As Day 2B reaches the midpoint of level 16, the field stands at 173 players.

The remaining players are showing their focus and determination through solid play and careful chip management. Everyone realizes that the money bubble is not far off and that this event has become a freezeout from this point on. As one player put it, “the real tournament starts now.” As a result, the pace of play has slowed significantly from the wild action seen during the first two levels and the bustouts are now few and far between.

Here is an updated look at the field from level 16: