2008 WSOP Event #19 $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha, Day One: Selbst Opens Commanding Lead

June 11 2008, Amy Calistri

The play in Day One of the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event was fast and furious, honing the 758-player field down to just 46. Day Two starters will be in the hunt for first place's $227,965 and the bracelet. To say that Vanessa Selbst has the chip lead in Event #19, racelet, doesn't quite capture the magnitude of Selbst's Day One performance. Going into Day Two, Selbst will have almost a 2-to-1 advantage over her next closest competitor.

At the end of the day, the top ten chip leaders were:

Vanessa Selbst 203,600
Anthony Phillips 133,100
Carter Gill 114,000
Eugene Todd 103,600
Greg Cox 82,900
Phil Reed 82,000
Craig Natte 80,900
Jesper Hougaard 74,800
Rob Hollink 70,600
Jordan Morgan 70,100

Among the many who fell victim before the money bubble were Robert Wiliamson III, Alex Kravchenko, Jeff Madsen, Brandon Cantu, JC Tran, Freddy Deeb, David Sklansky, Marcel Luske, Shannon Shorr, Erik Seidel, Erick Lindgren (who was busy elsewhere), Gus Hansen, David Benyamine, John Juanda and Greg Raymer.

The field handily powered through the bubble in Day One, after Rafi Amit had the dubious honor. Kathy Liebert was the first player to cash in 72nd place, chalking up her third money finish in the 2008 WSOP thus far.

The play that was brisk before the bubble, seemed to accelerate, sending home a wave of players just after the burst. Alex Jacob was eliminated in 69th place when his K-K-x-x couldn't overcome an opponent's A-A-x-x. Rolf Slotboom and David "Devilfish" Ulliott also cashed and left, finishing in 61st and 60th respectively. And Doug "Rico" Carli finished in 57th.

While Selbst may have grabbed the lead, she'll have many talented players to contend with when Day Two begins. Among them is Carter Gill, who is hoping to continue his run. In Day One, Gill bet out on an ace-high flop and took it down, showing A-A-x-x as he did. "I run so good," said Gill. "I've been dealt aces eight times, and flopped an ace eight times." And along with the other chip leaders, the field will include notable pros like Chau Giang, Tony Cousineau, Max Pescatori.

Check back with the PokerNews Live Reporting Team for all the Day Two action. But don't be late. This event is playing at breakneck speed.

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