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

01-19-2008 14:19 UTC-5

The Field Silently Shrinks

Despite the absence of a single audible yell of "player down," the staff has just broken table 93 which seated seated, among others, Gavin Griffin.

01-19-2008 14:08 UTC-5

Registration Is Officially Closed

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With the end of level one, registration for this championship event has now closed. We will bring you final numbers (total entrants, prize pool, etc) as soon as they become available.

01-19-2008 14:07 UTC-5

Slightly above the constant drone of shuffling chips, another sound can be heard...the voice of Gavin Smith. Whether it's negotiating a prop bet in his favor, retelling an a classic story, or just trying to make someone laugh, Gavin's chatter is persistent. Slowly building his reputation as one of the nicest guys in the game, Mr. Smith is hovering just above his starting chip stack of 20,000.

Tags: Gavin Smith

Level: 2

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

01-19-2008 13:45 UTC-5

Stacked Tables

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John Phan and Chad Brown are battling for table supremacy as they share a table. Darrell Dicken, Allen Kessler, and Tony Cousineau are also playing on the same felt. Possibly the toughest table spotted thus far however seats Vanessa Rousso, John Racener, Ali Prescott, and one of last year's finalists Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi.

Tags: John Phan

01-19-2008 13:40 UTC-5

The Easy Way In

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With the championship event taking place just a few tables over, "Captain" Tom Franklin is trying to win his seat the old fashioned way...in a single table satellite. With just 3 players remaining, the smart money has to be on the tournament veteran.

01-19-2008 13:37 UTC-5

It's Heating Up

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It's a windy and overcast 30 degrees here in Tunica, but standing in the tournament poker room you'd never know it. Just 35 minutes into the first level of play, the atmosphere is heating up. Although relatively quiet, the focus and attention level of these players is visible with the naked eye.

01-19-2008 13:32 UTC-5

More Late Arrivals

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Chad Brown, Vanessa Rousso, Josh Arieh, Bill Edler, Chris Reslock, Tom Schneider and Gavin Smith have all scurried into the tournament room in the last few minutes.

01-19-2008 13:10 UTC-5

Famous Faces

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With still many empty seats and some inevitable "fashionably late" arrivals, a few notables have already been spotted. Gavin Griffin, John Phan, and Brett Jungblut are among today's field, as are Tony Cousineau, Allen Kessler, Ted Lawson, and APPT-Sydney runner-up Jeremiah Vinsant.

Level: 1

Blinds: 25/50

Ante: 0