crowded like cattle at the WSOP(credit:
mil8)
The showpiece WSOP Main Event is well underway, with Days 1A, B and C providing plenty of talking points. In order to accommodate all players, there are four ‘first days’ scheduled, which are then filtered down to two ‘second days’.
With 30,000 starting stacks as opposed to the 20,000 of recent years, players were given extra bang for their buck. Amongst the 1,116 players on Day 1A were international rap sensation Nelly, leg-spin legend Shane Warne and actor Jason Alexander. Although the flamboyant Nelly hit the rail early on, Warne found the transition from the cricket green to the green felt relatively easy, amassing 87,625 in chips. 2007 Main Event champion Jerry Yang had a miserable day, and crashed out in a kings versus aces cooler, however former final tableists Andy Black and Sam Farha managed to survive. The day was not without its controversy however, as it emerged chip leader and bar owner Eric Cloutier has been implicated on 15 felony charges, including money laundering, tax evasion and tobacco control.
The 873 players taking to the tables for Day 1B undercut the 1,158 last year, perhaps testament to the global economic crisis. Veteran ‘Amarillo Slim’ Preston, who helped pioneer the growth of the World Series along with Johnny Moss and Doyle Brunson back in its infancy, ended the day on 48,075 chips. Slim has had a tumultuous few years, after being accused of molesting his grand-daughter in his pick-up truck. Meanwhile Mike Matusow’s dismal 2009 WSOP looks to have perked up as he survived the first day, along with Chris Ferguson and Barry Greenstein.
Day 1C saw the introduction of Ultimate Bet Emperor Phil Hellmuth on a chariot, however his grand entrance proved to be a painful anti-climax, as he ended the day short-stacked. The enigmatic Jeff Lisandro, who has dominated the WSOP stud events, continued his rich vein of form as he powered into the top ten at the end of the day. Meanwhile former Major League Baseball sensation Joe Canseco has announced his entry into the 3 man ‘Dream Team’ tournament, to be held on the 12th July after the Main Event. Despite poker being an inherently selfish game, team events provide a refreshing break, with father and son Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok, as well as Doyle and Todd Brunson, also expected to join forces.