2010 PokerStars.net NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event Day 1 | 2010 PokerStars.net NAPT Mohegan Sun

04-07-2010 04:40 UTC-12

Filling Out

The room feels full now as most of the late arrivals have taken their seats. It feels like every table has three or four recognizable players at it, showing that if you build the right tournament at the right price point, the pros will show up in droves. Every major online poker site has representatives in the field, and even some of the smaller sites have sent players. Its really hard to make a room of this size feel crowded, but the NAPT has done it. That's not a knock it's a testament to the continuing success of this tour.

04-07-2010 04:20 UTC-12

Nice Start For Negreanu

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Mickey Doft

With two limpers in front of him, Daniel Negreanu put in a raise to 500 from the cutoff. One of the limpers called and the flop came out {K-Hearts}

.

Both checked, leading to the {3-Hearts}

turn. It was checked to Negreanu and he bet 750. His opponent called and the river delivered the {5-Spades}

. Again, it was checked to Negreanu and this time he bet 1,100. The limper called and Daniel tabled {Q-Diamonds}

. His opponent mucked and Negreanu chipped up to 33,000.

Tags: Daniel Negreanu

04-07-2010 04:20 UTC-12

Hundreds of Hopefuls

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The success of the NAPT Venetian Main Event had a meteoric impact on North American poker. Today there are 690 players (and counting) registered for this Main Event. The ballroom being used for the tournament is impressively large but not large enough to seat them all. More than a dozen tables are set up in the main Mohegan Sun poker room in addition to the dozens currently occupied in the ballroom.

The rumors of the death of North Amercain big buy-in poker, it seems, were greatly exaggerated.

04-07-2010 04:07 UTC-12

Little Wins a Small One at the Start

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Mickey Doft

Jonathan Little was in the big blind and called a raise from the player on the button.

The flop came down {4-Diamonds}

and both checked. Little took a stab at the pot when the {6-Spades}

hit the turn, betting 500. His opponent called and the {A-Spades}

hit the river. Little checked and his opponent bet 800.

Little called and the player on the button mucked, sending the small pot to Little.

Tags: Jonathan Little

04-07-2010 04:05 UTC-12

Cards in the Air

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Mickey Doft

Daniel Negreanu welcomed everybody and gave the word to shuffle up and deal!

Level: 1

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

04-07-2010 03:52 UTC-12

The NAPT Comes to Mohegan Sun

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Six weeks ago the PokerStars.net North American Poker Tour hosted its first stand-alone. 872 players entered a $5,000 no-limit hold'em tournament held at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The success of that tournament, in a market fraught with uncertainty, instantly changed the face of poker in North America.

For Round 2 we've moved to the picturesque Mohegan Sun Casino in the woods of Connecticut. A week and a half of preliminary events have already been completed. Last night the official welcome party was held at Ultra88 night club inside the casino, where the free booze was flowing past the witching hour. Today upwards of 700 players are expected to shake off their hangovers and enter the field for the NAPT Mohegan Sun $5,000 Main Event.

The earliest arrivals are already filing into the high-ceilinged ballroom where the tournament is to be held. In fifteen minutes, they'll start the battle to see who will emerge as the champion five days from now.

The PokerNews team of reporters is stationed in the center of the ballroom. Keep your browser pointed here for the next five days as we bring you all of the action, from the first riffle to the last river!