After an eventful Day 1C that saw everything from politicians to Caesar, World Series of Poker (WSOP) officials are expecting the final field size for the 2009 Main Event to crack the 6,000 player mark with the last of four Day Ones to be played this afternoon.
The droves that entered into the Rio on Sunday constituted the largest Day One starting field yet. 1,697 players wedged their way into the Amazon Room and other gaming areas to surpass the fields that had been seen on Days 1A and 1B. All told, there are 3,686 players who laid $10,000 to attempt to win the 40th anniversary WSOP Main Event.
With the larger field that came into the event and the expected massive field for today, there were some changes to the play schedule that were put into effect. Instead of playing only four two hour levels – as Days 1A and 1B had – tournament officials determined that Days 1C and 1D would play the previously scheduled five levels. The difference will be corrected with Day Two play, which is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Day 2A (the combination of Days 1A and 1B) will play five levels and Day 2B (the survivors of Days 1C and 1D) will play four levels.
Although there were some muted rumblings from the players gathered, Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) – whose attempts to overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) are currently proceeding through the halls of Congress – gave the traditional call to “shuffle up and deal” and play was underway.
It seemed that Sunday was the day of choice for many of the top professionals in the game. Five of the original “November Nine” chose to start their assault on the WSOP Main Event championship, with Kelly Kim, Darus Suharto, Ylon Schwartz, and Dennis Phillips surviving the day; David “Chino” Rheem was ousted during play on Sunday. Several former World Champions were on-hand for play, including Tom McEvoy, Dan Harrington, Scotty Nguyen, Joe Hachem, and Jamie Gold, with McEvoy and Gold not able to survive the day.
In what is quickly becoming a WSOP tradition, Phil Hellmuth made a flamboyant entry. With 11 body painted women trailing him (representing his record bracelet total) and led by muses in tunics tossing rose petals, the 1989 champion donned Roman emperor regalia as he was carried into the Amazon Room by four “slaves” at the time the first level of play was scheduled to end. Amid the jeers and cheers, Hellmuth came to the tables and was just under the starting stack when play ended for the day.
The grand entrance of Hellmuth to the Main Event has become somewhat of a tradition over the past few years. In 2007, he entered the Rio with a phalanx of models representing his bracelets and dressed in an auto racing fire suit the day after crashing his Ultimate Bet stock car into a pole on the grounds of the Rio. Last year, Hellmuth made his entrance leading a camouflage-clad contingent of models as General George Patton. When asked if this was going to continue at future WSOPs, “The Poker Brat” commented, “Absolutely! Next year, my plan is to be Gambit (a fictional character from the latest X-Men movie “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”). If not Gambit, we will come up with something else. Maybe it will be Uncle Sam. We’ll see.”
Leading the day and claiming the overall chip lead was Michigan’s Joseph Cada, who garnered 187,000 chips. For the record, no Day One leader has ever held on to win the WSOP Main Event. With an anticipated 2,500 players expected for Day 1D, the 2009 Main Event will eclipse the 6,000 mark and have a run at hitting 6,500. Ideas for accommodating the field have ranged from running ten-handed tables (not yet seen at this year’s Main Event) to using restaurant space around the Rio.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the 2009 WSOP.
