2009 World Series of Poker

Event 1 - Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em
Day: 1
12
Event Info

2009 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
6♣6♥
Prize
$83,778
Event Info
Buy-in
$500
Entries
866
Level Info
Level
19
Blinds
8,000 / 16,000
Ante
2,000
Sort
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The Story So Far

[user66118]
[user66118]
Ramy Zakaria
Ramy Zakaria
We are just into Level 6 with the blinds at 200/400 and an ante of 50. The average stack has just pipped above 9,000 as we are under 300 players remaining. There are two players duking it out for the chip lead right now, and it's a close fight. Both Ramy Zakaria and Andrew Cohen are sitting right at 35,000 in chips, with Zakaria possibly having just a few-hundred-chip edge over the field.

Ramy Zakaria works at the Palomar Club in San Diego, California, while Cohen is a bartender at the Nine Steakhouse here in town at the Palms. We'll be keeping a close eye on these two men for the rest of the day, as they have secured the top two spots on the leader board here in the middle stages of Day 1.

Tags: Andrew CohenRamy Zakaria

Little Red Waggoner

[user66118]
[user66118]
Marsha Waggoner
Marsha Waggoner
Marsha Waggoner is -- or rather was in the field today as well. We found her sitting with a short stack of just 1,400 chips in the last level. She managed to stay afloat for a rotation or two before finally going bust, as the tournament staff breaks down yet another table. Two hundred seventy players remain.

Tags: Marsha Waggoner

Empty Room

[user66118]
[user66118]
The clock has just ticked down through Level 4, and the players are headed out for their second 20-minute break of the day. The board shows 380 players remaining, and we are well on pace to hit the money before play concludes for the night.

By the Numbers

[user66118]
[user66118]
The tournament staff has just finished tallying up the numbers, and the payout is now up on the board.

The 866 players who entered Event #1 have generated a prize pool of $389,700. The top 81 finishers will all earn a payday either late tonight or early tomorrow, with the bottom payout level being worth $974. The top 12 will all be guaranteed more than $5,000, and the lucky final nine will all take home at least $7,782.

The lucky man or woman who outlasts the other 865 will take home $83,778 in addition to the real prize, the first shiny gold bracelet of the 2009 World Series!

Full payout information is available in the "Prizepool and Payouts" tab to the right of the page.

Everyone's a Winner

[user66118]
[user66118]
Tournament Director Bill Bruce is keeping the mood light here in Event #1. Just a few minutes ago, Bruce made the announcement that there were professional massage therapists available in the room for hire.

"In fact," said Bruce, "we're going to give a free massage to the first table that makes a full house." Within 15 seconds, the dealer at Table 27 yelled, "Full house!" as the rest of the table stood up and beckoned the floor staff.

Walking up to the table, Aaron Kelly had {A-?} {Q-?} turned over in front of him in Seat 1, and the board had made him aces full of eights. Quickly, nine massage therapists descended on the players, and Table 27 is now officially the most relaxed table in the room.

Jack's Back

[user66118]
[user66118]
Well, we're not quite sure how we missed him on the first walkthrough of the room. Over in the corner, at Table 41, Jack McClelland can be found pushing around his stack of 12,000 chips.

McClelland is among the best-known Tournament Directors in the world, and it's rare to find him without a broad smile on his face. The legend got his start at the Sahara poker room in the 1970's, where he worked his way up to shift manager within a year of his hire. After the property was sold in 1980, McClelland decided to try his own hand on the tournament trail, but quickly realized that most of the events were poorly organized and even more poorly run. His wife joked that McClelland should run them himself, and he took the idea and ran with it. By 1984, McClelland landed himself a gig with the WSOP, getting promoted to Assistant Tournament Director the following year.

McClelland continued to run events at the WSOP until 1989. Today, he can be found at the Bellagio, running some of the best tournaments in town. You might also spot him on television, commentating on WPT events around the world. To this date, McClelland is one of the most respected and sought-after Tournament Directors in the land.

After 25 years in the poker industry, McClelland is content with his career thus far and looks forward to the future. "I'm proud of my career," he says. "I feel like I've helped poker move to where it is now. That's a great deal of satisfaction for me."

Tags: Jack McClelland

A Few Familiar Faces

[user66118]
[user66118]
Amidst the sea of humanity here in the Amazon Room, a few familiar faces stick out.

Kyle Morris is in the field today, a name that many in the poker media are familiar with. In 2004, Morris and his business partner started a gaming consulting company called TV Poker, which helped bring real, believable poker to the big screen. Morris was actively involved in the movies Oceans Thirteen, 21, and Lucky You, training actors and dealers and ensuring that the poker scenes were true and accurate. Morris was also heavily involved in the production of the MansionPoker.net Poker Dome Challenge, the most expensive television show ever filmed. Morris has proved his mettle at the poker table over the past few years as well. In 2007, he notched two WSOP cashes, including a 540th-place effort in the Main Event.

We also have at least one bracelet winner out there in the room. Pat Poels has been spotted, and he's certainly more than your average casino employee. His breakthrough on the felt came in 2005 when he won his first bracelet, crushing the competition in the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low event. During the off-season following that Series, Poels captured a WSOP Circuit ring in a Limit Hold'em event at Caesars Palace. Proving he really can play all games, Poels would charge to another bracelet the following year at the WSOP, taking down the $1,000 Stud Hi-Low event. All told, Poels has just shy of $1,000,000 in career tournament earnings.

Off to a Good Start

[user66118]
[user66118]
The orange and blue sections of the Amazon room are completely full of casino staff, and the sound of chips rattling on the felt brings on memories of World Series past. We have just crept into Level 2, where the blinds are 50/100. The number on the board shows that 865 players have turned up for this opening day so far, with registration still open for another half hour. Each player began the day with 3,000 tournament chips, and the field has been whittled down to 783 players remaining, as the "Seat Open!" calls are coming fast all over the room.

The World Series of Poker is Here!

[user66118]
[user66118]
PokerNews' Live Reporting team would like to warmly welcome you to our exclusive coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker! For the next seven weeks, our staff will be working away tirelessly to bring you all of the action directly from the tournament floor, and we couldn't be happier to provide you with live updates for all 57 bracelet events.

After ten long months of planning and preparation, it's one again time for the most exciting spectacle in all of poker. Today at nooon, the Series officially kicked off with the $500-buy-in Casino Employees event, the only event scheduled for this opening day. The event was been moved to the front of the schedule to get the ball rolling in the Rio, setting the stage for what promises to be a memorable summer. As the final loose ends are being tied up in the tournament room, dealers and floor staff have come from all over the world to take part in this opening event, and to fight it out for the first bracelet of the 2009 World Series.

PokerNews is on hand in the cavernous Amazon Room, and we'll be keeping an eye on Event #1 throughout the day. They'll play through level ten today before returning tomorrow for the run to the final table, where one lucky employee will ring in 2009 with a shiny new piece of jewelry.

Ladies and gentlemen... let the games begin!
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