Josh Evans vaulted into the top spot with 1.9 million in chips after capturing several massive pots. In one he flopped to a set of three 10s against a player holding pocket aces, and in a later hand called an all-in bet with three twos against a player who missed on a straight.

"I'm running terrific today," said Evans, who busted out in the second day of play in last year's main event. This year, he finished his first day of play at the top of his group. "A vast improvement," he said.

Evans later slipped to ninth in the no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament as Paul Spitzberg moved into first with 2.8 million chips and Adam White, a 24-year-old player from Tempe, Ariz., was in second with 2.75 million.

Copenhagen-born pro Gus Hansen was back in the pack with 629,000 in chips, after starting the fourth official day of play with 1.04 million.

Huck Seed, the 1996 main event champ, doubled up to about 1.2 million in chips before the dinner break when his ace and nine of hearts made a jack-high straight on the river. His opponent showed down three eights in disgust.

Seed said afterward he thought his opponent was bluffing.

"I didn't think he had anything, but I was wrong," Seed said. "I totally played bad and got super, super lucky."

By the dinner break Friday, only 153 players remained from an initial field of 6,358 that began play in stages July 6. Each paid $10,000 to enter the world's biggest poker tournament.

In a testament to its growing international flavor, 74 of the final 337 who sat down to play Friday were from outside the United States, and a total of 27 nations were represented.

Former main event champions remained in the pack, including Seed, Scotty Nguyen (1998) with 880,000, and Berry Johnston (1986) with 550,000. Seven-time World Series bracelet winner Billy Baxter also was in the game with 341,000.

On Friday, celebrities Tobey Maguire of "Spiderman" and "The Simpsons" co-creator Sam Simon busted out.

Payouts to finishers who placed 621st and higher began Thursday, and those with small stacks who made it into Friday's round were struggling to double up or go home.

Brad Mills, a 25-year-old home theater salesman from Glendora, Calif., was on the verge of tripling his 100,000 short stack when he caught a king on the turn while holding an ace and king versus a player with pocket queens.

A heartbreaking nine fell on the river, giving his opponent a straight with a jack and 10 on the board and sending Mills home in 249th place with $45,422 for his troubles.

"You know how brutal that was? That was brutal," he said, looking stunned. "My brain's lost right now. That was insane."

Ryan Elson, a 27-year-old insurance salesman from Canton, Ohio, was ready to head for the exit when he moved all-in with a king and 10 of spades before the flop, and got a caller with an ace and king. An ace and king came on the flop, but a miracle queen on the turn and then a jack on the river made his straight, giving his tournament life new legs.

"I went from having nothing to having 300,000," he said. "If I double that up to 600,000 I'm right back in this thing."