WSOP Circuit Tunica Main Event Day 1 | WSOP Circuit Tunica Main Event

01-19-2008 22:01 UTC-5

Tony Cousineau Eliminated

Tony Cousineau and Darrell Dicken were all in preflop. The players showed:

Cousineau: A-K
Dicken: A-Q

Cousineau was in a dominant position to double up. However, that quickly changed when Dicken turned a Broadway straight. Cousineau needed a river queen to chop the pot, but it was not to be. He said his goodbyes and headed for the exit.

Tags: Tony Cousineau

01-19-2008 21:48 UTC-5

In Case You Were Wondering...

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Play is scheduled for 12 full rounds tonight. This means that at the current pace, play should conclude around 2:15 am local time. This can and may change at the discretion of the tournament director(s).

Level: 8

Blinds: 600/1,200

Ante: 100

01-19-2008 21:40 UTC-5

Bill Edler Eliminated

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Professional poker player and all-around nice guy Bill Edler was just eliminated from the tournament. In a bitter twist of irony, Jozef Pikula (the player to Edler's left with the "blind" girlfriend) sent Edler packing. It seems Pikula had the last laugh.

01-19-2008 21:36 UTC-5

Field Update

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73 players remain on nine tables, with an average stack of 49,315.

01-19-2008 21:30 UTC-5

John Phan Eliminated

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Just two hands after being crippled, a frustrated John Phan moved all in dark from under the gun before the cards were dealt. Phan had just 2,600 in chips and got two callers. The players checked it down, and Phan's {A-Hearts}

was outrun by the {K-Hearts}

of another player when the {J-Spades}

hit the river. A clearly tilted Phan exited quietly.

Tags: John Phan

01-19-2008 21:28 UTC-5

Mark Garner Cripples John Phan

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The once-dominant John Phan is down to around 3,000 in chips after losing the biggest pot of the day. The table consensus is that Mark Garner led out on the flop with an inside straight draw, and after making his hand, Phan had committed enough chips to the pot to double Garner up. Garner is now the clear chip leader with about 180,000 in chips.

Tags: John Phan Mark Garner

01-19-2008 21:15 UTC-5

With Gavin Smith Gone, Edler is New Class Clown

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After being shown a cell phone picture of an attractive woman by another player (presumably his girlfriend/wife), a straight-faced Edler says to the player, "So is she blind?" Not detecting Edler's sarcasm, he replies, "No she's not blind...why would she be blind?" Edler pauses for effect until the joke hits home. "Man I could punch you," laughs the other player as he realizes Edler's intent.

Tags: Bill Edler

01-19-2008 20:49 UTC-5

A New Chip Leader Emerges

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Bart Tichelman, the CEO of a technology firm, who is originally from Vancouver but who now calls Atlanta home, has just over 109,000 in chips. Tichelman is a self-described amateur who has been playing seriously for almost three years. Tichelman admits he is somewhat out of his element when compared with top professionals, but hopes a good run of cards and his tight-aggressive "Dan Harrington-type" style will propel him to the final table.

Tags: Bart Tichelman

Level: 7

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 100