And Then There Were 185...

Six days ago, when the first card was dealt in the World Series of Poker at Harrah's Rio Suites, Las Vegas, 5,619 hard-nosed hustlers allowed themselves to dream of walking away with the first prize of $7.5m.

Now that figure is just 185.

Those left standing know their trip will be a profitable one, as the top 560 players all make money. Now it's all about how much. The $12,500 awarded to those who finished between 501-560 barely covers the $10,000 buy-in fee plus hotel bills. But anyone who gets into the top 100 will make at least $77,100 - while the nine players who make it into the final table will become instant millionaires.

Not that some people left in the tournament necessarily need the cash. Last year's $5m winner, patent lawyer Greg "Fossilman" Raymer - the nickname comes from the fossils he uses as card protectors at the table - finished the night in second place, with close to just under a million dollars worth of chips.

He's just behind leader Rod Pardey, who has around $1m in chips. Meanwhile Russ Hamilton, the 1994 champion, is still in the field, as other big-name pros like the poker professor Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow and Paul Darden. However Sam Farha, who finished second to Chris Moneymaker in 2003, has been knocked out.

Of the 185 players still left, six are women. In the world series of poker's 36-year-history, only one member of the fairer sex has reached the final table - Barbara Enright, who finished fifth in 1995. But she, along with former Miss Teen Oklahoma and pro Clonie Gowen were knocked out of the tournament last night. However Tiffany Williamson from London remains in the hunt and, according to latest results from the official world series of poker site, she is the top British player still in the tournament. What price her breaking the trend?