2008 WSOP MAIN EVENT, End of Day 1-C

2008 World Series of Poker
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

Official Report
Event #54
World Championship
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In:  $ 10,000
Number of Entries:  TBD
Total Net Prize Pool:  TBD
July 3 - November 10, 2008
Tournament Notes from Day 1-C:

·        The World Series of Poker Main Event began with Day 1-A on Thursday, July 3, 2008.  Day 1-B was played on July 4th.  Day 1-C was played on July 5th and began at 12:15 pm PST.

·        The official “first day” is split into four flights spread over four consecutive days.  Due to the large size of the field, it became necessary in recent years to play the Day One sessions in four groups, divided as Days 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, and 1-D.

·        The number of registered players for Day 1-C was 1,928.  Day 1-B attracted 1,158 entries.  Day 1-A attracted 1,297 entries.  The combined number of players who have now played in the main event totals 4,383.  Note:  These numbers do not reflect the actual total number who will play in the Main Event, since registration remains open until Sunday, after the completion of two levels of play.

·        Country music artist Andy Griggs opened Day Three with his new song, “It’s All About the Money.”  WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack then took over the microphone and reminded everyone in the room, “It’s all about the bracelet and tradition, too.”  Yesterday on July 4th, Griggs performed the Star Spangled Banner for the national holiday.

·        The day’s traditional “Shuffle Up and Deal” honor went to WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel, who fittingly is receiving widespread accolades for the job he and his staff have done in hosting what may be the largest WSOP in history, both in terms of attendance and total prize money awarded.

·        The tournament began play in two places – the Amazon Ballroom and nearby Brasilia Ballroom.

·        ESPN designated two “feature” tables.  The table on the main stage included three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Mike “the Mouth” Matusow.  The secondary feature table was located off to the side and included 2005 world champion Joe Hachem.

·        All seat assignments and re-draws at the WSOP are completely random.  However, ESPN selects “feature” tables each day, which are presumably tables with the greatest public interest.  Those two tables are then transferred to the main and secondary stages.

·        Registered players were given energy drinks and bottled water made by All In, and seat cushions provided by Everest Poker.

·        All players started the tournament with 30,000 in chips.

·        Former WSOP Main Event champions who played on Day 1-C included Brad Daugherty (1991), Jim Bechtel (1993), Huck Seed (1996), Chris Moneymaker (2003), and Joe Hachem (2005).  Seed and Bechtel were eliminated.  The only former champs remaining from the first three days include – Brad Daugherty, Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, Scotty Nguyen and Robert Varkonyi.  Note:  The remaining former champions will play Day 1-D.

·        1996 world champion Huck Seed became the quickest bust out of any former champion, thus far.  He lasted just 17 minutes.

·        Even former champions sometimes need a little luck.  Early in the tournament, 2005 WSOP champion Joe Hachem was nearly all-in holding an overpair (tens) versus an opponent who had flopped a set (eights).  With Hachem’s tournament life hanging in the balance, a miracle ten crashed down on the river, giving the Australian a higher set and the big pot.

·        Six-time WSOP gold bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Fame member T.J. Cloutier played on this day.  He did not survive.

·        Nikolay Evdakov played on this day.  The Russian poker player set a new WSOP record for the “Most Cashes in a Single Year” – with ten at the 2008 World Series.  If he cashes in this Main Event, he would have 11 cashes, which would rank three more than the previous record set by five players (with eight cashes).

·        Poker theorist, author, and three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner David Sklansky played on this day.  Sklansky could argue that he holds the record for “Most Consecutive WSOP Years” if attending the WSOP and playing in cash games were the requirement.  Sklansky has attended the WSOP ever year since 1972, which is the longest known streak.  Howard “Tahoe” Andrew has been confirmed as the player who holds the longest streak of entering at least one event every year, which runs from 1974-2008.

·        Controversial publisher and free-speech advocate Larry Flynt played on this day.  Flynt has played in many WSOP tournaments over the past 25 years.  However, he was eliminated about two hours into play.

·        Legendary gambler Archie “the Greek” Karas played on this day.  Karas, best known for taking an initial $50 stake and running it up to $40 million over the course of a few years (and then losing it all back) in what was probably the greatest roller coaster ride in the history of Las Vegas, played in the Main Event again, after missing last year’s tournament.  He ended the day with an average stack.

·        British best-selling author Tony Holden played on this day.  Holden is best-known to poker players for penning the classic “Big Deal:  One Year as a Professional Poker Player,” which was released nearly twenty years ago.  The narrative gave many readers their first glance ever into the world of high-stakes poker.

·        Jim McManus, author of “Positively Fifth Street,” played on this say and made the cut.

·        Russell Rosenblum, a venture capitalist and part-time poker pro who made it all the way to the final table of the 2002 Main Event (finishing fifth), rebounded with a nice performance.  Rosenbloom has admittedly been running “terribly” at the WSOP for two consecutive years.  He’s played in about thirty events, without a single cash.  However, Rosenbloom was seated at the secondary feature table (along with Joe Hachem) and managed to end up with the highest stack at his table.

·        Sabyl Landrum, who was the highest female finisher in the 2006 Main Event lasted until very late in the day, when she was finally eliminated.

·        Former world champion darts player John Part, from Toronto, Canada played on this day.

·        Former U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato made his annual WSOP appearance.  The colorful New Yorker and head of the Poker Players Alliance sat and watched feature table action for a half hour before moving around the room to meet and greet several poker players.  D’Amato and the PPA are currently fighting to protect and preserve the rights of poker players, particularly at the federal level.

·        The WSOP is truly an event for everyone – regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sex, class, native language, or age (above 21).  This fact was apparent on the tournament floor which was populated by a wide variety of people — including many with physical challenges.

·        One of the day’s funniest moments took place at the start of the day when poker writer Garry Gates showed up in a white toga, sandals, and a leave-laden headband.  Waving a giant palm, he approached well-known poker celebrity Evelyn Ng and stood at her side as she sat at the poker table.  Gates then began waving the palm leaf, in a mock fan of the poker princess.  It was later revealed that Gates had lost a side bet to Ng and he was forced to serve as her “toga slave” for a day.  It was not determined at press time if Gates actually wanted to lose the wager so he could end up in the presence of the exotic beauty.

·        The number of players remaining from the initial 1,928 players who registered for this day is 1,026.  This means 53 percent of the field survived.  The combined number of survivors from Day 1-A, 1-B, and 1-C is 2,277.  This means that 52 percent of the starting field survived.

·        The End of Day 1-C chip leader is Henning Granstad, from Oslo, Norway – with 249,950 in chips.  The End of Day 1-B chip leader was Ben Samoff – with 177,500 chips.  The End of Day 1-A chip leader was Mark Garner — with 194,900 chips.  Hence, Granstad is currently the Main Event chip leader.

·        Other notable poker players who made the cut included:  David Singer, Brad Booth, Evelyn Ng, Nenad Medic, Jeff Madsen, Clonie Gowan, Isabelle Mercier, Liz Lieu, Mike Matusow, Minh Nguyen, John Strzemp, Bill Chen, Sammy Farha, Adam Schoenfeld, Jerrod Ankenman, Rhett Butler, Frankie O’Dell, Peter Vilandos, Burt Boutin, Mike Wattel, John Juanda, and Mel Judah.

·        Through the completion of Day 1-A, 1-B, and 1-C, it is estimated that 129 female players have participated in the Main Event. Note:  This is done by a head count of every player in the tournament room taken at the start of each day.

·        The official WSOP “final table jackets” were revealed on this day.  Harrahs Entertainment revived a longstanding WSOP tradition, which is to award a special-edition jacket to all players who make a final table appearance.  The jackets will be given out retroactively to all players who have made it to a final table, which includes all 59 gold bracelet events played this year.  The jackets are co-sponsored by Milwaukee’s Best Light.  Note:  Final table jackets were initially given out to finalists during the late 1980s and continued up through 2003.

·        All Day Ones play the exact same length of time.  Play ended after five levels.  Each level is two hours long.  Day 1-C concluded at 12:50 am PST.

·        Day 1-C survivors will be off for the next three days.  They will resume play on Day 2-B which begins Wednesday, July 9th.  Play commences at 12 noon.