Alexandre has reclaimed the chip lead in the Freezeout.

While he has been among the chip leaders all afternoon, he is now clearly and comfortably in first place with his next closest rival trailing by more than 40,000 in chips. But even with a big stack, nothing is guaranteed at this stage. Although the prizes are on the horizon-26 players will cash this event-there remains a lot of poker to be played before then so everyone still in contention has a legitimate chance.

The stacks are deeper and the stakes are rising, as the Freezeout continues in Round 12. Less than a third of the starting field remains, and the chip average now provides roughly 20 big blinds. The short stacks simplify the decision-making process, but they also make each decision that much more consequential.

Here’s a look at some of the remaining players:

The huge turnout for Event #6 has built a prize pool that far surpassed the $5,000 guarantee. Thanks to the 202 entries this afternoon, 26 players will cash this event. Although the $100 minimum prize still represents a modest profit, everyone has their eyes on the $3,366 prize up top for the winner.

Nearly half of the starting field has hit the rail, as the players return from their second break of the afternoon. 108 players remain in contention, and roughly a quarter of them will cash this event, as the top 26 will be in the money.

The chip leader at the first break, Alexandre Menard, has maintained his momentum and is still among the chip leaders, but Marc Lavergne went on a hot streak before the second break to take over the top of the leader board.

The field in Event #6 is down by nearly a third of the starting entries, with 136 players remaining. As a one-day event with 20 minute blind levels, this one will be a sprint to the finish.

We are starting to see a growing disparity between the big and small stacks; some players are playing well beyond double the chip average, while some others are clinging to life with less than 10 big blinds.

Here’s another brief look at some of the players left:

The late registration period has just closed on Event #6 but not before 202 players had time to make it into the field. The total prize pool will be close to triple the $5,000 guarantee so many of the 180 remaining players will be walking away with a substantial cash this afternoon.

While there is still a long way to go before we get close to the prizes, here are the players who made a fast start out of the gate: