The Main Event at the 37th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) is underway, and the field is already a record with three more "Day Ones" yet to begin.
Two hours before the tournament was set to begin, more than 8,800 players had registered to play in the $10,000 No Limit Texas Hold'em Tournament at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino. Last year, 5,619 people entered the Main Event.
WSOP Notes
- T.J. Cloutier and Billy Baxter were inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in a ceremony yesterday. "I thought I deserved this five years ago," said Cloutier, who has six WSOP bracelets and two second place finishes in the Main Event. "Now I'm an old dinosaur and I'm glad I got it."
- James Gorham won Event # 38, a $1,500 No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament and the final preliminary event leading up to the Main Event, last night. Gorham took home $765,226 for the win.
- While most players get a seat at the table right as play begins, once the seats are sold out, players become alternates and must wait for players to bust out before they can take their place. Alternates will be allowed for the first two levels on each of the first days, with each level lasting two hours.
- It took just seven minutes for the first player to bust out of the tournament, giving the first alternate a seat at the table.
The tournament started about 15 minutes later than originally scheduled in large part because tournament organizers would not allow players to wear any "dot-com clothing."
Online poker rooms such as PokerStars.com and UltimateBet.com outfitted players who had qualified through satellites on their sites with jerseys and hats bearing the company's logo and name, but those players were not allowed to play hands until the "dot-com" portion of the clothing was not visible.
Clothes which had the brand name without the dot-com or that were printed as "dot-nets" were allowed.
Many players turned the offending clothes inside out, while others covered the "dot-com" with black tape.
Over 2,000 players will play in today's "Day 1A" action, and tournament play will continue until the field is thinned to 800 players. Three more days just like today will follow, with more than 2,000 new players getting their first chance to play. After the four first days are complete, the field will be combined into two groups. The final table will not be contested until August 10.
With more players still registering to play, this year's Main Event is already the largest live poker tournament in history. The winner will earn more than $10 million, and at least 12 players will win more than $1 million.
