Event #73: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship Day 1a | 2017 World Series of Poker

07-08-2017 08:59 UTC-7

It's Time for the Main Event!

Webjoker

The second Saturday in July brings about the biggest tournament in poker: the World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event. The first starting flight gets underway at 11 a.m. with players from around the world converging on the Rio for a shot at the most coveted title in poker. Over the next three days, names like Hellmuth, Moneymaker, Chan, Raymer, Brunson, and Nguyen will bring about a bit of nostalgia in rounders from all walks of life.

The Main Event began as an idea hatched in Texas gambler Benny Binion’s mind to promote his casino. In 1970, a small group of Texas rounders gathered at Binion’s for 10 days playing for high stakes in games like five-card draw, 2-7 lowball, seven-card stud, razz, and no-limit hold’em. Players voted on the winner at the end — Texan and future Poker Hall of Fame member Johnny Moss. By 1972, no-limit hold’em became the premier game and the $10,000 buy-in tournament that players now know as the Main Event was introduced.

In the intervening 47 years, the event has grown to mammoth proportions with numerous preliminary events. The championship bracelet was introduced by Binion in 1976 and has become the ultimate trophy in poker. Owning one has become the litmus test for poker greatness. The series has even expanded beyond Las Vegas with numerous circuit and bracelet events around the country and the world.

Binion surely couldn’t have imagined the scope that the game would become since his showcase began in 1970. In 2016, the WSOP drew 107,833 total entrants in 69 total events — the most in its history. The 2016 series awarded $221 million in prize money too, and the events brought in players from 107 countries — a sign of the international growth the game has undergone, fueled by the growth of internet poker and its popularity on television.

The venue has changed and numerous games and tournaments added, but the history remains. In recent years, some of those original games played in 1970 have even been worked back into the WSOP festivities in games like dealer’s choice and some of the mixed-games events. And the foundation of that remains the Main Event.

When players take their seats beginning today in those first starting flights, they are not just attempting to win a poker tournament; they are attempting to become part of the game’s history — a history that traces its roots from the Revolutionary War to Civil War battlefields to 19th Century steamboats floating on the Mississippi River to scorching Las Vegas summers. Win that bracelet and your name becomes synonymous with some of the best in the game. Thousands will try, but only one will raise that shiny gold bracelet in victory.

Structure

At 11 a.m., players start with 50,000 in chips. Levels are 120 minutes long throughout. After every level, players have a 20-minute break. The dinner break, 90 minutes long, takes place after Level 3, which should be around 5:40 p.m. Late registration for Day 1a of the 2017 WSOP Main Event is open until the end of the dinner break, registration closes around 7:10 p.m. If you're too late, there's always tomorrow (Day 1b) and Monday (Day 1c). Day 1a wraps up around 11:40 p.m.

Level	Duration	Small Blind	Big Blind	Ante
1	120 minutes	75	150	-
	20-minute break
2	120 minutes	150	300	-
	20-minute break
3	120 minutes	150	300	25
	90-minute break
4	120 minutes	200	400	50
	20-minute break
5	120 minutes	250	500	75

Players to survive today return to the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino Tuesday, July 11, 2017, to play another five levels.

Today's action starts at 11 a.m. PokerNews will be there the entire day with live updates from around the convention center of the Rio All Suite Hotel& Casino. Besides live updates, you can follow along via ESPN2 and PokerGo.

Start time	End time	Where to watch
11 a.m.	1 p.m.	PokerGo
1 p.m.	5 p.m.	ESPN2
5 p.m.	6:15 p.m.	PokerGo

A Long Summer

While the Main Event is just about to get underway, a plethora of events are already in the books. The 2017 WSOP kicked off May 31st with the $565 Employees Event and $10,000 Tag Team Event. Bryan Hollis took down the first event, and popular poker duo Igor Kurganov and Liv Boeree received the second bracelet of the summer. Since then, dozens of events have been played, and PokerNews.com was there for each and every one of them. Millions in prize money has been rewarded, hundreds of thousands of hands have been dealt. Take a look at all the results up until now:

#	Event	Entries	Winner	Prize
1	$565 Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em	651	Bryan Hollis	$68,817
2	$10,000 Tag Team No Limit Hold'em Championship	102	Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov	$273,964
3	$3,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout	369	Upeshka De Silva	$229,923
4	$1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better	905	Benjamin Zamani	$238,620
5	$565 The Colossus III No Limit Hold'em	18,054	Thomas Pomponio	$1,000,000
6	$111,111 High Roller for One Drop No Limit Hold'em	130	Doug Polk	$3,686,865
7	$2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball	225	Jesse Martin	$130,948
8	$333 WSOP.com Online No Limit Hold'em	2,509	Joseph Mitchell	$122,314
9	$10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship	154	Abe Mosseri	$388,795
10	$1,000 Tag Team No Limit Hold'em	843	Nipun Java & Aditya Sushant	$150,637
11	$1,500 Dealers Choice Six-Handed	364	David Bach	$119,399
12	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	1,739	David Pham	$391,960
13	$1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw	266	Frank Kassela	$89,151
14	$1,500 H.O.R.S.E.	736	David Singer	$203,709
15	$10,000 Heads Up No Limit Hold'em Championship	129	Adrián Mateos	$336,656
16	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed	1,748	Anthony Marquez	$393,273
17	$10,000 Dealers Choice Six-Handed Championship	102	John Racener	$273,962
18	$565 Pot Limit Omaha	3,186	Tyler Smith	$224,344
19	$365 The Giant No Limit Hold'em
20	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Millionaire Maker	7,761	Pablo Mariz	$1,221,407
21	$1,500 Eight-Game Mix Six-Handed	472	Ron Ware	$145,577
22	$10,000 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship	92	John Monnette	$256,610
23	$2,620 The Marathon No Limit Hold'em	1,759	Joseph Di Rosa Rojas	$690,469
24	$1,500 Limit Hold'em	616	Shane Buchwald	$177,985
25	$1,000 Pot Limit Omaha	1,058	Tyler Groth	$179,126
26	$10,000 Razz Championship	97	James Obst	$265,138
27	$3,000 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed	959	Chris Moorman	$498,682
28	$1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw	326	Brian Brubaker	$109,967
29	$2,500 No Limit Hold'em	1,086	Gaurav Raina	$456,822
30	$10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship	150	David Bach	$383,208
31	$1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold'em Championship	5,389	Frank Maggio	$617,303
32	$1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Mix	688	Vladimir Shchemelev	$194,323
33	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	1,698	Christopher Frank	$384,833
34	$10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship	80	Ben Yu	$232,738
35	$1,000 Super Seniors No Limit Hold'em	1,720	James Moore	$259,230
36	$5,000 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed	574	Nadar Kakhmazov	$580,338
37	$1,000 No Limit Hold'em	2,020	Thomas Reynolds	$292,880
38	$10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship	120	Joe McKeehen	$311,817
39	$1,000 No Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty	1,868	Rifat Palevic	$183,903
40	$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better	595	Ernest Bohn	$173,228
41	$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha	870	Loren Klein	$231,483
42	$10,000 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed Championship	332	Dmitry Yurasov	$775,923
43	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Shootout	1,025	Ben Maya	$257,764
44	$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.	399	Matthew Schreiber	$256,226
45	$5,000 No Limit Hold'em	505	Christopher Brammer	$527,555
46	$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better	830	Nathan Gamble	$223,339
47	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Monster Stack	6,716	Brian Yoon	$1,094,349
48	$10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship	125	Christopher Vitch	$320,103
49	$3,000 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Handed	630	Luis Calvo	$362,185
50	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Bounty	1,927	Chris Bolek	$266,646
51	$10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship	207	Bryce Yockey	$511,147
52	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	1,580	Mohsin Charania	$364,438
53	$3,000 Limit Hold'em Six-Handed	256	Max Silver	$172,645
54	$10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Eight-Handed Championship	428	Tommy Le	$938,732
55	$1,500 Seven Card Stud	298	Tom Koral	$96,907
56	$5,000 No Limit Hold'em	623	Norberto Korn	$618,285
57	$2,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Mix	405	Smith Sirisakorn	$215,902
58	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	1,763	Artur Rudziankov	$395,918
59	$2,500 Big Bet Mix	197	Jens Lakemeier	$112,232
60	$888 Crazy Eights No Limit Hold'em Eight-Handed	8,120	Alexandru Papazian	$888,888
61	$3,333 WSOP.com Online No Limit Hold'em High Roller	424	Thomas Cannuli	$322,815
62	$50,000 Poker Players Championship	100	Elior Sion	$1,395,767
63	$1,000 No Limit Hold'em	1,750	Rulah Divine	$262,501
64	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha Eight-Handed Mix	1,058	Sebastian Langrock	$268,555
65	$1,000 No Limit Hold'em	1,413	Shai Zurr	$223,241
66	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	1,956		$428,423
67	$25,000 Pot Limit Omaha Eight-Handed High Roller	205	James Calderaro	$1,289,074
68	$3,000 No Limit Hold'em	1,349		$645,922
69	$1,500 Razz	419		$132,957
70	$10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship	718		$135,098
71	$1,000 WSOP.com Online No Limit Hold'em Championship	1,312	"Javatinii"	$237,688
72	$10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship	88		$245,451
73	$10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
74	$1,000 The Little One for One Drop No Limit Hold'em

Action Today

As the Main Event gets the cards in the air on today, a few events will still be wrapping up and continuing into the weekend with several big names still looking to bag a bracelet. In Event #69: $1,500 Razz, 14-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth returns for Day 3 on a short stack, and Daniel Negreanu returns with a healthy chip stack in Event #68: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em. An extra 4th day was needed for Event #66: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em with Emile Schiff and Chris Klodnicki returning to battle for the bracelet. 85 ladies remain in the Event #70: $10,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship, 29 players return for Day 2 of Event #72: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship. Last, but certainly not least, Event #19: THE GIANT - $365 No-Limit Hold'em Day 2 gets underway today after 5 starting flights scattered through out the Fridays this summer. PokerNews will be following every tournament to its conclusion this weekend.

World Series of Poker History

Year	Entries	Champion	Country		Winning Hand	Prize
1970	7	Johnny Moss	United States		-	-
1971	6	Johnny Moss	United States		-	$30,000
1972	8	Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston	United States			$80,000
1973	13	Walter "Puggy" Pearson	United States			$130,000
1974	16	Johnny Moss	United States			$160,000
1975	21	Brian "Sailor" Roberts	United States			$210,000
1976	22	Doyle Brunson	United States			$220,000
1977	34	Doyle Brunson	United States			$340,000
1978	42	Bobby Baldwin	United States			$210,000
1979	54	Hal Fowler	United States			$270,000
1980	73	Stu Ungar	United States			$385,000
1981	75	Stu Ungar	United States			$375,000
1982	104	Jack Straus	United States			$520,000
1983	108	Tom McEvoy	United States			$540,000
1984	132	Jack Keller	United States			$660,000
1985	140	Bill Smith	United States			$700,000
1986	141	Berry Johnston	United States			$570,000
1987	152	Johnny Chan	United States	(born in China)		$625,000
1988	167	Johnny Chan	United States	(born in China)		$700,000
1989	178	Phil Hellmuth	United States			$755,000
1990	194	Mansour Matloubi	Iran			$895,000
1991	215	Brad Daugherty	United States			$1,000,000
1992	201	Hamid Dastmalchi	Iran			$1,000,000
1993	220	Jim Bechtel	United States			$1,000,000
1994	268	Russ Hamilton	United States			$1,000,000
1995	273	Dan Harrington	United States			$1,000,000
1996	295	Huck Seed	United States			$1,000,000
1997	312	Stu Ungar	United States			$1,000,000
1998	350	Scotty Nguyen	United States	(born in Vietnam)		$1,000,000
1999	393	Noel Furlong	Ireland			$1,000,000
2000	512	Chris Ferguson	United States			$1,500,000
2001	613	Carlos Mortensen	Spain	(born in Ecuador)		$1,500,000
2002	631	Robert Varkonyi	United States			$2,000,000
2003	839	Chris Moneymaker	United States			$2,500,000
2004	2,576	Greg Raymer	United States			$5,000,000
2005	5,619	Joe Hachem	Australia			$7,500,000
2006	8,773	Jamie Gold	United States			$12,000,000
2007	6,358	Jerry Yang	United States	(born in Laos)		$8,250,000
2008	6,844	Peter Eastgate	Denmark			$9,152,416
2009	6,494	Joe Cada	United States			$8,547,042
2010	7,319	Jonathan Duhamel	Canada			$8,944,310
2011	6,865	Pius Heinz	Germany			$8,715,638
2012	6,598	Greg Merson	United States			$8,531,853
2013	6,352	Ryan Riess	United States			$8,361,570
2014	6,683	Martin Jacobson	Sweden			$10,000,000
2015	6,420	Joe McKeehen	United States			$7,683,346
2016	6,737	Qui Nguyen	United States	(born in Vietnam)		$8,005,310

Qui Nguyen beat a field of 6,737 to take home the top-prize of $8,005,310 in 2016

07-08-2017 11:33 UTC-7

Use the My Stack App to Update Your Chip Count

Webjoker

Level 1 : 75/150, 0 ante

PokerNews has activated the MyStack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.

You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.

Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.

07-08-2017 11:55 UTC-7

Crazy Early Action on Table 728

Christian Zetzsche

Level 1 : 75/150, 0 ante

Among the early highlights is Barny Boatman's stack which has seen a significant boost. But that was topped by some action that recently unfolded involving Iraj Parvizi.

First off was a minor pot with Fred Goff III, who finished 223rd in last year's World Series of Poker Main Event. Goff raised to 350 from the cutoff and Parvizi called in the small blind. The board of was checked through entirely and Goff won the pot with .

But right after, Goff made it 300 to go and Parvizi three-bet to 1,600 on the button. Victor Cianelli four-bet to 4,100 in the small blind and Parvizi was the only caller. On the flop, both players checked. Cianelli bet the turn for 7,000 and Parvizi called before Cianelli's bet of 12,000 on the river seemingly shut down the action.

However, Parvizi announced a raise and put in 19,000, which was then turned into a mandatory min-raise to 24,000. Cianelli quickly moved all in for more than that and Parvizi asked for a count. Cianelli's all-in was for 32,850 and, after the 24,000 were pulled in from both players, Parvizi gave it one minute of consideration and folded.

In the very next hand, Parvizi lost another 2,000 when his ended up second-best to an opponent's and the stack of the Brit melted to just 11,000.

As for Cianelli, he finished 78th in the 2013 WSOP Main Event for a career-best score of $ 84,786 and is set for another deep run in the most prestigious tournament of the year.

Player	Chips	Progress
Victor Cianelli	81,000 81,000	81,000
Barny Boatman	70,000 20,000	20,000

Fred Goff III	51,000 51,000	51,000
Iraj Parvizi	11,000 -39,000	-39,000

Tags: Barny Boatman Fred Goff III Iraj Parvizi Victor Cianelli

07-08-2017 12:57 UTC-7

Matt Savage Enters the Field

Adam Lamers

Level 1 : 75/150, 0 ante

Matt Savage has entered the field in Day 1a of the WSOP Main Event. Savage is a world-renowned tournament director having officiated the World Series of Poker from 2002-2004. Savage has also worked at stops throughout the WPT and founded the Tournament Directors Association.

Savage has five WSOP cashes in his career and is looking for another here in the 2017 Main Event. He got off to a strong start when he raised to 350 from the cutoff. The small blind reraised to 1,275 and Savage made the call. The flop was and the small blind checked to Savage who bet 1,500. His opponent folded and Savage raked in the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Matt Savage	54,000 54,000	54,000

Tags: Matt Savage

07-08-2017 12:59 UTC-7

A Round of Quotes from Mike Matusow

mnuwwarah

Level 1 : 75/150, 0 ante

Mike "The Mouth" Matusow has long been known for his loquacious ways at the table. He has a seat at the edge of Amazon Purple, and with the lull in early-level action, we thought we'd hang around his table for an orbit and see if he would drop any choice quotes. He didn't disappoint, as he had plenty to say.

In the first hand we saw, Matusow was in the big blind and someone opened early. While waiting his turn, Matusow reflected on the modern chip structure of the WSOP Main Event, which sees 50,000 starting stacks, up from 30,000 recently and 10,000 before that.

"That was the best part of the old days," Matusow said. "People lost a few chips and thought they were short. They'd have 10,000 and lose 700 and start panicking."

Matusow added that he didn't think there was any need for the 50K stacks.

The Mouth continued to fold the next few hands, engaging in conversation with Pratyush Buddiga.

"You've had a pretty good summer, right?"

Buddiga said he has, and they discussed Buddiga's sixth-place finish in the $300K Super High Roller Bowl for $1 million and then his fourth-place finish in a $1,500 event here at the WSOP for $124,615.

"I knew I had a good table when I saw you were here," Matusow mused. "Old school wizard, Donkey Kong bomber, and new school wizard."

Matusow was referencing Tom "DonkeyBomber" Schneider, who is in Seat 1 at their table.

Shortly after that, Matusow played the only hand he voluntarily entered while we were at his table. He opened for 400 in middle position and got callers on his immediate left and in the big blind. Everyone checked the flop, and Matusow bet 1,000 on the turn. That won him the pot.

With his big blind coming up, Matusow discussed his thoughts on the Main Event at large.

"It's the only tournament in the history of poker you never have to bluff," he said, folding his under-the-gun hand. "You just have to stay alive and wait for the idiots to give you their chips."

Player	Chips	Progress
Mike Matusow	44,400 900	900

Tags: Mike Matusow Pratyush Buddiga Tom Schneider

07-08-2017 13:04 UTC-7

Boatman Runs Over the Table

Christian Zetzsche

Level 1 : 75/150, 0 ante

Barny Boatman Early Chip Leader of Day 1a

Iraj Parvizi managed to spin up his stack to 40,000 again, but that has since vanished to zero while Barny Boatman was stacking a ton of chips. According to Boatman, he took the entire stack of Parvizi and the Brit was kind enough to share the details.

Parvizi raised to 450 from middle position and Brooks Floyd called on the button, Boatman raised to 1,800 in the big blind and both opponents called. On the flop, all three players checked and an appeared on the turn. Boatman bet 1,800 and Parvizi raised to 7,000, Floyd folded and Boatman called.

After the river, Boatman checked and Parvizi bet 15,000 before Boatman moved all in and was called. Boatman showed for a straight and Parvizi had pocket eights for a set to hit the rail.

Xiangdong Jiang had busted earlier on the table and Boatman also dominated the last few hands of the first level. Boatman defended his big blind to a raise by Floyd on the button and bet the flop for 600, Floyd called and Sergon Toma in the small blind folded. On the turn, Boatman bet 1,100 and was called before betting the river for 3,000. Floyd called and was shown for trips fours by Boatman.

Last but not least, Boatman bet the turn for 1,300 and Toma called before Toma bet the on the river for 1,000. Boatman raised to 3,000 and Toma called, showed a jack. Boatman had that beat with for trips tens and raked in another pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Barny Boatman	139,500 69,500	69,500

Iraj Parvizi	Busted
Xiangdong Jiang	Busted

Tags: Barny Boatman Brooks Floyd Iraj Parvizi Sergon Toma Xiangdong Jiang

07-08-2017 15:29 UTC-7

Tsoukernik Doubles

mnuwwarah

Level 2 : 150/300, 0 ante

Short on chips, Leon Tsoukernik put his last 2,625 in the hand after he moved in and got no callers. A player in the small blind called with and was leading Tsoukernik's .

Things looked grim for the King's Casino owner after an flop, but the runout gave him a winning straight.

Tags: Leon Tsoukernik

07-08-2017 17:10 UTC-7

Nguyen Bluffs Off a Chunk

mnuwwarah

Level 3 : 150/300, 25 ante

In a hand that occurred on the live stream, Qui Nguyen bet 1,500 with on an flop. One player with called, and Partipilo raised to 3,500 with . Nguyen came back with another raise to 10,000, driving out the ace-four, but Partipilo with the straight shoved all in and forced Nguyen to fold.

Player	Chips	Progress
Qui Nguyen	40,400 -19,100	-19,100

Tags: Qui Nguyen

07-08-2017 20:05 UTC-7

Day 1a Attracts 795 Players

Webjoker

Level 4 : 200/400, 50 ante

According to the official records, 795 players entered Day 1a of the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Day 1a is traditionally the smallest of starting days. Not only do many players prefer to not have two full days off before restarting, there are also several other tournaments still going on today and tomorrow.

With 795 players, this is the biggest Day 1a in recent years.

	Day 1a	Day 1b	Day 1c	Day 1d	Total	Prize Pool
2008	1,297	1,158	1,928	2,461	6,844	$64,333,600
2009	1,116	873	1,696	2,809	6,494	$61,043,600
2010	1,125	1,489	2,314	2,391	7,319	$68,798,600
2011	897	985	2,181	2,802	6,865	$64,531,000
2012	1,066	2,114	3,418	-	6,598	$62,021,200
2013	943	1,942	3,467	-	6,352	$59,708,800
2014	771	2,144	3,768	-	6,683	$62,820,200
2015	741	1,716	3,963	-	6,420	$60,348,000
2016	764	1,733	4,240	-	6,737	$63,327,800
2017	795			-

07-08-2017 20:08 UTC-7

Game Show and WSOP Bracelet Winner Sebastian Langrock Takes His Seat

ElleSriracha

Level 4 : 200/400, 50 ante

Germany's Sebastian Langrock has had quite the week, as he just won his first WSOP gold bracelet after taking down Event #64: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha - 8 Handed for $268,555.

In the heads-up match, Langrock defeated well-known pro and WSOP bracelet winner Ryan Laplante, who has a title from winning the $565 Pot-Limit Omaha event in 2015. Langrock is a pro himself and has spent the last two years specializing in pot-limit Omaha, learning from some of the top players in the industry.

Back in 2013, Langrock won the German version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and explained that he used that money as his poker bankroll and has been making a living playing poker ever since.

Langrock has taken his seat in the Main Event today and will be making a run at the most prestigious title in poker.