Defending champion Greg Raymer has managed to keep his tables entertained without coming across as too arrogant. AP

LAS VEGAS -- It was just before 12:15 a.m., with only about 34 minutes remaining in Day 2 of the World Series of Poker's main event.

Some 584 players remained, and with the cut-off for players who will finish in the money being 10 percent of the entire field (or 560 players), the hands were being played tight. Then, on Table 16, the player in seat No. 3 announced, "I'm all in."

The man in seat 6, who had already folded, threw him a cock-eyed stare. "Do you know we make money in like, 20 people?" he asked.

Seat 3 nodded.

"I'm just asking," Seat 6 replied. "Hey, all I want is 10K."

With a prize pool of $56.2 million, the 36th annual WSOP main event (No Limit Texas Hold 'Em) is, as the emcee announced when play began today at 12:32 p.m., "the biggest event in gambling history." In fact, all nine players who make the final table later this week will earn at least $1 million.

That's fantastic, of course, but many of the fewer than 600 players remaining at midnight just wanted to earn their $10,000 buy-in back. Especially since not a few of them had gained entry into the tourney by winning a cheaper satellite (one player invested $33 to be here) and so the minimum $10,000 prize would mean a lot more than simply recouping their investment.

Earlier, just after midnight, a trio of WSOP officials huddled and discussed whether to extend the night's session until they reached the cut-off point. Some players hoped that they would ("I'll sleep easier tonight knowing I've made back the $10,000 buy-in," said one) while others, especially those who had put in a 15-hour day on Saturday in the final stage of preliminary play, were anxious to find a pillow. The WSOP officials prudently decided to stick to their original plan of ending the session at 12:48 p.m., regardless of how many players remained.

Not that it made the final hour of play any less stressful. For instance, there was the all-in call on Table 18 at 12:24 p.m. One player held 9-10 clubs, his opponent held K-Q, also clubs. The flop came 10C-4D-5C. Then the turn came JC. Both players had drawn a flush before the river (5 offsuit), but K-Q had the higher kicker. Goodbye, 9-10. At least you have a good story to tell.

Twenty minutes later and a few tables over, Allen Patatanyan of Encino, Calif., found himself in the midst of a more memorable hand.

Patatanyan, his lucky $2 bill laid on the table in front of him, went all in with a pair of deuces. He got called by a pair of queens. Patatanyan had the lower chip stack, so this was his do-or-die moment. Less than five minutes remained in the entire day's session, but nearly $80,000 was sitting in the pot.

The flop came 2-Q-4, giving both players a set, but the three queens obviously trumped Patatanyan's deuces. The turn came an ace. The river, with Patatanyan's tournament life at stake? A deuce! Quad deuces for the man holding the $2 bill.