It was a banner day for women in poker as Katja Thater took down a bracelet and Beth Shak made it to heads-up play. With two bracelets handed out, two new events getting underway and another tournament playing down to the final table, there was little time to pause and take it all in at the Rio today.

It was Event 29, $1,500 Razz that saw Team PokerStars member Katja Thater wading through a final table stacked with the likes of O'Neil Longson, Mark Vos, Men "The Master" Nguyen and Paul "Eskimo" Clark.

Eskimo in the desert.

Eskimo has been having some health problems as of late and although the details of his medical situation remain unclear, it was obvious to everyone that he was taking a serious risk by continuing to play. What seemed like an epic story in the making, with Clark going on to take down the bracelet, ended in anticlimax. Eskimo did not go the distance and was eliminated in fourth.

He was able to outlast two of the other recognizable faces at the table though. Men Nguyen and Mark Vos were sent on their way in seventh and sixth, respectively.

Making way for the heads-up match, three-time bracelet winner O'Neil Longson was out in third. Left with the bracelet and cash between them, Katja Thater and Larry St. Jean entertained a large audience during their match.

Katja Thater

The chip lead was clearly Katja's and she waited for her spot, knowing that her opponent only had the bank to play one hand all the way to the river. That hand came after close to 40 minutes. When the dust had cleared the chips were in the middle and Thater had made a better eight low with 2-3-4-5-8 to her opponent's 2-4-5-7-8.

The prestige.

The customary Jeffrey Pollack and Lacey Jones bracelet presentation followed shortly after, and just like that we have the first female winner in an open event since the WSOP moved here from Binion's.

The World Series was forced to part with another bracelet later in the evening in Event 28, $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em. Everyone came out to watch this one since Phil Hellmuth was in on the felt and looking for his 12th bracelet, what would have been the second in as many weeks. It was not to be, however, as he hit the rail in sixth place.

It was still a significant achievement for Hellmuth though, as he tied T.J. Cloutier for most career WSOP final tables at 39. The way Phil has been running in the last few weeks it would come as no surprise to anyone should he shatter this stalemate as well before the summer is over.

Mano a womano,

The real surprise came when it got to heads-up. Yet another female player was in the mix with a chance at making it two-for-two for the ladies. Beth Shak battled it out with newcomer Shankar Pillai but in the end it was Pillai who came out on top.

Pillai of the community.

The final hand saw Shankar holding A-8 and Shak looking down at K-8. About $1.5 million of the $5 million in play went in the middle before the flop and after it came T♣ 8♥ 3♥ the rest of the hand pretty much played itself. Shak moved in and Pillai made a strong call to end the tournament.

Event 31, the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up World Championship, also got underway. As predicted by more than a few players and many in the media, this tournament got off to rocky start. A few hours passed before the staff had sorted out the table draws and set everyone up with a seat.

Nevertheless, once things got underway the action was fast with many matches finishing up well short of the end of the first level. The list of players who have survived Day 1 is nothing short of spectacular. Gavin Griffin, Danny Alaei, Chad Brown, Joe Sebok, Jennifer Tilly, Marc Karam, Kirk Morrison, Paul Wasicka, Phil Gordon, Curt Kohlberg, Roland de Wolfe, Layne Flack, Todd Brunson, Thomas Wahlroos, Vanessa Selbst, Tony G, Shannon Shorr, Sean McCabe, Eric Lynch, Toto Leonidas and Phil Gordon will all be back tomorrow for a shot at the bracelet.

And because no day at the WSOP would be complete without the requisite tales of outlandish mystery and intrigue, I must direct you to the main man O-Dogg's Daily Blog. As usual, PokerListings.com is in the middle of it all, reporting to you from here at ground zero at the 2007 World Series of Poker.