Event 56: $1,600 No-Limit Hold’em $2,000,000 Guarantee
Level 18
Blinds: 3,000/6,000/1,000
Total Entrants: 2,216
Players Remaining: 180
Chip Average: 249,000
The bursting of the money bubble has led to more stack infusions for players in the Event 56 and the latest crop of players over the 400,000 mark (and the first one to hit 1,000,000) are plenty equipped for a deep run in this tournament.

Marty Mathis is the first player sitting one 1,000,000 after riding the rocket ship up the leaderboard in the last few levels. Mathis is a citizen of the world but finds himself in Las Vegas this weekend and almost $500,000 awaiting him if he can keep up this rush through the end of tomorrow.

Regardless of tour, city or even country, it’s never few and far between deep runs for Craig Varnell. Varnell is playing close to double the chip average and has already locked up his sixth cash of the summer. The experience Varnell has gained over the years in this stage of tournaments should serve him well as the field starts to click below 100 players.

Greg Geller was on the verge of hitting the rail earlier on Day 2 but managed to hit gin when his pocket kings flopped a set against his opponent’s pocket aces to prevent him from being in danger on the bubble. Geller’s cash today is his largest ever at the Venetian and he hopes to maximize it with the 400,000 he currently has in front of him.