2007 World Series of Poker

Event 55 - $10,000 World Championship No Limit Holdem
Day: 1a
Event Info

2007 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
88
Prize
$8,250,000
Event Info
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$59,784,954
Entries
6,358
Level Info
Level
36
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
100,000

It's Hot

Ernest Hemingway once said, "You can never write enough about the weather."

It's pretty hot in Las Vegas. When the locals are bitching, you know it's hot. Some say it's 111 degrees while others will argue it's much hotter.

The one thing main event players have in common is that they're extremely happy that they're not playing in the tent. That space is reserved for mega-satellite players. Anyone who wins their main-event entry today is going to earn it. Best of luck and think cool thoughts.

Guy Laliberte Takes Pot with Set of Kings

Guy Laliberte
Guy Laliberte
A player bet 450, the next player raised 1,200, Guy Laliberte called, the big blind pushed all-in for 10,575, the first two players folded and Laliberte called. Laliberte showed {K-Spades}{K-Clubs} against his opponent's {J-Hearts}{J-Clubs}. The board came {9-Clubs}{7-Clubs}{5-Clubs}{K-Diamonds}{3-Diamonds} and Laliberte took the pot with his set of kings. After the hand, Laliberte had 32,000.

Tags: Guy Laliberte

Free Massage for a Royal Flush

It was just announced that whomever makes the first royal flush in the Main Event will receive a free 40-minute massage. Several players booed when they heard about the bonus. They were hoping for cash.

Don't you think the player who loses that hand is going to need one even more?

Bobby Baldwin: True Las Vegas Legend

Bobby "The Owl" Baldwin
Bobby "The Owl" Baldwin
Bobby "The Owl" Baldwin, the 1978 WSOP Champion, is among the players in the field on Day 1a. Soon after he won the the main event, Steve Wynn offered him a job as an executive at the Golden Nugget. Within a year, he was promoted to President of the entire property.

Wynn saw the special qualities that Baldwin possessed. He got a degree in business at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and as a young player, he routinely beat the biggest sharks in Las Vegas. When Wynn began a new project, he anointed Baldwin to be the person to spearhead the Mirage from the ground up. The Mirage became the standard for the modern Las Vegas as the entire world saw Steve Wynn's vision carried out by Baldwin.

When it was time to start up the Bellagio, Wynn quickly tapped Baldwin to head up that operation. He was promoted to President and CEO. These days, Bobby's Room is a popular attraction in the Bellagio poker room. That's where the biggest cash games in the world take place and feature legends such as Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, and Jen Harman.

Baldwin has since joined the ranks of the MGM Mirage where he is in charge of the Project City Center. It happens to be a $7.4 Billion construction project that will once again change the face of the Las Vegas Strip.

Baldwin has plenty of gambling stories. Books could be written about his famous golf matches at Shadow Creek. In fact, Baldwin is sporting a Shadow Creek hat while he plays in Day 1a. His stack is around 23,000. Too bad that not many of the younger players out there know about one of the true legends of Las Vegas. Bobby Baldwin is in a class by himself. He's a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, but he's a sure bet to make the Las Vegas Hall of Fame for movers and shakers.

Tags: Bobby Baldwin

Best-Dressed Table

With the splendidly turned-out Marcel Luske sitting at the Featured Table it seems almost overkill that the ever-fashionable Liz Lieu is now sitting directly to Marcel's left. She's wearing something that's soft and silky and a deep, vivid red.

Tags: Liz LieuMarcel Luske

Greg Mueller Interrogates The French

After a round of betting, Greg Mueller in the small blind faced a raise from the only player left in the hand sitting on the button. After thinking for awhile and unstacking and restacking his chips (which are getting short) he folded and showed {A-Spades}{10-Diamonds}. As he laid down the hand the raising player in seat three said, "Nice fold." Greg wasn't convinced and began prying about the hand until the player revealed that he had pocket aces.

Greg: "No way you had aces, are you bluffing me?"
Seat 3: "No."
Greg: "Do you swear on your French country that you had aces?"
Seat 3: "Yes."
Greg: "Ok."

Tags: Greg Mueller

Joe Tehan Survives an All-In

After seeing his stack dwindle down to just a few thousand, Joe Tehan called from the big blind with {5-Spades}{6-Spades} after the player under the gun raised to 600 and one other player called. Tehan hit a flush on the {A-Spades}{J-Spades}{2-Spades} and after he checked and the UTG player led out for 1,200, Tehan moved in the last of his chips. His opponent called with {A-Clubs}{J-Clubs} and when the {Q-Spades} and {3-Diamonds}the rest of the way failed to give the other player a boat Tehan doubled up to 12,000.

Tags: Joe Tehan