hansen, who entered play with about $3 million.

The day began with a bang as both Jeff Shulman and Andy Black hit the rail within moments of the tournament director announcing the shuffle up and deal.

Both players were short-stacked and although Shulman went out in a standard A-7 versus A-6 scenario (with Shulman holding the latter), Black went out in a rather nasty bad beat.

So seek!

Black shoved with A A and got called by Robert Mizrachi with J 9. You know what happens next. The board comes T T 6 7 8, giving Mizrachi his straight and sending the Irishman to the rail in one of the worst possible ways.

A couple levels later Nick Binger, David Tran and Robert Mizrachi all followed Black to the rail. Hansen busted both Binger and Tran, at times appearing unstoppable.

Four-time WSOP bracelet winner David Chiu had been flying under the radar for most of the day but around this time he started chipping up in a big way. Former dealer Bryan Devonshire moved all-in with A Q and Chiu made the call with QQ.

Bryan Devonshire: foiled again.

Chiu was way ahead but still felt the need to go to the corner of the Fontana Room and wait for someone to announce the outcome of the hand. There was no upsets however and the best hand held up. Devonshire had to settle for 12th and the $131,910 that came with it.

Michael Gracz was the next to fall and it was no surprise to anyone that Hansen was the one doing the busting. Gracz got it all-in on a flop of 8 3 2 with 2 2 while Hansen held A 5. The Danish wonder managed to complete his flush when the board finished A and then 10.

"That was sick," offered Hansen as he shook Gracz' hand.

With Gracz eliminated we were down to the final 10 and that meant it was time for the pseudo final table. Hansen entered 10-handed play with $7.7 million for the chip lead. Chiu was holding second place with $5.1 million.

Cory Carroll might be the only thing between Gus Hansen and another WPT title.

As is usually the custom, play almost ground to a halt during the first level of 10-handed play. Players started to realize they had a very real chance at making the vaunted WPT World Championship final table.

Just as everyone was tightening up Cory Carroll started to get comfortable with his game and started taking down some major pots, including several from Hansen.

Carroll isn't nearly as well-known as some of the people in this tournament but he should be recognized from winning the 2007 WSOPC Caesars Las Vegas for approximately $500,000 and finishing second at WPT Mirage for another score that was closer to $600,000.

The next player to go was cash-game killer Kenny Tran. Kenny got it all-in with two overcards versus Tom "durrrr" Dwan's pocket sevens. Tran failed to hit on the board and he was eliminated, but it was still an exceptional event for the Tran family as Kenny's wife Jayde cashed as well.

Hat-tricked - Tom Dwan is out.

Despite taking all of Kenny's chips Dwan was not able to hold on much longer. The online cash-game dominator was in great shape to double through Carroll with KK versus A-J but an ace on the turn spelled doom for Dwan.

Dwan has been a highlight of this tournament by wearing spectacularly bad hats every day. Dwan lost a bet with Alan Sass and promised he would wear whatever hat Sass deemed suitable on each day of the tournament.

Sass didn't go easy on Dwan, causing durrrr to sport a Chiquita Banana hat, a pink feather hat and a bowling pin hat on previous days.

Today Dwan was wearing a pink flamingo hat and many were excited by the prospect of Dwan making the final table and being forced to wear another ridiculous hat.

PL.com overheard some of Dwan's friends talking about the hat they had picked out and apparently it was going to be like the Chiquita banana hat he wore on Day 1 except at least three times bigger. We don't know about you but we here at PL.com would have paid good money to see that at a WPT final table.

Alas the world will have to wait another day before someone wears a giant fruit hat at a prestigious final table.

The lesser-known and amusingly named Karga Holt was the next player to bust. Holt got all-in with pocket jacks versus Hansen's big slick and wouldn't you know it; the Danish Full Tilt pro hit both his ace and his king.

All aboard the Chiu-Chiu train!

The last elimination of the day was ironically the player who had entered the day as the chip leader. Amir Vahedi was simply not able to hold onto his chips and after a day that saw him go up and down as often as water in the Bellagio fountains, he was finally busted by No. 1 busticator Hansen.

The final table is set with Hansen, Carroll, Chiu, Tommy Le, John Roveto and Jeff King all looking to succeed at one of the most prestigious stages in poker - the WPT World Championship final table.

It's likely the producers of the WPT are crossing their fingers that Hansen, and his star power, will be able to take this one down, although he does have to compete with Chiu and Carroll who both have approximately $6 million each and have been there before.

Still, it's tough to bet against Hansen and his $8.5 million and proven success in tournaments.

Join us on Saturday at 5 p.m. PST to see who will be crowned WPT World Champion... of the World!