Day 1A of the WSOP

The main event of the 2008 WSOP finally began yesterday with the first of four ‘Day Ones.’ Anyone who managed to survive the rigours of Thursday’s action is now given a taste of what it will be like to reach this year’s final table as they will not resume their quest for the title until Tuesday.

The official number of players for Day1A is 1,297 and as each subsequent starting day tends to have a slightly bigger field, we could be looking at a total around the 5,500 mark. Of the final total, at least 2000 are online qualifiers, reflecting both the popularity of PC Hold ‘em and the effect of the online poker boom.

Indeed, had the Bush administration not amended a Port Security Bill in 2006 (a document drafted to help win the war on terror) to include a clause making it difficult for American online gamers to play poker, the field for the WSOP could easily have topped 10,000.

The effect of the bill can be seen straight away:

In the 21st century the number of entrants had increased dramatically, from 613 in 2001 to 8773 in 2006. The winner that year, Jamie Gold, managed to get his claws on a staggering 12m dollars.

(As an aside, Bodog entered into a deal with Gold in 2006. They agreed to stump up his entrance fee if he could use his contacts as a talent scout and find celebrities willing to compete under their colours. Gold’s crony, Crispin Leyser, claims that he was asked by Gold to help him in the task, in return for half of Gold’s winnings.

12m dollars later, Gold’s memory of the proposition became a little foggy, or so Leyser argued. A court case followed and half of the pay-out was frozen. An out of court settlement ensued.)

However, in 2007, the number of entrants dropped to 6,358 and it is not expected to be as high this year.

All of that will do have done little to curb the enthusiasm of yesterday’s players who, for the small price of their $10,000 buy-in, received 20,000 chips, a cushioned seat and, at the cry of ‘Shuffle Up and Deal!’, the sense that it could be the start of a life-changing adventure.

The tournament starts at a leisurely pace, with opening blinds of 50-100, 2-hour levels and 9-player tables.

By the close of the day’s play, 657 intrepid warriors had battled with sharks, survived attempting drowning by the river and will return ready for combat on Tuesday for the first Day 2.

We are saddened by the news that Bodog team pro, Josh Arieh had to catch an early limo home, when a surprised Alan Nowak saw his all in bet called. Nowak sheepishly revealed 2nd pair, but Arieh stared at the cards and then mucked.

You’ll get ‘em next time Josh

Current top gladiator is pro Mark Garner who has amassed 205,000 chips. He has some previous, including a stretch during the 2006 main event that took him to 25th and an assault at the final tine of a WSOP circuit event at Tunica in January.

He’ll be hoping he can survive his time in Vegas until the final table, when he can look forward to a three month parole period.