Event 54: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1 Started
2012 World Series of Poker
Event 54: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1
Event Info
2012 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$2,898,900
Entries
3,221
Level
33
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
30,000
Players Left 1 / 3221
Filter
(1)
The poker history books are going to be re-written today as forty-eight people take their seats to play in the most expensive game of poker ever created. The buy-in is $1 million and the first prize is $18,346,673 - the biggest prize poker has ever seen.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the only organisation in the world that could make the Big One For One Drop happen and what makes the WSOP so special is it caters for poker players of all shapes and sizes. You have the $1 million buy-ins for the superstars of world poker - and a few whales - and luckily for the rest of us you have the $1,000 buy-ins for the mere mortals and schools of fish.
So keep a watchful eye on the $1 million - and especially the superb PokerNews coverage - but we will be getting down to the bread and butter of the WSOP to bring you coverage of Event #54: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em. Last year this competition drew in 4,576 players and the eventual winner was a fantastic poker player - Russia's Maxim Lykov.
As players start to pour in in readiness for the Main Event we are expected another bumper field. So expect coverage from the Brasilia, Amazon and Pavlion today.
This will be a 3-day event with Day 1 consisting of eleven-levels of sixty-minutes play. There will be a fifteen-minute break every 2-levels and a ninety-minute dinner break at the end of level-6.
The action starts at 12:00 PM so please join us at PokerNews for all of the action.
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/25
Ante: 0
Level 1
: 25/25, 0 ante
The voice of the World Series of Poker, Jack Effel, has just done his duty on the mic and informed the dealers to shuffle up and deal.
"I am either going to double up quickly or bust and go and get drunk," shouted the guy in front of us.
Let's get this party started!
There are already 2,776 players registered in this event and we are expecting a lot more. With that in mind we are expecting the field to be crammed into all three of our main rooms today. The Brasilia Room is where the action will finally settle and it consists of four separate quadrants: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Red.
We have just had a sweep of the Golden section and we have a few familiar faces, and an all-in, to bring you up to speed on.
Sofia 'welllbet' Lovgren is primarily an online cash game player from Sweden who is still waiting for her first big live score. Lovgren has cashed in one event this year (Event #46 $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em) and she is currently sat over at table 3, seat 6.
We have a Former November Niner in the field by the name of Sam Holden. Holden finished 9th in last years Main Event final, earning himself $782,115 and to prove that he was not a one hit wonder followed that amazing finish when he won the 2011 Late Night Poker series for $150,000. Here is Holden getting into the thick of the action very early in Level 1.
We joined the action on a flop of 
. There was a player with a look of terror on his face seated in early position; 1,100 in chips lying just in front of him. On the button was Sam Holden and every single one of his chips were in front of him. All eyes were on the look of terror and after a few moments he decided to muck his hand. Holden was kind enough to tell us that he five-bet pre flop and his opponent called. Them his opponent led for 600 on the flop (Holden called) and then 1,100 on the turn to which Holden shoved.
Nam Le has cashed in 4-events at this years series including a tenth place finish in Event #22: $2,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball. With over $6 million in lifetime earnings and a World Poker Tour (WPT) title under his belt we will be keeping an eye on Le.
Finally, we have Frank Rusnak. Rusnak is coming off the back of a 15th place finish in Event #46: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em, where he was chip leader for a while on Day 2. Rusnak has sixteen WSOP cashes to his name.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
5,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 |
The sounds of Cirque Du Soleil drums and thin layer of smoke coat the Amazon room, as preparations for the One Drop are under way. The One Drop kicks off at 1:11 PM today and it has the whole poker world talking. However the One Drop is not the only event going on today. Overflow from Event 54: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em covers three rooms; the Brasilia, the Pavilion, and the wild Amazon.
Play is moving quite fast with six tables already being broken in the Amazon room and those players being scattered around the complex.
Here are a few familiar faces we noticed while taking a stroll around the Amazon.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,000 | |
|
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|
|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
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|
3,000 | |
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|
3,000 | |
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|
3,000 | |
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|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
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||
The Pavilion room is a different kind of monster compared to the Amazon. The lighting is bright, there is no smoke, and it is far less cramped. One thing both rooms have in common though is the hundreds of players looking to win Event 54: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em.
Much of today's attention will be focused on the One Drop, but with a field of over 2,609 already this event will be one to remember. Registration is open through the first four levels, and the field is expected to expand to a near record setting size.
Here are a few people who have taken their seats and looking to grow their stacks.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,000 | |
|
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||
|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
|
||
|
3,000 | |
|
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|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
|
|
||
|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
|
||
|
3,000 | |
|
||
|
3,000 | |
|
||
The Spanish football team are red hot right now. They are leading the Italians 2-0 at half time in the European Championships and a win will give them their third successive major title. Another red hot Spaniard is in the field today. Leo Margets has over $700,000 in live tournament earnings that includes a 27th place finish in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
Another top European is the field if the 2011 European Poker Tour (EPT) Player of the Year (POY) Fernando Brito. Brito came oh so close to his first ever WSOP bracelet when he finished in 3rd place in Event #46: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em for $282,676.
One man playing in the Silver Section of the Brasilia Room who has just doubled up is John Eames. Eames has won just under $1.5 million in live tournament earnings that includes 2 WSOP final tables. He found himself as low as 1,700 when he found 
on a 
board. Eames bet 125, his opponent raised to 300, Eames made it 600, his opponent moved all-in holding 
and Eames called. No jack for his opponent on either turn or river and Eames was up to 4,000.
Leonid Bilokur has over $1.5 million in live tournament earnings and we have just seen him move all-in over his opponent's check-raise. The board was showing 
and his opponent duly folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,000 | |
|
3,700 | |
|
|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
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|
3,000 | |
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|
3,000 | |
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|
3,000 | |
|
3,000 | |
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|
3,000 | |
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|
3,000 | |
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Level: 2
Blinds: 25/50
Ante: 0
A recent walk around the structured chaos of the Amazon lead us to Barry Shulman's table where we found him mixing it up with an unknown opponent from middle position. The flop read 
and Shulman fired out 100. Shulman's opponent in the cut-off countered by raising it to 250. Shulman completed the call and both players were allowed to see the turn.
The 
on fourth street brought with it a check from Shulman, and a bet of 300 from the cut-off. Shulman again made the call. A 
on the river saw a repeat of action with Shulman checking, and the cut-off betting out 500. Shulman made the call and was in for some good news.
The cut-off flipped over a measily 
while Shulman exposed 
for a pair of jacks. Jacks were best and Shulman was awarded the pot.
A few tables away from Mr. Shulman, sits Mrs. Shulman. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman sits with around 2,400, but probably should be more feared than her larger stacked husband. Mrs. Shulman has already won a $1,000 event this year, and clearly knows what it takes to win a bracelet. Earlier this year Mrs. Shulman took down Event 29: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship.
The field is large and the room is electric, we will see if husband and wife can make a deep run at it today.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,400
1,400
|
1,400 |
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3,500
500
|
500 |
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|
3,200 | |
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2,400
600
|
600 |
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2,400 | |
|
2,100 | |
|
|
2,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
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