Fireworks: Merwick, Solorzano and Alfera Hit the Rail in First Level!
Here's a recap of the action from the first 75-minute level of the day. The blinds were 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante for this entire level.
First Big Hand - 1:40 PM
The day started of with a decent pot when Jorge Solorzano raised from the hijack and Mike Foster reraised from the button. After a call there was about 140,000 in the pot and a flop of 
.
Solorzano checked to Foster who fired out 120,000. Solorzano called and then checked the 
on the turn.
Foster continued to be aggressive and bet 150,000, enough to take down the pot and increase his stack to 1.1 million. Meanwhile, Solorzano dropped to 300,000.
Double Up - 1:49 PM
Jorge Solorzano moved all in for his last 329,000 from early position and action folded around to Kevin Calenzo on the button who called off his remaining 255,000.
Calenzo: 
Solorzano: 
The board ran out 
and Calenzo doubled to 520,000 while Solorzano was left with just 75,000.
Joel Merwick Eliminated in 9th Place ($9,164) - 1:55 PM
Mike Foster raised to 55,000 under the gun only to have Joel Merwick move all in from the cutoff for 290,000. Charles "Woody" Moore quickly called from the button and Foster got out of the way. Merwick, who revealed 
, was in big trouble against the 
of Moore.
That all changed as the flop came down 
. Merwick hit his set and was in good shape to double. The 
on the turn gave Moore a straight draw and chop outs, but it was the 
on the river that sent gasps of disbelief throughout the room. Moore took down the pot to increase his stack to 1.5 million while Merwick became the 9th place finishes. His performance will earn him 30 points in the National Circuit points race, bringing him to 102.5, and put him in second place.
Jorge Solorzano Eliminated in 8th Place ($11,486) - 2:00 PM
John Alfera raised to 55,000 from middle position and Jorge Solorzano called all in for his last 23,000.
Alfera: 
Solorzano: 
The 
flop put a dagger in Solorzano's heart and the on the turn officially ended his tournament. The was put out on the river for good measure as Solorzano was eliminated in 9th place.
Bradshaw Shoves On Alfera's Button Raise - 2:10 PM
From the button, John Alfera raised to 55,000. Kris Bradshaw moved all in from the big blind for 230,000 and action fell back on Alfera. He tanked for a bit and then folded, showing the 
and saying, "I've played with you too long." Bradshaw showed the and won the pot.
Calenzo with Some Preflop Aggression - 2:12 PM
John Holder raised to 65,000 from middle position before Kevin Calenzo reraised to 152,000 from the next seat. "How much is that?" asked Charles "Woody" Moore from the button when action got to him. After he got the count verified by the dealer, Moore folded. Action moved back around the table through the blinds to Holder. He also released his hand and Calenzo won the pot to push his stack to about 785,000.
Alfera Doesn't Make the Call - 2:33 PM
From the button, John Holder raised to 50,000. John Alfera tank-called from the big blind and the two saw the flop of 
roll out after Alfera had checked in the dark. Holder checked behind on the flop to see the fall on the turn.
Alfera fired 60,000 and Holder made the call before the 
fell on the river. Alfera checked and Holder fired 80,000. After a minute or so in the tank, Alfera gave it up, leaving himself with 430,000 in chips. Holder improved to 1.02 million.
John Alfera Eliminated in 7th Place ($14,616) - 2:45 PM
John Holder raised to 80,000 from the cutoff only to have John Alfera make it 200,000 from the small blind. Holder made the call as the flop came down 
. Alfera led out for 250,000, leaving himself just 169,000 behind, and Holder waited a minute before moving all in.
Alfera snap-called and flipped over 
. However, he was visibly distraught when Holder flipped over for a flopped set. The on the turn changed nothing and Alfera needed an ace on the river. It was not meant to be as the was revealed. Alfera was eliminated from the tournament in 7th place as Holder vaulted to around 1.5 million.
A short time later, players were given their first 10-minute break of the day. Here are the counts at the break.
John Holder - 1,660,000
Charles "Woody" Moore - 1,369,000
Mike Foster - 914,000
Kevin Calenzo - 909,000
Brian McKain - 617,000
Kris Bradshaw - 317,000