There seems to be a high level of camaraderie on the tournament floor as many of the players are saying "hello" and high fiving other players and dealers. Jack Effel is even making the rounds wishing the players luck. Although you do see this a good amount of camaraderie amongst poker players, it is definitely heightened in this event as many of the players in the event know the dealers and other staff members on the floor. Many others even know a player or two at their table from their job.
Tournament Director Jack Effel gave the traditional announcement to "Shuffle up and deal," to kick off the first event of the 2010 World Series of Poker. There was no celebrity starter or Hall of Fame player to kick things off this year; instead, Effel let the dealers and casino employees do the honor of giving themselves the opening command in full unison.
donpeters
The cavernous Pavillion ready for some action
PokerNews' Live Reporting team would like to warmly welcome you to our exclusive coverage of the 2010 World Series of Poker! For the next seven weeks, our staff will be working away tirelessly to bring you all of the action directly from the tournament floor, and we couldn't be happier to provide you with live updates for all the bracelet events.
For many people in the world it's just another day, but for the entire community of poker players and fans, May 28, 2010 marks the start of the greatest tournament series in the world. This year, the 2010 WSOP kicks off with the Casino Employees event. A bracelet event once again this year, the $500 buy-in event will see casino employees from all over the world take to the felt in hopes of completing the WSOP dream. Last year, Andrew Cohen conquered the field of 866 players to take home the $83,778 first-place prize and the first gold bracelet of the summer.
This year, the start of the WSOP has been moved from the Amazon Room to the Pavilion across the hall. This room is filled with a sea of tables as far as the eye can see. To get straight to the point, it puts the Amazon Room to shame.
With that said, let's get things rolling. Shortly the Casino Employees event will have the cards in the air. Stay tuned!
