Level: 2
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
2011-12 World Series of Poker Circuit - Harveys Lake Tahoe
Main Event
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2011-12 World Series of Poker Circuit - Harveys Lake Tahoe
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$475,785
Entries
327
Level
32
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000
The Champ is Here
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
Stan Quinn almost snuck under our radar with his trimmed hair and bedazzled hat. But the defending champ is indeed here, and he's one of the members of the early Table of Death. It's Table 36, and it has Sam Barnhart (Seat 3), Quinn (5), Alexandru Masek (6), and Grant Hillman (7) fighting each other for chips.
One Eighty
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
The number on the big board has ticked up to 180 players, and we're gearing up for a record-setting turnout today in Lake Tahoe.
Another Couple
Our second pass through the room scared up a few more faces we recognize. It was a pair of 2010 final tablists we spotted first; Dan Black (4th place) and Ned Mantua (6th place) are both here looking for back-to-back deep runs.
And not to be overlooked, Mr. Sam Barhnart is in the house. The software analyst from Arkansas won the Main Event in Tunica last season, earning himself an entry into the $1,000,000 National Championship. A couple months later, he was hoisting his first WSOP gold bracelet and a check for $300,000.
A win in Tahoe this week would punch Barnhart's ticket to the National Championship once again.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 |
Filling In
The tables have nine chairs around them, but most of the tables are beginning four- or five-handed as the empty seats fill in. Still, we've already spotted a handful of familiar faces in the field. The aforementioned Alexandru Masek is here in the hunt for ring number five. Grant Hillman made the final table here last year, and Howard "Tahoe" Andrew holds the streak for most consecutive WSOP Main Events, playing every single one since 1974. And, of course, we have "Captain" Tom Franklin with us as well.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
||
Play Ball!
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
After a quick rundown of the announcements from the Poker Tournament Consultants crew, the command has been given, and the cards are in the air for Day 1a.
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/50
Ante: 0
Come Wind, Come Snow, Come Tahoe
Good morning! -- ugh -- and welcome to one of our favorite traveling stops of the year, the World Series of Poker Circuit in Lake Tahoe! Winter is just settling itself into the high desert, and the wind and wildfires have forced a handful of inbound flights to be canceled. That hasn't yet put a damper on the "12 Rings in 12 Days" campaign here, and the turnouts have been up across the board for the preliminaries. Most notably, Alexandru Masek has captured his fourth WSOP-C ring here this week, moving him just one ring behind the all-time leader, Mark "Pegasus" Smith. You can read more about the preliminary events here.
Today's the big one, though, the $1,600 Main Event. Relative unknown Stan Quinn bested a field of 246 players to claim the ring last year, but a look back in history finds some more notable former champs. Michael Binger won the Main Event title in 2008, and it was Chris Ferguson taking the gold ring in 2007. Will we see either of those men back to try for another title?
Well, no. But the field that will gather figures to be a fine mix of seasoned pros, aspiring amateurs, and local grinders from the Reno/Tahoe area looking for their fifteen minutes of fame. The Day 1a flight kicks off at 11:00am PST, and the second flight will follow at 7:00 this evening. Players who are eliminated during the first flight are permitted to re-enter tonight, so expect the early action to be brisk.
There are already 128 players registered for the first flight this morning, and that's a good sign. There's not really enough snow to go pound the powder on the mountains, and it's too cold to go enjoy the lake. So why not play some poker? If you're in the area with $1,600 burning a hole in your pocket, get up here to Harveys and get yourself registered.
The cards go in the air in just about a half hour.
Main Event
Day 1 Started