WSOP Day 1A Recap
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The The Main Event of the World Series of Poker is 2 part story. A story of wonderment, and a story of survival. Jack Effell took the stage and reminded players that they are among the top 1% of poker players on earth, when you consider the 10’s of millions of players around the globe. The Main Event is the grand prize of all poker players, and today marked the first day of the day 1’s (4 are scheduled) and the first step towards crowning a new champion (unless Joe Cada decides to repeat.)
*** For Day 1a Pictures, Click Here ***
The first part of the story comes from those that have never played in the World Series of Poker before. These players, many of whom are amateurs in search of a moment of glory and filled with a hope that they just might become the next Chris Moneymaker or Greg Raymer. Most pro’s look at these players simply as dead money, and in the vast majority of cases, they’re right. Handing some people $30,000 tournament chips is simply a crime, as they don’t know really what to do with them. Many of the amateurs won’t make it through the first few levels of play.
But the 2nd part of the story is about those that are looking to add that glory to an already impressive mantel. Day 1 is simply a stepping stone into what is to come. Survive the day, hopefully with more chips that you began it, and maybe, just maybe you might find yourself a chance at becoming a world champion.
Greg Raymer kicked things off by holding up his wrist, which proudly displayed the bracelet that he won in this event just a few years back and said “This is what we are all playing for.” His arms raised like the champion that he is, Raymer proudly announced the hallowed words “Shuffle Up and Deal!” which mark the beginning of every major tournament. However, his words would be as short as his game play today, as he made an early exit in level 1, when his top pair and flush draw were just no match for a flopped set, leaving him short, and then running two 8’s into Aces for the eventual knockout blow.
Other top players that saw their day end shorter than they’d like and unable to survive include the likes of Mike Matusow, David “Chino” Rheem, Victor Ramdin, and Jimmy Fricke. There were also some celebs in the field as actors Ray Romano and David Allen Grier mixed it up, along with NBA superstar Shawn Marion. Ramano and Marion would also hit the rail before the day was done.
But there were plenty of players who would move onto to day 2 including Michael Mizrachi, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Mueller, Barry Shullman, Vitaly Lunkin, best buds Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle, and a whole host of other pro’s and amateurs alike. In the end, 1125 players signed up for the first day, and fewer than 800 of them will rejoin the survivors of day 1c on Friday for yet another day in the main event. See you back at the Main Event tomorrow with all new pics and a whole new cast of hopefuls vying for poker history.
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