Event #5: £10,350 WSOPE Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1b Started
World Series of Poker Europe 2010
Event #5: £10,350 WSOPE Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
World Series of Poker Europe 2010
Buy-in
£10,000
Entries
346
Level
27
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
10,000
New Flight About to Take Off
![[user46298]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
The tables are all reset to even 30,000 stacks and the dealers are in position as the second wave of players in the £10,000 WSOPE Main Event prepare to take their seats. If you can get here within two 90-minute levels, you still have a chance in this tough, interesting field to take down a bracelet, but soon the total number of runners will be known, the prizepool calculated and displayed so that everyone knows what they're playing for. Of course roughly they already do - lots of GBP, the wrist-adornment, and the glow of pride at having beaten a field so liberally peppered with professional players it's spicy.
Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy, despite still being embroiled in the Heads-Up £10,000 final, will play today as it's their last chance, joining a multitude of local and flown-in poker talent in their first day of play.
Among them:
Barry Shulman, reigning champ in this event, back to defend his title. One of the first players to take his seat today was the last man standing last year, winning £801,603 after a hard-fought week which finally saw him see off Daniel Negreanu in 2nd place. He'll be announcing the 'Shuffle Up and Deal!' in about ten minutes.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Play Ball
Day 1b is a go!
Late for a Very Important Date
I'm not sure what it is about the WSOPE Main Event, but, at kick-off, it has to be the worst attended event on the calendar. As Barry Shulman blows the starting whistle downstairs, upstairs, three tables are commencing heads-up. One involves Nenad Medic, who just gave a walk to queens, much to his opponent's chagrin.
Receiving top marks for punctuality are Nikolay Evdakov, Markus Golser, Greg Mueller, Chance Kornuth, Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso and the rarely sighted Tony Bloom. Right in the corner is a line-up tougher than a two-dollar steak: Mike Matusow, Juha Helppi, Eli Elezra and Jeff Madsen.
Trickle of Players Grows
The first few hands saw, as expected, a sparse crowd at the tables, ready to play, but a steady line of people checking the draw is dispersing around the room and taking stock of the opposition.
Noted:
Freddy Deeb
Brandon Adams
Barry Greenstein
John Tabatabai
Dan Shak
Willie Tann
Jennifer Tilly
Phil Ivey
Steve Brecher
And Playing Upstairs Today...
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
41,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 |
Early Fireworks
I felt obliged to check the date to see if it was bonfire night, as right off the bat we witnessed fireworks on the aforementioned "tough table".
I joined the action on a 
flop, Eli Elezra facing a raise from the small blind. A quick scour of the felt revealed that Elezra had led for 1,000, Juha Helppi called from under the gun, and Robert Cooper two-bet the button to 3,000.
After a brief pause, Elezra made the call and returned to munching on his breakfast. Not one for such nonchalance, Helppi, as stoic as ever, reached for his glasses and rested his hands on his chin.
"Uh-oh, the glasses are going on," commented Mike Matusow as he fiddled with his phone.
Eventually, Helppi made the call.
"We've got a pot, Mikey," observed Jeff Madsen astutely.
"A big pot," responded Matusow.
Despite the action on the flop, the 
turn was checked around, bringing us to a river: 
. Without hesitation, Elezra fired 7,000 into the pot. Helppi called, and Cooper folded 
face-up.
Helppi showed the 
, but it wasn't enough as Elezra had turned two pair with 
. As a result, the Israeli pro and former bracelet winner is up to 41,000 before most players have even taken their seat.
Texas What Now?
You get a lot of passing interest in this tournament from people in the heart of London visiting the Empire Casino. It takes up about half of the place, with tables spread in various areas, up and down stairs, nestled behind the bar etc. and you can't fail to notice a crowd of press and fans around certain more famous players' tables. So there is a conversation which occurs frequently:
"What are they playing?"
"Poker - tournament - World Series of Poker Europe."
"How much are they playing for?"
"Well, the buy-in is £10,000, so the top finishers will win a proportion of the prizepool made up of everyone's entry."
"What? £10,000 to play!"
"Yep, these are some of the most successsful, richest, or generously sponsored players on the planet. It's a good tournament to watch."
"Wow. I don't know anything about poker, but that guy in the hat sure is getting celebrity treatment."
Then there's another sort, very rare but eye-opening every time:
"What is the game?"
"Hold'em tournament."
"Can anyone play?"
"Sure, if you have £10,000."
"What date does it run until?"
"28th."
"When can you buy in?"
"Until two levels in to today."
"Can I buy in over there?" (Points to registration desk)
"Sure."
"OK."
"Good luck."
Table of Death
There aren't exactly any easy tables in the room today, but there are a couple particularly tough places to be sitting today. The table in the far corner of the room is loaded with dangerous latecomers. Eric Baldwin was one of just three players at his table at the start of play, and he was playing short-handed with Brian Powell and a gentlemen we don't recognize. A few minutes late, however, the bus arrrived.
David Steicke took his seat in the two hole, to Baldwin's immediate right and Powell's left. Tommy Vedes and Liv Boeree soon turned up as well, and they're in the five and six seats respectively. That still leaves a couple empty seats, and a look at the registration list tells us that Sandra Naujoks, Toni Petterson, and £10,000 Heads-Up semifinalist Andrew Feldman will soon be joining that table as well.
Yikes.