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Now it's getting exciting. The pickles are really starting to fly, and the patties are getting so thick you could cut it with a knife. OK, so that's a horrible analogy.

Point is: This is serious.

Today the Tournament of Burgers officially kicks off its Second Round, meaning 32 South Sound burger joints remain, and the competition is as hot as ever. Who will be crowned champ Monday, April 7? The path to burger greatness starts today.

Here's a look at today's Tournament of Burgers action and a recap of yesterday's results. Squirt some mustard on it if you know what's good for you and get rolling.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Lefty's Burger Shack vs. Bob's Burgers & Brew

Bob's Burgers & Brews, an 11th, is the youngest burger joint in the Tournament of Burgers, opening a franchise in South Hill two months ago. Inexperience could have been a factor in its loss to popular Lefty's Burger Shack in University Place. Behind solid play of its bacon cheeseburger on a warm Kaiser bun and the surprise play from their bacon dog (is that legal?), Lefty's moves easily into the Second Round with 84 percent of the vote.

Game 2: Alfred's Café vs. Twisted Kilt Irish Pub

Everyone loves a good comeback, and this may have been one of the better clutch performances in the (obviously short) history of the Tournament of Burgers. Down by a substantial margin at midday, Alfred's Café, was able to rally the troops at halftime, and by troops I mean the Port of Tacoma. By the time the final buzzer sounded the Puyallup Avenue, speakeasy-ish, often colorful characters loaded Alfred's walked away with an impressive victory, racking up 59 percent of the vote. Next up for Alfred's Café, a Second Round dogfight with Lefty's Burger Shack.

Game 3: Shake Shake Shake vs. Terry's Office Tavern

It's safe to say it would have been an upset of monumental proportion has Terry's Office Tavern somehow managed to defeat Shake Shake Shake, but - alas - it was never meant to be. Shake Shake Shake dominated from tip-off to the final seconds yesterday, collecting votes at almost a three to one ratio and securing 72 percent of the vote.

Game 4: Han's Burger & Teriyaki vs. Frugals

Fruglas has been serving custom, workingman's burgers in Tacoma since 1990. Their experience showed during yesterday's game against Han's. Ignoring the late-afternoon penalty Han's received for excessive catsup, Frugals' 66 percent of the vote victory came from the one-two punch of fresh mushrooms and a sesame seed bun. Sometimes, you have to go with what you know. Frugals moves into the Second Round for a March 31 game against number one seed Shake Shake Shake. Oh, baby!

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Second Round:

• Lefty's Burger Shake
• Alfred's Café
• Shake Shake Shake
• Frugals

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's Second Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m.