Hello everyone! We are coming to you from beautiful sunny Las Vegas! It's that time of year again. The hallways of the Rio Pavilion are buzzing with excitement, there's hardly any room to walk anywhere, and the World Series of Poker is back for another year! Today we are starting with Event 1: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em.

Last year, 850 casino employees ponied up the $500 entry fee, and after three days of play, Sean Drake emerged above the rest, taking home the first bracelet of the summer, along with $82,292! We will be sure to keep tabs on him, and any other famous names in the field.

Play will be underway shortly in the Amazon room, and the energy in the room is palpable. We will play through 11 levels today, before the players bag and tag their chips. Whoever survives Day 1 will come back tomorrow at 1 pm for day 2. We are ready to get things going here at the Rio! Get ready for another awesome series, and stay tuned to Pokernews for your updates all summer long!