Day 5 of the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event has come to an end. That means we're getting closer to finding out who will end up in this year's November Nine.Over the course of the day, the Main Event played down from 239 players at the start of the day at noon to only 68 who survived by night's end at 1 am.Here's a look back on Day 5, as well as a look forward to what's ahead for Day 6:The Top Ten The chip lead changed several times over the course of the day with several players taking a turn in the pinnacle seat in poker, only to lose critical pots at key moments, tumbling down the leaderboard. Sami Rustom, from Diamond Bar, CA was the final player of the day to enjoy a big rush. Rustom floated in and out of the chip lead multiple times over the course of the day, but managed to finish strong and end the day on top. In fact, he catapulted into the lead during the last 30 minutes, ending the night as the only player in the tournament above the 7 million mark. Remarkably, he has no record of any previous WSOP cashes.
Average Chip Count: 2,802,353
Next Blinds and Ante: 25,000/50,000 ante 5,000
New Champion Coming in 2013Greg Merson's elimination from the Main Event was arguably the biggest news of the day. He went out during mid-afternoon in 167th place, which paid $42,990. The 2012 World Champ busted out at the hands of Brett Richey. Nonetheless, Merson enjoyed the best showing of a defending champion since 2009. In fact, only two reigning champions have cashed the following year within the past decade, Greg Raymer and Peter Eastgate.
“The Matador” Continues to Bull His Way Up the LeaderboardCarlos Mortensen currently stands as the only previous World Champion remaining in the Main Event. The 2001 winner enjoyed a steady rise with his chip position. He began the day ranked below average. By the time of the dinner break, Mortensen was about average in chips. By day's end, he moved to slightly above average in chips, with about 2.5 million.Notable NamesSeveral notable players remain alive in the Main Event. This list includes Yevgeniy Timoshenko (4,095,000), David Benefield (3,675,000), Noah Schwartz (3,595,000), JC Tran (3,280,000), bracelet winner Amir Lehavot (2,655,000), Mark Newhouse (2,035,000), Jim Collopy (1,970,000), and Rep Porter (950,000).
Also of special note -- only one finalist from last year remains still in the Main Event. Steve Gee (2010 gold bracelet winner), who finished in ninth in the 2012 Main Event is low on chips at the moment, but still very much in contention.
Only One Female Still InNot to put any unnecessary pressure on Jackie Glazier, but she's playing for half of humanity. She's the only female still with chips out of the six who started play on this day and the 298 overall who entered the Main Event. The Australian poker pro is currently in a comfortable chip position, ranked in 12th place.
Annette Obrestad was the biggest name of this group to make an exit during Day 5. Beverly Lange, Kima Kimura, Estelle Denis and Kristy Gazes were also casualties of the day. All of these women made their best showing ever in the Main Event.
Busted Out, But Finished in the MoneyDay Five resulted in several notable eliminations, including a few names that seemed to expire prematurely, given their earlier chip positions. Those who went out include bracelet winner Josh Pollock (70th), Annette Obrestad (89th), Ashton Griffin (118th), Ronnie Bardah (124th), bracelet winner Max Steinberg (131st), Kristy Gazes (200th), Roland Israelashvili (218th), Shawn Sheikhan (224th), and Greg Mueller (226th),.
Coming Tomorrow -- Day Six
The 68 surviving players will return to the Amazon Room at the Rio for Day Six, which takes place on Sunday. Players are expected to play exactly five levels according the schedule. Until then, here is a look at the top ten chip stacks going into Day 6:
1. Sami Rustom - 7,050,000
2. Marc McLaughlin - 6,695,000
3. Jason Mann - 6,580,000
4. Maxx Coleman - 6,260,000
5. George Wong - 5,740,000
6. Sylvain Loosli - 5,690,000
7. Ryan Riess - 5,570,000
8. Keanu Tabali - 5,435,000
9. Matthew Reed - 5,255,000
10. Yevgeniy Timoshenko - 4,095,000