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WSOP Main Event Day 1B showcases different sides of the tournament8 July 2013
WSOP Main Event fields 2012 6,598 2011 6,865 2010 7,319 2009 6,494 2008 6,844 2007 6,358 Last year, the WSOP set a single-day record for Main Event entrants with 3,418 on Day 1C -- the third and final opening day for the tournament. If the WSOP matches last year's turnout on Day 1C tomorrow, the Main Event field will be 6,303. The players in the Day 1B field were not concerned with tomorrow's field, or the eventual size of the Main Event field. They were worried about surviving Sunday's play so they could reach the second day of the tournament. "What's a good stack to end day one of The Main with? Any," proclaimed poker pro Bryan Devonshire (@devopoker) on Twitter. ![]() Georges St. Pierre tries hard. He just does not know much about poker. (photo by Vin Narayanan, Casino City) Greg Raymer, who won the Main Event in 2004, didn't reach the dinner break. Scotty Nguyen, who won the Main Event in 1998, was eliminated during the last level of play. Danielle Andersen, whose journey through the world of online poker was chronicled in the documentary Bet Raise Fold, busted out after the dinner break. So did Lex Veldhuis. While players like Raymer, Nguyen, Andersen and Veldhuis enter the Main Event with the expectation of winning, others enter just because they want the experience -- and the chance to live the poker dream. In that sense, poker and marathons share similar DNA. Many, if not most, enter both knowing they're not going to win. They're in it to prove something to themselves, to experience competition at its highest level, and if they're lucky, make some pretty nice memories along the way. Brad Garrett, Ray Romano and Georges St. Pierre fall into that category. Garrett and Romano are veterans now. They play in the Main Event every year and began competing in the World Series during peak years of the poker boom. This is Romano's sixth Main Event. Garrett has played in even more. When they first started competing, they were table comedians. They cracked plenty of jokes at the table and kept things light and loose. Now, they're serious players. Will they crack the occasional joke? Sure, they're funny. But they also take the game seriously, and they're trying to make deep runs. And when the cameras are on when they exit the tournament, they deliver a show. ![]() All over baby. Scotty Nguyen busted out of the Main Event Sunday. (photo by Vin Narayanan, Casino City) "Where is he?" Garrett asked. The producer points and Garrett is off. "Ray Romano!" Garrett bellows. "Where the heck are you?" Romano raises his hand, and Garrett stomps over. While sharing his elimination hand, he checks with the table every now and then to make sure they're up to speed on how his ace-jack was beaten by king-ten. "You follow?" Garrett keeps asking different players. Romano tries to hide a wry grin. Then a player asks if Garrett and Romano have a last longer. "A last longer, yes," says Garrett. "Ray, where should I send the check to?" "To my charity thing," Romano says. "Hooter. The unwed girls of Hooters." The table chuckled, and then Romano asks where Garrett was going to next. "I'm probably going to the Spearmint Rhino," Garrett responds with a straight face. ![]() Brad Garrett is serious at the table and funny away from it. (photo by Vin Narayanan, Casino City) St. Pierre, the UFC welterweight champion, would fit right in at the Casino City home game. He needs to be reminded to posts blinds and antes. But watching him at the table, you can tell that playing well is important to him. He considers his decisions, tries to make the right plays and wants to do well. And the players at his table are in awe of him. It doesn't matter that St. Pierre is a poker neophyte. Many poker players are huge UFC fans (Ultimate Poker is counting on that as part of their business model). This table is no different. And it's obvious that the people he's playing with have an immense amount of respect for him. St. Pierre won't win the Main Event. He busted out of the tournament on the last hand of the night. But like the marathoners who just want to finish, St. Pierre wants to compete against the best, even if it's outside his comfort zone. And to a certain degree, that's exactly what the first few days of the Main Event are about. Notable chip stacks: Clement Tripodi 207,500 Cliff Josephy 96,900 Sorel Mizzi 134,100 Doyle Brunson 90,000 Chris Moneymaker 35,000 Dan Harrington 55,000 Scott Seiver 94,100 Shane Warne 85,000 Ray Romano 68,600 Minh Ly 61,000 Barry Greenstein 31,500 Notable eliminations: Erick Lindgren Scotty Nguyen Greg Raymer Danielle Andersen Lex Veldhuis Brad Garrett David Bach Katie Dozier Jonathan Taylor Georges St. Pierre
WSOP Main Event Day 1B showcases different sides of the tournament
is republished from CasinoVendors.com.
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