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WSOP Main Event, Day 1A
And a very good morning to all of you back home at the start of the biggest event in poker.
The weather here is much cooler today - 37C - which is something of a relief, but the atmo is sizzling as we prepare for Day 1A of the WSOP Main Event.
Please don't hesitate to ask questions, it can be quite difficult if there is no feedback or "bounce", especially as due to time difference we play tough the night.
I'll try & find a few photos, too, to try to keep the interest levels up.
Comments
As far as I know, none of the Sky Poker qualifiers are playing today.
We met up last night for a drink in a posh par at Palazzo, and all of them seem to be playing Day 1B, which is Sunday (tomorrow).
Structure today?
50,000 starting chips.
Blinds start at 75-150.
2 hour levels.
5 x 2 hour levels will be played today.
There will be a 20 minute break after levels 1, 2 & 4.
There will be a 90 minute dinner break after Level 3.
Late registration is available through 3 levels & the dinner break.
15% of the field will be paid.
good luck everyone.
sky poker people, that is. not the other 7,000.
looking forward to your updates tikay.
glgl
I'll do "Request A Stack" & "Request A Photo" too, though it would help if you gave me a seat & table number. Pretty hard finding people here amongst a sea of faces.
I stood in front of the Main Stage to get some photos of "Shuffle Up & Deal" for 20 minutes whilst ESPN, who were not ready, fifed & faffed about.
Just as Jack Effel got up on stage to announce it - 9 minutes late thanks to ESPN - a stroppy runner from ESPN came rushing in & told us all to "get the hell out of here, this is ESPN only".
Lovely job.
Anyway, play has started.
Here's Phil Laak on one of the feature tables.
He & Jennifer Tilly are big pals with Mr Ambo.
Phil told me that Neil Channing is "my favourite curmudgeon".
Phil might look daft, but he's a shrewd judge.
CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO
The WSOP has a new Sponsor, "Ten Cent", who is not a rapper by the way, they are an Asian poker site or somesuch.
So their CEO got the honour of getting the WSOP started.
He said, in (almost) faultless English, "Shuffle uppa and a deal"
Barny Boatman is off to a flyer, 70,000 (from 50,000) after 20 minutes.
A couple of former ME winners are already seated, Martin Jacobson and Jerry Yang, plus Barry Shulman, Barny Boatman, Iraj Parvizi, Matt Ashton & Donnacha O'Dea
Name this man & tell me something interesting about him, poker & non-poker.
Clue - he's a paper millionaire. Literally. (Might actually be a paper billionaire).
I was playing cash in the Pavilion Room last night, across the other side the WSOP Mega Sat was in progress.
It awarded 23 seats to the WSOP Main Event.
Think about that - satellite with a prize pool of $230,000. Incred really.
Anyway, at around midnight there was a loud piercing scream, so loud everyone turned round to look at what was happening.
There then followed two more loud screams, they were blood-curdling, as if someone had been stabbed, or shot.
At the same time, a bunch of players - 20 or more - were high fiving each other, hooting & hollering.
Meanwhile, Screaming Bloke was now crying. I mean, proper crying, tears & everything.
The coup soon became evident - he had bubbled the Main Event seat.
Do you have any sympathy for someone behaving like that over a game of poker?
I don't. He needs to play smaller, or quit the game. When you allow poker to strip you of your dignity like that, it's time to quit.
We've all had painful bubbles, its the nature of the beast. When it reduces a man to tears though it's not a pretty sight.
It hurt, of course it did, but a real man would never let it show. IMO, of course.
Of course.
CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO
It looks like the first player out of this year's Main is Samuel Yun. Doesn't sound a bad beat either, two pair losing to a flopped straight
A fella bet every street on a 9-J-10-K-K board. His last bet was 10,000 into 2,800.
Boat?
Trip kings?
The very obvious straight, with the queen?
No no no.
3-3.
It's the only day of the year in poker when I get jealous. Would LOVE to play it.
First break of the day is now complete, & Level 2 is about to start.
Yesterday was Day 1 of the WSOP Ladies Event.
Shaun Deeb, amongst others, entered this in the past, making something of a mockery of the Ladies Event.
So the WSOP came up with a spiffing idea. They made it $10,000 to enter, with a $9,000 discount for females.
It failed to deter male pro Hockey Player Simon Despres-Bellavance though. He ponied up the full $10,000.
He busted in Level 7.
Sam Grafton also above starting stack.
Barny Boatman is either;
a) Very good indeed
b) Very lucky
c) Running HOT
d) On a really bad table.
e) All of those.
After ONE level, he has 212,000 from 50,000 starting.
Sky Poker UKPC commentator Sam Grafton has over 100,000 after a very nice river gave villain a set, but Sam had the nut flush.
You lose track of time & the outside world here.
None of the casinos have clocks, or any windows which allow daylight in.
It's pleasantly air-conditioned in every public building - they all have aircon - but if you step outside the contrast is astonishing.
I just popped outside for a few minutes, & it is 46C (115f), & on top of that, there is quite a breeze blowing. Its like stepping inside a fan oven.
Would love to sit up and await your pearls of wisdom Teeks, but I have a flight to catch early in the morning.
Might pop in and see you sometime tomorrow evening.
Note I said reigning champion not defending champion. He's not defending anything, he will always be the 2016 WSOP Main Event winner. It's not like boxing where the champion defends his title against a challenger and if he/she loses, the belt passes over.
The WSOP updates have been saying 737 entrants for well over an hour. If that was right then, I'm assuming we have exceeded last year's Day 1A total by now.