We’re currently stationed right next to Table 370 in the Orange Section, which is where we came across WSOP bracelet winner Adam Roberts, who is currently sitting with a healthy stack of 7,800. Roberts won his bracelet back in 2001 in Event #4 $1,500 7-Card Stud for $164,430, and has notched five other WSOP cashes in his career.
What’s interesting is all six of his WSOP cashes, which total $368,100, come in Stud events. When we asked him if he was a Stud aficionado, Roberts replied, “Yeah, well I sort of have to be. I suck at everything else.”
Based upon his record, chip stack and experience, we like his chances here in the first Stud event of the 2012 WSOP.
We just walked through the Purple Section of the Amazon Room, which features the latest table additions to this tournament, and all we can say is "wow." Check out the list of players that can be found seated in that section:
Erik Seidel
Men "The Master" Nguyen
Joseph Cheong
David Sklansky
Dan Kelly
Eric Crain
Shawn Buchanan
Richard Ashby
"Captain" Tom Franklin
Cyndey Violette
Brock Parker
Todd Brunson
Stephen Su
Marsha Waggoner
Linda Johnson
Dario Alioto
Jeff Lisandro
Shaun Deeb
Thiago Nishijima
Scott Clements
Dan O'Brien
Phil Hellmuth
David Bach
Frank Kassela
J.J. Liu
Walking around the halls of the Rio during the World Series of Poker, you always hear some crazy things. Whether it's an unbelievable bad beat, a rant about a problem with another player or some outrageous story about a strip club — we've heard it all.
This one directly pertains to this event and is certainly something we've never heard before. Two players had just bought into the event and were exiting the registration room. One player was getting advice on the event from the other player.
"Just make sure you start every hand with a deuce and a seven."
We don't claim to be experts in the game, so we can't say whether or not this advice is good or bad. That said, take it as you will and enjoy the rest of our coverage.
We have Gavin Smith and Layne Flack sitting together at what is quickly becoming the loudest table in the room. Both of the clear, plastic cups in front of Smith are empty, and we're guessing what they were full of wasn't ice water. At the adjacent table, Phil Ivey just joined up, and a cross-table conversation has started.
Flack began the banter as he shot a big grin over at Ivey. The two men exchanged pleasantries. "You look like you've been golfing," Flack's grin didn't fade at all as he spoke.
Ivey let out a truncated, "Nope!" then dropped a big wink and a smirk of his own in Flack's direction. Liar.
"Hey, hey, I'm not looking for a game or anything," Flack backpedaled.
Just about that time, Gavin Smith realized what was going on. "Well hey there, Mr. Ivey!" he nearly yelled.
"Hey Gavin," Ivey answered back at a more reasonable volume. "How've you been? Haven't seen you in a while."
"That's what happens when you go into hiding," Smith quipped right back. His wit only gets more witty as the cocktails continue to flow.
The three men shared a big belly laugh at Smith's comment — old friends and still friends, as far as we're aware.
In a three-way, Matt Vengrin got himself all in on fifth street with his board looking pretty strong.
(x-x) / / (x)
Neither opponent could beat the high Vengrin was showing, so he had at least half the pot locked up. A player to his right made an eight-low, though, and Vengrin announced that he was drawing live to his own low. He squeezed... and made it! "I got a seven," he announced. He showed / , and that's a scooper.
Mark him down for 3,600 now as he claws his way back into this event.
Michael Mizrachi completed the bring-in with his showing. Next door, an opponent raised, Cary Katz called, and Mizrachi joined them in a three-way pot.
Mr. Opponent bet fourth street and found two calls, and Mizrachi bet his lead on fifth. Call-call. The action repeated on sixth street with Mr. Opponent and Mr. Katz calling another bet, and Mizrachi fired right back out on seventh street. Mr. Opponent called, but Katz snuck in a river raise. Both men called.
Mizrachi pretty much knew his goose was cooked, but he had to see it out. "I was rolled up," he lamented as he flashed the and mucked his seven cards.
Opponent: /
Katz: /
They'll chop up Mizrachi's money, knocking him down to about 4,100 after a quick start.
The early stages of a limit-structured tournament can be quite, how do we say, boring. No one is in imminent danger of growing broke, and big hands are few and far between. With that said, we try our best to find a little color in the field, which we found in the Tan Section.
It was there that we saw Scott Seiver laughing it up with Moshin Charania and Chino Rheem. All three men have taken down big tournaments in the past year, though Seiver is the only bracelet winner having captured gold back in 2008. The triumvirate seem to be having a good time as they converse and joke around, though the rest of the players at the table, all of whom appear to be over the age of 50, don't seem so amused.
Meanwhile, 1998 WSOP Main Event champ Scotty Nguyen is seated a few tables down in Seat 1. That has him facing the rail and is providing spectators the perfect opportunity for a photo op. Nguyen is obliging with a smile, but please remember . . . NO FLASH.
/ (x)
/ 
/ (x)
/ (x)
and mucked his seven cards.
/ 
