Main Event
Day 1 Started
2011-12 World Series of Poker Circuit Event - Palm Beach Kennel Club
Main Event
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2011-12 World Series of Poker Circuit Event - Palm Beach Kennel Club
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$1,131,990
Entries
778
Level
30
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
10,000
Running With the Dogs
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Good morning and welcome back to the Palm Beach Kennel Club for the World Series of Poker Circuit event here in West Palm Beach, Florida. It's the second time the traveling Series has come to the dog track here, and it's the second time here for 123md and myself, as well.
The last time here, we watched 19-year old John Riordan capture the Main Event title and the $210,180 that came along with it. He became the newest owner of the gold and diamond WSOPC ring, but his age prevented him from cashing in on the $1,000,000 National Championship seat that would otherwise have accompanied his win.
We'd expect to see Riordan, a local, back here in the kennel club today, and he'll be surrounded by what figures to be a massive field this time around. The opening event here last week was a $555 that drew 2,607 players — yes, you read that right — to put more than $1.2 million in the prize pool.
The price tag is a bit higher for this $1,500 Main Event, but judging by the number of tables set up for play, the staff is expecting a great crowd once again today. We're just a few minutes away from the start of the Day 1a flight at 11:00am local time, and we'll be back with the Day 1b portion at 7:00pm. The number to beat from last year is 712, and we're a big favorite to top that today in West Palm Beach.
Sit tight; the shuffle up and deal is coming up next!
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/50
Ante: 0
Post Time
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
The start time for this heat has arrived, and the dogs are lined up in their chutes. After a quick run-through of the rules and announcements, Bill Bruce has commanded the dealers into action, and the cards are in the air.
Aaaaaaaaaaand they're off!
Tree Fiddy
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
We've just ticked up over 350 players registered for Day 1a of this WSOPC Pam Beach. That's just about on pace with last year's first flight, but based on the numbers from the previous events here this week, we'd expect to see a bit of on increase over last year's field size of 712.
A Few Familiar Faces
Here is who we have spotted thus far:
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 |
Filling In
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
We've got players in three separate areas of the building, and the seats are filling in nicely. Still, we've got a pair of tables beginning heads-up, and another two that are starting three-handed.
There's a list of notables right below this post, and we'd expect that list to grow as the rest of the seats become occupied.
From Downstairs
We finally got a moment to run downstairs and across the building to check on the tables down in the poker room. There are about 12 tables set up down there, and we scrounged up a few more notables as we walked between the ropes.
Most notably, Table 37 sticks out as the toughest one in the room. Chris Bell was the first face we recognized, and the North Carolinian has come down south to find himself in Seat 1 there. We scanned all the way around the table without recognizing anyone else through the first seven seats. Seat 8 is a familiar face, though. It's Mike Minetti, the 13th-place finisher in this event last year. Minetti is also known for his runner-up finish in the 2010 WSOP Seniors' Event. Right next to him in the nine seat is Ryan Fair who finished 31st in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Minetti and Fair are both locals who play a lot of poker around this area, and they no doubt are familiar with each others' tendencies as they've drawn adjoining seats for Day 1a.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 |
T-Wade
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
The last name "Wade" is royalty in South Florida, and we've got one member of the family with us for this Main Event. It's not Miami Heat point guard Dwyane Wade or Senegal's President, Abdoulaye Wade. Neither of those men have won a WSOP bracelet before, but Tristan Wade has.
Wade, who's known by the handle "Cre8ive", has won just shy of $1 million in his poker career, and the bulk of that came last fall in Cannes, France. He won the €3,000 Shootout event at the WSOPE, earning more than a quarter-million dollars and that priceless piece of jewelry. Wade is on the heels of a long poker vacation in Asia and the Pacific, but he's found fit to come back home and play this WSOPC Main Event as he looks to add a Circuit ring to his WSOP trophy case.
He's joined a table up in the top section of the room that includes Chad Brown Pro.
Childs' Play
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
We have another notable set to join our Main Event field, but Lee Childs has some business to take care of first.
At the poker-unfriendly hour of 10:00 this morning, the $1,000 buy-in Event #9 restarted, and there are still seven players left playing at the featured table right in front of us. Childs is among them, though he's the shortest stack at the table with less than 10bb.
He tells us he's antsy to join the Main Event, but first things first. Mr. Childs.