Level 5
: 150/300, 25 ante
After busting another player, Rich Baker appears to be the big stack in the room with a stack of about 40,000.
2011 World Series of Poker
Event #1: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2011 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$500
Prize Pool
$382,500
Entries
850
Level
23
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
5,000
Level 5
: 150/300, 25 ante
Matt Savage limped in from early position, Hoai Pham made it 1,200 on the button and both the big blind and Savage called. The flop rolled out 
and was met with a shove for 4,450 from the big blind. Savage quickly called while Pham folded and the players turned up their cards:
Savage: 
Opponent: 
The 
and 
turn and river were of no help for Savage who was crippled down to 1,500 after the hand.
Shortly after, Savage got his stack in preflop with and was called by Pham who had 
. The flop was a dream for Pham, coming 
, leaving Savage drawing thin. The turn came the 
, the river was the 
, and Savage was eliminated. Pham sits at around 30,000.
Level 5
: 150/300, 25 ante
Former World Series Of Poker Tournament Director Jack McClelland is out of the tournament.
After hanging around with the shortest of short stacks for nearly 2 levels, he pushed his last 1,150 into the pot from early position with 
. Unfortunately for him, a player in middle position woke up with 
and isolated the knockout by re-raising to 3,150. The rest of the table folded, the cards were flipped, and the board ran out 
giving McClelland no help and sending the poker legend packing.
As he went to the rail however, he seemed in very good spirits, shaking the hand of every player at his table and wishing them good luck in the rest of the tournament.
Level 5
: 150/300, 25 ante
With the flop showing the 
, Matt Francis checked the action to his opponent who bet 1,200. Francis then put out a raise that covered his opponent's stack. The other player tanked for a few minutes and looked like he was going to fold but then put the rest of his chips in and showed his . Francis flipped over the 
for two pair and the best hand. The on the turn and on the river changed nothing and Francis padded his stack a bit as the other player left the table.
Level 5
: 150/300, 25 ante
A player in early position raised to 800. The action folded around to the highjack who decided to call as well as Anthony Nicholson, an employee at Firelake Grand Casino, in the cutoff.
The three players saw a suited flop of 
and all three decided to check.
The 
turn was an action card. When checked to him, Nicholson fired out 1,625 and found a quick reraise all in from the initial preflop raiser. The third player got out of the way leaving Nicholson with a decision for his tournament life.
He asked the raiser, "Flop the flush?"
The response he received, "something like that," must have clued Nicholson in to his opponents holdings because he put his remaining 7,700 into the middle shortly after the exchange and found himself well ahead of his opponent.
Nicholson: 
Opponent: 
Drawing to the remaining nine hearts, the 
river brought no help for the draw and Nicholson chips up to 21,700.
Level 5
: 150/300, 25 ante
With around 2,000 in the pot and the board showing 
, Danny Del check-called a 600 bet from his opponent. When the river came the , Del checked once again, and faced a 1,200 river bet. Del tanked for just under a minute before calling. His opponent tabled 
for ace high, and Del showed for a better ace high. Del stacked his well deserved chips, and now sits at around 22,000.
Level 5
: 150/300, 25 ante
Rich Baker, one of the current chip leaders, hasn't been involved in too many pots recently. We saw him put out a raise to 750 in early position pre-flop and tell the table, "Come on let me win one! It's been an hour!" The big blind wouldn't give up without a fight and decided to call. Both players checked after a flop of and again after the fell on the turn. When the came on the river, the big blind checked again and Baker bet 1,000. That was apparently enough as the big blind folded and Baker took the pot.
Level: 6
Blinds: 200/400
Ante: 50
Level 6
: 200/400, 50 ante
Thanh Ngo from Roman Casino in Seattle picked up a pot of over 20k when her 
held up against the button's pocket tens and the small blind's pocket kings. All in action started when the small blind pushed all in for 3,450 after a raise pre-flop. Ngo then re-raised all in for 8,125. The button tanked for about three minutes before finally calling.
The board ran 
.
Small Blind:
Button:
Ngo:
Level 6
: 200/400, 50 ante
We didn't see the hand, but James Blaszkiewizz just put his backpack on and exited the tournament area. He has been eliminated.