We're down to the final five here in the Amazon Room. It doesn't feel like a final table despite the heavyweights in play, as we're over on a side table with about 15 people watching the action. Such is life for non-hold'em events at the WSOP.

Sklansky Skanked! (6th)

As we mentioned in our first post of the day, David Sklansky was facing an uphill battle today as he came in with only eight big bets in his stack. He never managed to get any traction and is now out of the tournament.

The first hand that he played saw the famed poker strategist raise before the first draw, get two callers in John Phan and Robert Mizrachi, and draw two cards. The three men checked to take the second draw, which saw Phan stand pat while Sklansky drew one and Mizrachi drew two. Phan bet out, Sklansky called, and Mizrachi folded. Phan stood pat once again, and Sklansky missed his one-card draw and had to fold.

Down to just $29,000 after that, he fell even further after giving up his blinds. He then faced off against Mizrachi for the last $14,000 in his stack, only to pair sixes on the third draw against Mizrachi’s 8-7.

David Sklansky finishes in 6th place, earning $20,528.

The Lay of the Land

Outside of the Sklansky elimination, the play has been back-and-forth today. Most of the pots have been going to John Phan, which is reflected in his chip stack.

Robert Mizrachi has tried his luck on several occasions, picking up a handful of pots but mostly finding himself in the unenviable position of getting raised.

Ben Ponzio has been trying to get involved as well, picking off one pot from Phan with 7-6-5-4-2, but missing two big draws on others to find himself short-stacked. He’ll need to pick something up soon or he’ll go the way of Sklansky.

Mellowship Chip Counts in B-Major

Here are the current standings as reported by WorldSeriesOfPoker.com:

Our final table is just getting underway here at the Rio. Here's a look at the participants, seating assignments, and incoming chip counts.

Ben Ponzio makes his third cash, seeks second bracelet.

Seat 1: Ben Ponzio - $113,000

Ponzio claimed his first WSOP bracelet in 2007, in the $2,000 NLHE event, marking one of only two cashes on the Illinoisan’s career resume to this point.

Seat 2: Shun Uchida - $200,000

Shun Uchida took the chip lead in this event on Day 1 and never really looked back. The Las Vegan has five previous WSOP cashes to his credit, including 11th and 13th respectively in this year’s Omaha/8 and Limit Hold’em World Championship events.

Sklansky is short. Do you see why?

Seat 3: David Sklansky - $78,000

Sklansky is making his first appearance at a WSOP final table since 2001. While he is well-known as the author of seminal The Theory of Poker and other poker texts, he hasn’t won a WSOP bracelet since several years before that book was published. It will be an uphill battle for the 2+2 founder, as he comes in with the shortest stack.

The quietest success story in poker, Gioi Luong.

Seat 4: Gioi Luong - $291,000

If you’ve never heard of Gioi Luong, you’re not alone. Lots of people who follow poker casually have no idea who this quiet man from Westminster, Calif., is, despite the fact that he has over $2,228,000 in lifetime earnings. Since 2005, Luong has 11 cashes and two final tables at the WSOP, with his best finish coming in last year’s $5,000 shorthanded NLHE event (6th place).

Mizrachi seeks his second bracelet.

Seat 5: Robert Mizrachi - $215,000

Robert Mizrachi younger brother Michael might have been more famous to start off in tournament poker, but Robert has had much greater success at the WSOP. He won last year’s $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha and has a total of 14 cashes here dating back to 2003.

Phan comes in with the chip lead today.

Seat 6: John Phan - $294,000

The incoming chip leader, Phan finally won his first WSOP bracelet this year after finishing second on two previous occasions. Phan is well-known for his highly aggressive style in no-limit hold’em, and for his $3,800,000+ in career tournament winnings.