We've already lost Barny Boatman thanks for Scott Fischman turning a straight on one of the tables up in the Shadow Bar room, a table that also contained Kyle Bowker and Peter Jetten. Danny Wong just entered the room and took a seat at the same table making it quite powerful.
Three players saw the flop come down 
. The first player checked and Scott Fischman also checked. Barny Boatman fired 50 and only Fischman called.
The turn brought the 
and Fischman checked. Boatman fired 125 and was raised to 300 by Fischman. Boatman made the call.
The river completed the board with the 
and Fischman fired 600. After a minute, Boatman moved all in. Fischman quickly called.
"You got three-four?" asked Boatman.
Fischman shook his head no and tabled a better hand, 
for the nut straight. Boatman showed the 
for a flopped set. Boatman was covered by Fischman and hit the rail on an early exit. Fischman's got 6,000 chips now.
![[user4144]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
When durrrr arrived at his table, I couldn't help but notice that a few phones left their pockets as people frantically alerted their friends to the news. Obviously, they waited a few moments, so as not to look uncool.
However, I possibly shouldn't read too much into that observation, as when Sorel Mizzi joined in the fun, durrrr too began texting on his phone.
Nevertheless, it's great to see such big names pros here in the Empire, and judging by the star-struck look on his neighbour's face, durrrr's presence is certainly a plus point that many young players will take home.
Phil Ivey has already moved his stack to 4,000 after picking up an early couple of pots from his table. We just wandered over to see a pot of 650 in the middle and a board of 
laid out in the middle. A player checked to Ivey and he bet 300. After a first-level two-minute tank, the player mucked his hand and Ivey won the pot.
Arnaud Mattern opened to 75 preflop, receiving one caller before the button 3-bet to 325. Mattern made the call while the third player folded.
The flop came 
and both players checked, Mattern also checked the 
to his opponent who bet 450, resulting in a quick call from the Frenchman. The river 
seemed to change nothing and again Mattern checked, facing this time a bet of 700.
Taking several minutes, Mattern made a reluctant call and then saw the bad news come at him like a Daily Mail headline, the button showed 
to scoop. Mattern drops to 1,500.
There's definitely a correlation between notoriety and lack of punctuality, and just as I was questioning the star status of today's event, in walked Tom 'durrrr' Dwan.
Meanwhile, Ivey, as previously reported, is 'in da house', and Huck Seed was spotted making his way across the balcony. I also noticed John Cernuto waiting in line.
It looks like business is about to pick up.
Another fifty players have registered since we first spoke this morning. Still, the turnout is a bit more sluggish than we would have anticipated here today. So far, 186 players have had their ticket punched for Day 1b (including the newest latecomer, "Miami" John Cernuto). Registration is open until the end of the first break, just about two hours from now.
If you're around Leicester Square and have £1,075 to wang on a tournament, get down here and get yourself signed up. Today, so far, appears to be a comparatively soft starting day to get into the field.
Right on time fifteen minutes late, Phil Ivey has just joined a table full of unknowns in the Shadow room. Time to start sweating that bracelet bet.
Like a heavily cloudy sky, we're slightly short of stars here today, the known pros either preferring to spend their Saturday afternoon elsewhere, or simply planning to stride in fashionably late. I suspect the latter, but the former would certainly aid the UK's hunt for bracelet gold.
There are three tables downstairs, all of which are littered with familiar UK faces such as Daniel Nutt, Ian Woodley, Jack Powell, Ali Masterman, Paul Bracken, and Fuad Serhan, who finished second in the £1,500 event two years prior.
Last year's winner of this event played yesterday, two-time winner JP Kelly finishing the day with 23,800.
There are three tables that are detached from the rest of the field, up on the far corner of the balcony. We packed our lunch and set off unto the breach to see what we could see over there.
Chad Brown was just taking his seat at Table 28 when we walked up, the only familiar face we recognize over there. At 29, Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger is sitting to the immediate right of Arnaud Mattern, the Aviator-wearing, pimp-cane-toting Frenchman. Table 30 has Andrew Teng with direct position on Huck Seed for now, though there is a vacant seat with a chip stack in between them.
