Event #45: $1,500 Ante-Only No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1 Started
2013 World Series of Poker
Event #45: $1,500 Ante-Only No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2013 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,500
Entries
678
Level
27
Blinds
0 / 0
Ante
60,000
Day 1 of Event #45 ($1,500 Ante-Only No-Limit Hold'em) is Set to Start!
![[user253757]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Today marks the second iteration of one of the World Series of Poker's most innovative tournaments: Event #45 ($1,500 Ante Only No-Limit Hold'em). Last year, Greg Hobson captured the title as this groundbreaking format debuted on poker's premier stage, taking home $256,691 in prize money after emerging from the 939 runner field.
In this second hurrah for the ante-only tournament, which forgoes the traditional small blind/big blind + ante structure typical to NLH play, requiring every player to contribute an ante on every hand from the first deal onward, we expect a star-studded field to make their way to the Brasilia Room. Last year Daniel Negreanu, Barry Shulman, Joe Cada, Matt Glantz, Dennis Phillips, David Williams, Jennifer Tilly, Christian Harder, Phil Hellmuth, Randy Lew, Dan O'Brien and Erick Lindgren were just some of the notable names to try their hand at this unique structure.
Professional poker players are known for their willingness to try new games, variants, and strategies, and today's ante-only tournament provides the perfect venue to test their skills against one another in a relatively novel venue. The $1,500 buy-in, however, gives recreational players the opportunity to dive right in and try this action packed game out for themselves, so we expect to see another field approaching 1,000 runners by the time registration ends.
To get ready for all of the exciting action on the felt today, take a peek at the PokerNews Daily Update video, featuring the fabulous Lynn Gilmartin, and then keep it here throughout the day for continuous coverage of Event #45 ($1,500 Ante-Only No-Limit Hold'em), live from the Rio in Las Vegas.
Level: 1
Blinds: 0/0
Ante: 25
Familiar Faces
Level 1
: 0/0, 25 ante
Here are a few of the professionals and notable names we've spotted so far here in the Brasilia Room's Gold & Silver sections.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,500 | 4,500 |
|
|
4,500 | 4,500 |
|
4,500 | 4,500 |
|
4,500 | 4,500 |
|
4,500 | 4,500 |
|
4,500 | 4,500 |
|
4,500 | 4,500 |
The Lay of the Land
Even for many experienced players, the novelty of today's ante only format can create a number of questions regarding the rules.
In the first few minutes of play, we've overheard several pros asking the dealer, or their fellow players, for clarification on the finer points of ante-only poker.
Eric Baldwin missed the tournament director's announcement that a single large denomination chip tossed into the pot equates to a call, and he wanted to make sure before any mistakes were made.
"What if I toss a 100 chip in?," he asked the dealer. "That's just a call?"
Jennifer Tilly had a question of her own, wondering about the minimum amount to enter the pot.
"I can't check the 25 ante?," she asked her fellow players. "So the bring-in is to 50 then?"
With many of these players encountering ante-only tournament Hold'em for the first time, we expect to hear similar questions as the afternoon progresses.
Bronze Arrivals
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,500 | |
|
4,500 | |
|
4,500 | |
|
4,500 | |
|
4,500 | |
|
4,500 | |
|
4,500 | |
|
|
4,500 | |
|
4,500 |
#AnteUp
Level 1
: 0/0, 25 ante
The game's gabbiest pros have taken to Twitter to discuss their participation in today's Ante-Only tournament. Here is a small sampling of the tweets we've seen so far.
Early double in the ante up. Fun to play something holdem based where you can do literally whatever you want #mixingitupFollow @Moorman1
A bit over 5k from 4500 in the anteonlyament. #edc hangover kids welcome to rail. http://t.co/MbLhHUSBQnFollow @BryanMicon
David Williams Doesn't Like the Diamond
Level 1
: 0/0, 25 ante
With the flop reading 
, David Williams saw his opponent check, and he fired a bet of 250 into the middle. After the other player flatted to see the turn come 
, he checked once more to the dangerous Williams, who responded with a bet of 400.
The opponent check-raised, however, making it 1,050 to play, and the 2004 Main Event runner-up released his hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,750 |
Cash Game Action
Level 1
: 0/0, 25 ante
With the ante-only format creating pots of 250 before the cards are even dealt, the action has been escalating quickly on subsequent streets, as players must size their bets accordingly in proportion to the pot. The action so far has resembled a shallow-stacked cash game, with players finding their way into all-in pots holding merely coin flip hands during the first level of play.
We saw Paul Lieu take advantage of this fact recently, when he raised and reraised his way into an all-in confrontation with a player seated to his direct left.
After all of the chips were in the middle, the opponent tabled 
, which was crushed by Lieu's . After the flop brought no kings or Broadway cards, the other player stood to make his exit from the tournament floor.
"Nice hand there lucky," he offered as a parting shot to Lieu, who was already stacking his newly acquired chips.
"Lucky?" shot back Lieu. "No luck needed... I had the best hand."
"Just a joke buddy, nice hand," replied the defeated player. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
9,350 | 9,350 |
Level: 2
Blinds: /
Ante: 25