The action is underway in the Amazon Room's Tan section, with pairs of players staring each other down from across the table.
We've spotted Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Selbst, Michael Mizrachi, and a number of other notable names as the first level of play gets underway, and the buzz along the rail is building by the moment.
With the game's stars all under one roof, fans have assembled en masse to watch their favorite players duke it out in heads-up duels.
The buzz inside the walls of the Rio extends beyond just the tournaments on the 2013 World Series of Poker schedule. Online poker in Nevada is a very, very hot topic right now, and WSOP.com is making a lot of noise.
While the site has yet to launch, you can head to the Lambada Room of the Rio or look for one of the beautiful and friendly WSOP.com ladies walking the hallways to sign up for a free, personal WSOP.com online poker account. This is a great way to get a jump on the site's registration, and plenty of people have already taken this opportunity.
What's more is that the WSOP will be hosting daily raffles for everyone that has taken the time to register for WSOP.com at the Rio. What can you win? Plenty of fantastic prizes including 36 WSOP seats!
Players 21 years of age and older who sign up for a WSOP.com account will automatically be entered into the “36-Seat Giveaway” where a randomly-selected winner will win a seat into the next day’s first WSOP gold bracelet event. One of the events eligible in this promotion is the $111,111 One Drop High Roller No-Limit Hold’em tournament that is expected to feature a $10,000,000 prize pool and allow you to play poker with the biggest names in the game. In total, $182,333 in WSOP seats, including a seat to the WSOP Main Event, are being given away during this one-of-a-kind WSOP.com promotion.
In addition to the 36-Seat Giveaway, a “Hot Seat” promotion will allow any player who signs up for a WSOP.com online account and wears their WSOP.com patch on their chest at the table while playing an event to be randomly selected to receive 500 bonus dollars deposited directly into their WSOP.com online account once the site has received all regulatory approvals and launches.
With 62 WSOP gold bracelet events and three winners promised for the Main Event, this promotion includes $32,000 worth of value to those participating.
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Day 1 of the Event #16, $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Begins Today
Every poker player knows that nine-handed action is only the start, and that gold and glory are only won by besting an opponent in a heads-up contest. The battle of wills that occurs during every heads-up match distills poker to its essence, pitting two individuals against one another in a struggle to earn every chip in play. Today, poker's elite will convene in the Rio's Amazon Room to compete in one of the WSOP's most prestigious tournament's, the $10,000 Heads-Up Championship.
Last year a total of 152 players pulled their best Mike McD impression, ponying up ten stacks of high society to do battle with a nemesis seated directly across the table. From that field of top-flight internet phenoms, longtime circuit grinders, and bankrolled amateurs, it was Brian Hastings who emerged from the bracket to earn $371,498, and his first gold bracelet. Along with Hastings, the payout list was littered with the game's most accomplished players, and today figures to be no different.
With every pro knowing how important the heads-up game is to their overall arsenal, winning this event has become a major goal for those touring the global circuit. Today we expect to see an eclectic mix of internet phenoms, poker's old guard, and anonymous amateurs looking to weave their way through one of poker's toughest fields.
Keep it here throughout the day and late into the night, as PokerNews brings you continuous live coverage of Event #16, the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship.
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