We passed by table 360 and caught a glimpse of a shiny gold bracelet and a big stack. We realized it was Marsha Wolak who not even a week ago took down the Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship for $192,344. She has about 70,000 which is a very healthy stack at the time being so we'll definitely be keeping a good eye on our Ladies Champ here in the last levels of Day 1a.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
70,000 |
Picking up the action on a 
board, both Kai Chang and Len Ashby checked to Vince Van Patten and he bet 8,000. Chang called, as did Ashby after about one minute in the tank.
Van Patten mucked immediately, while Chang tabled 
. Ashby flashed 
saying, "Knew I had Vince!"
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
63,000 | 33,000 |
|
|
16,000 | -14,000 |
|
|
11,000 | -12,400 |
| Player | Points | Cashes | Final Tables | Bracelets | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Hellmuth | 710.25 | 5 | 3 | 0 | $1,591,004 |
| Ben Lamb | 659.05 | 4 | 3 | 1 | $1,331,832 |
| Brian Rast | 550 | 3 | 2 | 2 | $1,976,522 |
| Chris Moorman | 486.20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | $1,051,466 |
| Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier | 479.25 | 4 | 2 | 1 | $811,639 |
| Sam Stein | 416.13 | 5 | 2 | 1 | $731,279 |
| Joe Ebanks | 410.25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | $1,179,031 |
| Owais Ahmed | 408.03 | 5 | 2 | 1 | $764,997 |
| Mikhail Lakhitov | 401.80 | 5 | 2 | 1 | $851,058 |
| Jason Mercier | 385.33 | 5 | 3 | 1 | $696,438 |
| Mitch Schock | 364.81 | 5 | 3 | 1 | $406,018 |
| Sean Getzwiller | 343 | 3 | 2 | 1 | $672,627 |
*Through Event #55
It looks as though with late registration now ended for Day 1a that we had a total of 897 runners come out today. That's the number tourney staff are telling us at present, anyway, although the official announcement regarding entrants is still to come.
The first Day One has traditionally drawn the fewest entrants. In 2010, the Main Event saw 1,125 turn out on Day 1a, the smallest turnout of the four Day Ones last year.
Team Pokerstars Pro (USA) Vanessa Selbst had a high point of around 40,000 today, but since then, she really hasn't gotten much going and has fallen to about half starting stack.
We came into a hand where she had bet 1,300 from the small blind on a board reading 
. A player in middle position called and the two saw the river . Selbst again bet 1,300 and the player again called. Selbst mucked her hand before the other player even showed his. She is sitting with around 16,500 right now and will need to make moves at the end of the day if she hopes to have a chance of making Day 2 with any chips to play with.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
16,500 | 1,500 |
During a hand a little while ago at the featured table, Doyle Brunson raised preflop but received no callers. He showed his 
and his tablemates smiled and laughed. As you probably know, Brunson won the WSOP Main Event in 1976 and 1977 holding the and has a strong affinity for the hand as a result.
In a hand just recently, Janno Cazemier raised to 900 from late position and was called by Steve Costello in the small blind while Brunson folded in the big blind. The flop came 
and Costello bet out 1,300. Cazemier thought for a minute before smiling and chuckling and revealing his to the table and tossing it into the muck.
Cazemier turned to Brunson and said "Hey, it works for you! I thought I'd try it. Plus, it was your blind!" Apparently the magic of the ten-two only works for Brunson, but it's nice to see the featured table having a little fun here on Day 1.
A woman in early position limped and Soi Nguyen raised to 1,200 in middle position. The woman made the call and then check-called a 1,500 Nguyen bet on the 
flop. Both players checked the 
turn and 
river and Nguyen flipped over 
in a very conceding manner. He was in fact beat as his opponent showed 
which was good to win the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
31,200 | -2,200 |
Right next to us at the media desk, we overheard a big pot developing. Chris MacFarland called his opponents all in on a flop of 
, and MacFarland showed 
for a set of treys. His opponent had 
, and he wasn't able to catch up, as the turn and river came and . MacFarland scooped the pot, and he is now up to 104,000, the chip leader by our counts.
Jason Alexander opened to 900 from middle position and Matt Glantz flatted from the hi-jack position. The player to his immediate left in the cutoff cut out a raise to 3,100 and slid it into the middle. Alexander folded, but Glantz thought for a bit before tossing in a re-raise to 12,500. His opponent gave an exasperated look and dejectedly mucked his hand.
Glantz is back up to 24,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
24,000 | 7,300 |
A player in early position made it 600 to go, and Gary Benson made it 1,625. The player called, and the flop came out 
. The player checked, and Benson bet out 2,000. He was check raised to 6,000, and Benson put the last of his 9,100 total in. He was called, and Benson saw that he was in bad shape.
Benson: 
Opponent: 
Benson's overpair was dominated, and he would need alot of help. The turn came the , and the river brought the . Benson couldn't catch up, and he has hit the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
