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.
Allen Kessler has managed to find a double through one of the chip leaders Freddie Ellis - however he did minimise his win slightly.
Heading to fourth street with just 700 remaining, Ellis asked Kessler if he wanted to get it all in. Kessler refused and opted to just call Ellis' 400-chip bet before both players checked fifth and sixth. Kessler checked seventh dark, and Ellis tapped the table behind him.
Kessler: / /
Ellis: / /
Ellis tabled his / for one pair, but it would be Kessler's / for two pair that would see him collect the pot to virtually double.
There was a bit of a crowd brewing around Table 366 in the Amazon Room, but it's not from spectators or other players. The crowd gathering around the table is of security guards and paramedics from the fire department to provide assistance to one of the players at the table. We're unsure of exactly what the issue is, but the player (who we will keep unnamed for privacy reasons) has been getting checked out by medical staff for nearly 30 minutes now. No hands have been played at the table, and a stretcher was even brought out after a bit of time
After a bit of time, the player was up and standing on his own, but the conversation overheard seemed to lend us to believe the paramedics advised the player that he should go home for the night. Because of the delay, the tournament staff decided to break the table and move the other players elsewhere so they could continue playing while this player received some more treatment. The player's chips were moved and put into play at a different table as well.
After a the clock rolled over into the last level of the night, the player was walked over to his new seat by the tournament staff where he joined back up with his stack to continue play.
One of the players playing in this event is Bill Munley, or better known to many as "Bumperino." Munley is a player from Pennsylvania with a few small seven-card stud results on his record. One of those was a win at the 2006 United States Poker Championship in Atlantic City in the $300 Seven-Card Stud event for over $21,000.
Munley regularly hosts and plays in a H.O.S.E. game at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, but right now the game will be missing him while he's out here in Las Vegas chasing after some World Series of Poker gold. Munley is also on the chase for chips as he's down to about 4,500 from the starting stack of 7,500. With the limits now up to 500/1,000 with a 100 ante and 200 bring-in, we'll keep an eye on Munley to see if he has any success running his stack back up.
With the tournament now down to the last few orbits of the night, a quick look around the room sees Adam Friedman still remain on top with over 40,000.
However Friedman now has a few other players snapping tightly on his heels; one of which is previous Seven Card Stud Championship winner Freddie Ellis.