Monday marked the “unofficial” start to the 2012 World Series of Poker (WSOP) as the first open event, Event #2: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em got underway. While Sunday’s Casino Employees event was the first tournament of this year’s WSOP, it was not an open event, as it was restricted (as might be obvious) to those who work at casinos. The $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event, on the other hand, is open to anyone 21-years old and older with the cash to plunk down. It’s a close race for the top spot going into Day 2, as Sadan Turker leads fan favorite Eli Elezra by a count of 158,100 chips to 155,900.
These “low” buy-in events are always fun because they give players and railbirds alike a sense for what the Rio will look like when the Main Event begins in July. With 2,101 players, the Brasilia room was packed as the competitors aimed to make it over to the Amazon room, where Tuesday’s action will re-start.
With the 2,101 entries, the prize pool sits at $2,836,350. A total of 216 players will make the money and with just 239 left with chips, there is no doubt that the money bubble will burst early Tuesday. The top 45 finishers will all take home five-figure scores, while the eventual champion will earn $517,725.
Our chip leader, London’s Sadan Turker, does not have an extensive live tournament resume by any means, but he does have one cash in his history that should help him this week. Last year, he placed second in one of the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em events, so he is no stranger at all to navigating large fields in lower buy-in World Series of Poker tourneys. The $377,411 cash was by far the largest of his career, comprising the vast majority of his total lifetime earnings on the live tournament circuit.
The second of three scheduled days for Event #2 will resume Tuesday at 1:00pm.
2012 WSOP Event #2: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em – End of Day 1 Chip Leaders
1. Sadan Turker – 158,100
2. Eli Elezra – 155,900
3. Ryan Snickles – 142,400
4. Brandon Cantu – 130,100
5. Peter Campo – 125,500
6. Michael Lee – 109,200
7. Nicholas Verkaik – 105,600
8. Thad Mitchell – 99,700
9. William Ryan – 95,300
10. Elliot Shmukler – 95,200
Tuesday is also the day that the World Series of Poker ramps up the action in earnest, as two more events are slated to begin. Event #3: $3,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em / Pot-Limit Omaha (512 player max) is new to the WSOP and should be populated by many strong players. Event #4 is the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8 or Better tournament. Last year saw 606 players enter the event with Illinois’ Chris Viox taking home the bracelet and just over $200,000. It was an American-dominated tournament, as just four of the 56 players to cash hailed from outside of the United States.
