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The $2,500 buy-in Seven Card Razz tournament during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) ended with PocketFiver Ryan Gotskillz Fisler (pictured at right) nabbing third place for $76,000. Members of the online poker community have earned well over $16 million from WSOP tournaments along with not one, not two, but a whopping 13 gold bracelets. We’re in the home stretch towards the WSOP Main Event, which kicks off next Friday, July 3rd with the first of four starting days. The $10,000 buy-in tournament attracted 6,844 runners the last time around. This year, with numerous records already broken, the total field size may be much larger. PocketFivesLive.com, which provides WSOP coverage of online poker players, has brought all of the action to you from the Amazon Room.

Fisler was ousted in third place from the Seven Card Razz tournament, Event #44 of the 2009 WSOP. Eventual runner-up Michael Craig showed 6-5-4-3-2 in Fisler’s final hand, while Fisler turned up king-high. The hand gave Craig much-needed chips against poker pro Jeffrey Lisandro heads-up. However, Lisandro earned his third WSOP bracelet of 2009, the first player to accomplish that feat since Phil Ivey in 2002. PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Rich Ryan, who cheered Fisler on throughout the Razz tournament, commented, “Fisler cruised his way into the final table. He did his best to chip up and that got him three-handed. At the end of the day, Lisandro was like a chip magnet and there was nothing Fisler could do to stop him.”

Grabbing eighth in Event #44 was Allen albari Bari (pictured at left), who saw his bankroll grow by $19,000. Fisler ousted his fellow PocketFiver with 9-6-5-4-3. All was not lost for Bari, who turned in his third cash of 2009. He’s a former WSOP Circuit Event gold ring winner after taking down a $1,000 buy-in tournament in Atlantic City in 2008 and has two Circuit Event final tables to his name overall. On the successful PocketFiver, Ryan explained, “Bari battled with a short stack at the beginning of Day 3. Thanks to a fortunate triple-up, he was able to make a final table run.”

Meanwhile, PocketFiver J.C. PrtyPSux Alvarado (pictured at right) owns the second largest stack heading into the final day of play in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em. A televised tournament in 2008, the Pot Limit Hold’em Championship has 14 players remaining. John Kabbaj leads the way with 2.2 million chips, more than double Alvarado’s second place stack. Ryan noted, “Alvarado is playing at a really high level right now. His reads have been right on throughout the event. J.C. picked his spots accordingly and, in doing so, built the second largest stack in the tournament.”

The 14 players remaining in the Pot Limit Hold’em Championship (Event #45) include a bevy of PocketFivers. WSOP bracelet winner Eric basebaldy Baldwin (pictured at left) is seeking to become the fourth dual event winner in 2009. He holds the fourth largest stack entering play on Thursday at 713,000. Baldwin took a healthy pot off Alvarado to wrap up play on Wednesday night. After a flop of J-9-4, Alvarado checked, Baldwin bet out 20,000, and Alvarado flat called. The action went check-check when a king hit on the turn. After a queen hit the river, Alvarado check-called a bet of 67,000 and promptly mucked after Baldwin turned up 10-5 for a straight. Joining Baldwin and Alvarado will be Billy Patrolman35 Kopp (772,000 chips), Davidi legrouzin Kitai (581,000), Darryll DFish Fish (368,000), and Mohsin chicagocards1 Charania (224,000).

Here is how the field stands entering the final day of play in the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em:

1. John Kabbaj - 2,226,000
2. J.C. Alvarado - 924,000
3. Billy Kopp - 772,000
4. Eric Baldwin - 713,000
5. Isaac Haxton - 660,000
6. Davidi Kitai - 581,000
7. Kirill Gerasimov - 550,000
8. Ken Lennaard - 467,000
9. Darryll Fish - 368,000
10. Eugene Todd - 351,000
11. Michael Kamran - 261,000
12. Jason Lester - 240,000
13. Mohsin Charania - 224,000
14. Thomas Pettersson - 121,000

Finally, 23 players remain in the hunt for the $229,000 first place prize up for grabs in the $2,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better event. Three PocketFivers will take to the felts on Thursday for the final day of play: James Flushy Dempsey, Jeff droogy Tunkel, and Josh SDouble Schlein. Mark Tenner paces the talented field, which also includes Can Kim Hua and Mike Matusow. Each player is assured to walk away with at least $7,000.

Visit PocketFivesLive.com for the latest WSOP coverage of online poker players. Don’t forget to register for coverage if you’re planning to play in any event during the 2009 tournament series.