First, the Commerce Casino is simply a late room. So the 3:30 start is standard.
The 12 hours of play is hopefully so that we will play only 10 hours on day two and less each day thereafter. The Final Table on March 1st will take approximately twenty minutes.
Todd Brunson just strode into the room as the players were settling in from the first break. His long hair was out of his legendary ponytail and wet from the shower. Hey, it's 5:45 PM-- that's morning for these guys.
The only two tables that were filled downstairs have been broken and we are now starting on the "tent" tables out on the patio. Of the 790 starters we are now playing with 760 players.
More players are busting out in Level 2 including Barry Shulman (father to Jeff and husband to Allyn) and Chip Jett, who once took second place in a WPT event back in 2003 when he lost heads-up to Howard Lederer at the Party Poker Million II.