"No cash baby," Sigan laughed as he hugged his wife Diana, a poker player herself.

The tough part of it was that Sigan had more than $55,000 in chips at the time, short-stacked for sure, but not desperate. He said he almost didn't even play the hand, even though he had pocket queens.

"Honestly I was thinking of folding," said Sigan, who won his spot in the main event by winning a Milwaukee's Best online tournament, "because the one guy that's been beating me all day was the only guy I was worried about."

That player would be Vandy Krouch, who called Sigan's $22,000 raise before the flop. When the cards came out 4-6-8, Sigan figured his queens were a winner and went all in with his last $30,000. Krouch calling and showed 5-6, and Sigan was ahead.

But when the turn card was a 7, giving Krouch a straight, the tournament had its bubble boy.

As a consolation prize, Sigan gets free entry into Friday's Bubble Playoff tournament. He'll play against the other eight players to go out before the money, with the winner receiving a free entry into the 2008 main event.

But Sigan, who says he plays a lot online and in live games, didn't sound ready to head back to the table.

"I'm pretty drained right now, and ..." he paused, sighing. "I'm kind of bummed out."

THE RACE TO THE MONEY

While Sigan's bustout was dramatic, the intensity actually unfolded over the course of two hours. Here's how it went.

3:45 p.m. (634 players remaining, with 621 finishing in the money)
After a short break, the players sit down, knowing that 12 of them will go home without cashing in the main event.

Ted Forrest, a well known pro who owns five World Series bracelets, is the first to be eliminated.

4:10 (630 left)
One player with a short stack of chips seems to think he's being bulllied by an opponent with a large stack, so he re-raises before the flop. The big stack calls, then bets enough after the flop to put short stack all in. Short stack thinks for awhile before folding reluctantly.

4:37 (628 left)
John Lawrence, down to his last $22,000 (the average stack by this time is more than $200,000), pushes all in. An opponent calls, and Lawrence has ace-jack against 9-8. The dealer is ready to go, and an ESPN camera is in place. But a crew member makes the dealer wait until two more cameras arrive. Finally, after about two minutes of buildup, the flop comes ace-6-10, and Lawrence's hand holds up.

4:45 p.m. (626 left)
Lawrence again goes all in, this time for about $44,000. He's got pocket aces, and he's in good shape, up against king-queen of hearts. Unfortunately, his opponent makes a flush on the river. Lawrence seems to take it well, but someone in the crowd says "That's just sick."

5:10 p.m. (625 left)
Some players are restless, complaining that the clock keeps running even through we're playing hand-by-hand, meaning no table can deal another hand until all the tables are done. Some are wondering if we'll be down to 621 by the 5:45 p.m. break, as no one really wants to sweat it out for that much longer.

5:14 p.m. (623 left)
There's a buzz in the room as two players are eliminated in one round. Two more to go, and everyone else is in the money. Hopefull looks creeps onto the faces of some of the players with shorter stacks. Hevad Kahn is not one of them. He's sitting pretty with more than $900,000 in second place, and actually looks a little bored.

5:28 p.m. (622 left)
The buzz from a table across the room tells me someone has gone all in. The sudden quiet tells me that someone managed to double up.

5:34 p.m. (622 left)
Tournament director Jack Effel announces over the loudspeaker that each surviving player from the table that produces the bubble boy will get a 15-minute complementary massage. And the lucky table is ...

5:36 p.m. (621 left)
... Table 29. That's where Sigan is sitting when his pocket queens are beaten by Krouch's straight. Applause starts around the table, then slowly spreads throughout the room, building to a crescendo as the other players realize what has just happened. They have all cashed in the world's largest poker tournament. Players who have spent hours trying to out-think, trap and intimidate each other are now exchanging high-fives, back slaps, and in some instances, hugs. All except John Sigan, their bubble boy.

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