Event #42: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Day 1 Started
2010 World Series of Poker
Event #42: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2010 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$3,403,305
Entries
2,521
Level
32
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
30,000
![[user140525]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
In a few minutes, the Pavilion room will be packed to the gills for the start of the year's fifth $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. In fact, so many people are expected that they've set up 50 tables in the Amazon room across the hallway. British pro Praz Bansi won the first one for $505,000, and French-Canadian Pascal LeFrancois got $567,000 for the next one. In the third event, Simon Watt beat Tom Dwan heads up to take home $624,000. And the most recent $1,500 was won by Mike Ellis for $582,000.
The field, and with it the prize pool, gets bigger as we approach the Main Event. This should be the most impressive group yet, and we'll bring you all the action as it happens over the next three days.
We'll play ten levels today with a 20-minute break between every two and a 90-minute dinner break after six.
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/50
Ante: 0
Mr. Effel just kicked things off with the magic words, and cards are in the air. And we're off to see who's in this massive field.
Poker-pro/radio personality Court Harrington arrived in Vegas in time to play his first event of the summer, and he's seated at a table with Andrew Lichtenberger, who wasted no time finding a masseuse to start the day.
Bryan Devonshire and Jon "PearlJammer" Turner are already having a good time razzing a player at their table who's a little to drunk to focus on the game and couldn't find his own way back to the table after an early bathroom break. PearlJammer raised a hand, then explained that his strategy for the day was not to raise preflop. "Oops, forgot already," he said. Not betting that'll last too long.
Thayer Rasmussen managed to sit down and get up before we had a chance to spot him, Jonathan Little reports. Thayer says he busted on the first hand when his straight flush draw failed to get there against an opponent's made straight.
It's quite a stacked field out there so far, with even more big names sure to show up later. Faraz Jaka, Jordan Morgan, Jonathan Little, Matt Brady, Shane Schleger, Matt Stout, Jeff Madsen, Gavin Smith, Joe Sebok, Todd Terry, Alex Kamberis, and Dwyte Pilgrim have taken their seats. Tony Dunst and Dan Smith have joined their housemate, Andrew Lichtenberger, at today's event. The Panorma crew, including Shaun Deeb, Steve O'Dwyer, Isaac Haxton, Jeff Sarwer, and Jon Aguiar showed up enforce as well.
Stars of screen and felt Jennifer Tilly and Shannon Elizabeth are chatting it up with their tables. Svetlana Gromenkova, Kara Scott, and Tiffany Michelle are also here. Walking Ed Hardy billboard Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier is here, as is the Maven himself, David Chicotsky. Neil Channing is here looking to pick up another British bracelet. Ayaz Mahmood is looking for his second after winning the Heads-Up Championship two days ago.
Jennifer Tilly got into a battle of the blinds and ended up all in on a 
flop with 
. Her top pair was out-kicked by her opponent's 
. The 
on the turn sealed the deal, and Ms. Tilly is already out.
Bernard Lee just let us know a recent hand he played where he "escaped a mine field." Lee raised from middle position to 150 and the small blind called. After a flop of 
, the small blind checked and Lee fired 225. His opponent called.
The turn brought a 
and the small blind led for 1,000. Lee thought for a little bit and then let his hand go. His opponent showed for two pair and Lee said he folded 
, which still had outs but wasn't looking too good with one card to come. Lee dropped back to 5,500 on the hand, but could have lost a lot more.
Michael Woods limped under the gun, and Jeff Williams raised to 150. The big blind and Woods both called to see the 
flop. Woods bet out 350, and only Williams called. The turn brought a third heart, the 
, and Williams check-called 800. The 
river put a third king out there, and Woods checked. Williams checked behind. Woods tabled 
and won the hand with kings full of tens. He's up to 3,900, but even after losing the hand, Williams has 6,150 thanks to some early building.