Event #17: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Day 1 Started
2014 World Series of Poker
Event #17: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,000
Entries
4,425
Level
31
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
15,000
Early Start As the Senior Players Join Battle
![[user252447]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
The 2014 WSOP $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship, where entry is open to players aged 50 years or older, gets underway today with a 10 a.m. start.
Ken Lind won this event last year taking home what he described as a life changing $634,809. He beat a record-setting field of 4,407 who put up the $1,000 buy-in to generate a prize pool of $3,966,300.
Some of the notables who had a good finish last year included Hoyt Corkins (23rd), Larry Wright (26th), Dan Heimiller (39th), Chris Bjorin (45th), and Robert Varkonyi (73rd).
Other big name players to show up a year ago were Johnny Chan, Marcel Luske, former November Niner Dennis Phillips, and even Phil Hellmuth’s parents Lynn & Phil, so it should be a star-studded field again today.
We are also expecting an appearance from Barny Boatman who won his first bracelet last year. He tweeted yesterday that when he registered for the event he was none too happy that they didn’t ask for proof of age when he handed over the money.
This a bracelet event like all the others and even if the atmosphere is a little more friendly with lots of stories being swapped, players from around the world will be vying to maneuver their way through the huge field in an attempt to put a gold bracelet around their wrist and take home a huge payday.
Players start with 3,000 chips with blinds beginning at 25/25. We are set to play 11 levels today due to the expected large number of competitors.
Stay with your PokerNews Live Reporting team over the next three days as we follow the action and bring you all the latest chip counts, big hands, and stories from the felt in Event #17.
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/25
Ante:
"Oklahoma" Johnny Hale Addresses the Room as Event Begins
Level 1
: 25/25, 0 ante
Poker legend "Oklahoma" Johnny Hale kicked off the opening ceremony with a moving tribute to the soldiers who fought and died in World War II on this, the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. He also gave a roll call of some of famous players from history and praised the Seniors event as a tournament that stuck to the true spirit in which the game should be played.
With that done and after a warm round of applause, the room recited the Pledge of Allegiance and Hale signed off with “God bless America.”
Ty Stewart then announced what all the players were desperate to hear, “Shuffle up and deal.”
Will We See Another Record?
Level 1
: 25/25, 0 ante
It is the third year in a row that the Seniors Event of the World Series Of Poker has generated more than 4,000 entries as we are up to 4,233 already. Late registration remains open until the end of Level 6 and that should include the dinner break as well around 6 p.m. Vegas time. We are already only 274 players short of the 4,407 entries from last year, meaning a new record is well within reach.
Take a look at the incredible growth of the Seniors event over the years since it was first introduced in 2001:
| Year | Champion (First Prize) | Entrants |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Jay Heimowitz ($115,430) | 340 |
| 2002 | Bill Swan ($134,000) | 396 |
| 2003 | Ron Rose ($130,060) | 378 |
| 2004 | Gary Gibbs ($136,960) | 519 |
| 2005 | Paul McKinney ($202,725) | 825 |
| 2006 | Clare Miller ($247,814) | 1,184 |
| 2007 | Ernest Bennett ($348,423) | 1,882 |
| 2008 | Dan Lacourse ($368,832) | 2,218 |
| 2009 | Michael Davis ($437,358) | 2,707 |
| 2010 | Harold Angle ($487,994) | 3,142 |
| 2011 | James Hess ($557,435) | 3,752 |
| 2012 | Allyn Jaffrey Shulman ($603,713) | 4,128 |
| 2013 | Kenneth Lind ($634,809) | 4,407 |
Notable Names In
Level 1
: 25/25, 0 ante
Literally each tournament section is in use and thus it took some time to go through all sections and find some notable names. Below is a short list of those faces we recognized.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,000 | 3,000 |
|
3,000 | 3,000 |
|
3,000 | 3,000 |
|
3,000 | 3,000 |
|
3,000 | 3,000 |
|
3,000 | 3,000 |
|
3,000 | 3,000 |
|
3,000 | 3,000 |
Go Ray Go!!!
Level 1
: 25/25, 0 ante
Ray Everley has brought 14 friends and family to support him playing in this tournament and they are all wearing bright yellow “Go Ray Go!!!” T-Shirts. We talked briefly to his wife who is leading the cheerleading team and she told us that Ray is currently battling cancer and that playing in this event was high on his bucket list of things to do. He is a few chips down after the first few hands, but seems to be having a fine old time.
We wish him all the best.
Just a Friendly Game?
Level 1
: 25/25, 0 ante
With a starting stack of 3,000 chips, this is not a deep-stacked tournament by any means and seniors or not these players are not afraid to get their chips in the middle.
There have been several all-ins on the tables already as players seek to exert maximum pressure early on and show their fellow players they are a force to reckoned with.
There may be friendly conversation between hands, but once they cards are dealt it is kill or be killed.
All Sections In Use
Level 1
: 25/25, 0 ante
Be it the whole Brasilia Room, Amazon Purple / Tan / Orange or Pavilion with White, Black and Yellow, the Rio's is pretty much bursting and all tables are in use. One can already say that the Seniors Event at the WSOP is once again a huge success story.
Barny’s Best Behaviour
Level 1
: 25/25, 0 ante
Barny Boatman is indeed palying today, hunting his second WSOP bracelet.
I'm afraid I was a tad disrespectful to my fellow Seniors last year and I trust that's all forgotten. Literally.#AdventureInDimentiaFollow @barnyboatman
He has promised to be on his best behavior today, but with his wicked sense of humor we’ll see how long that lasts.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,000 | 3,000 |