WSOP Updates - Event #14, $1,500 Seven Card Stud, Day 1 - Levy Leads; Forrest, Raymer, Ivey in Pursuit
Day One of Event #14, the $1,500 Seven Card Stud tournament, brought out a number of players with plenty of Stud experience. Entering the event were last year's WSOP Seven Card Stud champion, David Williams, Barbara Enright, three-time WSOP Seven Card Stud champion Artie Cobb, as well as WSOP bracelet winners Greg Raymer, Huckleberry Seed, Max Stearn, 'Miami' John Cernuto, Mel Judah, and Barry Greenstein, plus Full Tilt pros John Juanda and Event #10 second-place finisher Phil Ivey, who walked straight across from that event to take his seat here.
395 players entered with 40 making the money, and the action moved at a consistent pace. A number of top pros busted before dinner break including Men 'The Master' Nguyen and Andrew Black, while David Williams, Max Pescatori, Chad Brown, and 2005 Player of the Year Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi all made solid moves to get to the top of the chip count.
The small field created several interesting tables that had plenty of good match-ups for the railbirds in attendance. One table featured John 'The Razor' Phan and Steven Sung, while another hosted Phil Ivey and WSOP bracelet winner Barbara Enright. Phan, however, joined the ranks of players eliminated during Day One.
Mizrachi stormed to the top of the chip counts with his bold play, and looks to add a WSOP bracelet to his glittering record. Ivey's wild day in the wake of his Event #10 runner-up showing also drew attention, after surviving an all-in play and picking off a bluff in the process, Ivey gained more chips and is positioned for another deep run, just off an overnight Top Ten list that includes Ted Forrest, Greg Raymer and Josh Arieh, and is topped by Avner 'Papa' Levy. The top ten in chips entering today's play:
PLAYER — CHIPS
Avner Levy — 29,950
Roger Barlozo — 28,250
Josh Arieh — 25,750
Victor Shkurka — 21,475
Ricardo Festejo — 18,200
Avdo Djokovic — 17,975
Ted Forrest — 17,950
Greg Raymer — 17,400
Louis Russo — 16,500
Joel Fischbein — 16,075
Besides Ivey, in 12th at 15,350, well-known players high on the board include Chad Brown, Paul Darden, Barry Greenstein, Mimi Tran and Enright. Make sure to check in with PokerNews.com's 'Live Reporting' of Event #14, $1,500 Seven Card Stud at 4pm PDT for complete Day Two coverage. The remaining 137 players will play down to the final table for their shot at WSOP destiny and a first-place cash of $146,987.
