Good morning and welcome to PokerNews' coverage of another 2014 World Series of Poker event. Today, Event #21 kicks off at noon local time, and it's expected to be a huge field for this $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event. Right around 2,000 entrants ponied up the cash for the first two $1,000 NLHE events this summer, so it would be a surprise if we didn't get a similar number here.
Last year, Taylor Paur topped a field of 2,071 runners to take home a first-place prize of $340,260. He's off to another solid start to this year's WSOP, already cashing for $55,000 in a six-max event where he made the final table, bowing out in sixth. We'll see if he returns to defend his title.
Blinds will start at 25/25, and each player will begin with 3,000 chips in the race to get them all. Levels will last 60 minutes, as always, and the plan is to play 11 levels today. Breaks will be given every two levels, and they'll be 20 minute apiece. Don't go away, as we'll have all of the relevant live updates right here on PokerNews.
Lance Harris, fresh off a fourth-place finish in Event #11: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Six Handed for just under $120,000, is keeping it rolling here at Event #21.
According to Harris, he opened in late position and got three-bet by a player in the blinds. Harris then flopped trips with on a flop with two jacks, and he raised and bet the turn. When the fourth in the deck hit the river, Harris got it all in against an opponent holding . Rough beat for Harris' opponent, but great fortune for Harris, who has a nice early stack now.
Antonio Esfandiari, pictured in a different event.
According to Jeremy Putthoff, he flopped bottom set against Antonio Esfandiari's middle pair and flush draw and held to leave Esfandiari with just one T100 chip. "The Magician" busted a short time later, and Putthoff, who recently finished third at Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki for $36,000, has a nice early stack.
After a flop of , former Main Event winner Joe Cada, Lisa Hamilton, and Jeremy Gold got it all in.
Gold:
Hamilton:
Cada:
Gold had flopped a boat, and Hamilton was drawing nearly dead with a flush draw, while Cada needed a king. The turn and river kept Gold's hand best, and he scored a double KO over two notable players.
After the hand, Cada graciously posed for photos with Gold and one of the other players at the table before exiting the room.
Alex Queen opened to 450 and was called by the cutoff and button. In the big blind, James Mackey moved all in for 4,925, and Queen folded. The cutoff pushed over the top, and the button got out of the way.
"You're good," Mackey said, turning over .
The cutoff, though, only held , meaning Mackey had solid equity with his overs.
"I'm happy to see that," Mackey said with a smile, clearly pleased he wasn't dominated.
The board ran out giving Mackey a pair of sixes for the double up.
Dominik Nitsche continues his domination here sending Randal Flowers home empty handed just moments ago.
We caught the hand with Flowers all in for some 10,000 in chips on an board. Nitsche took his time about it, but made the call with finding he was ahead of Flowers' .
The on the river did Flowers in and Nitsche appears to have the chip lead.
The cards were already flipped and the board run out by the time we got to Table 30. Erik Seidel had in front of him, good for a set on the board. That was bad news for his opponent, who held .
According to players reconstructing the hand afterwards, three people had put in 2,300 each before the flop, and the player with kings bet 3,200. Seidel raised to 7,000, the player with kings reraised to 14,100, and Seidel shipped.
The player with kings lamented Seidel's stack, saying if Seidel had 10,000 more he would have gotten away from the cowboys.
on a flop with two jacks, and he raised and bet the turn. When the fourth 
, former Main Event winner Joe Cada, Lisa Hamilton, and Jeremy Gold got it all in.
turn and 
river kept Gold's hand best, and he scored a double KO over two notable players.
.
, meaning Mackey had solid equity with his overs.
giving Mackey a pair of sixes for the double up.
and the other 
.
and after a board of 
he helped bust one player and chopped the pot with the other.
board. Nitsche took his time about it, but made the call with 
finding he was ahead of Flowers' 
.
was ahead of the button's 
in front of him, good for a set on the 
.
