DAY ONE ENDS
The 2009 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event entry day has come to an end. A total of 334 players from more than two dozen different nations paid a £10,000 entry fee and competed in the first two starting flights. £10,000 (GBP) is equal to about $16,000 (USD).
If Carlsberg, rather than Betfair were the sponsors they would probably proclaim that this was ‘probably the best poker tournament in the world’, well in fact I would say without doubt it is the best and most difficult to win.
It was for this reason that I couldn’t justify the £10,000 entry fee and was glad instead to railbird Esfandiari who spent most of the evening getting massages from a bevy of beautiful girls and making expensive prop bets with local favourite Nic Persaud.
The names of the entrants’ looked like a who’s who of the modern game and discounting the great Phil Ivey who did not make Day 2 the remaining players are enough to make you shake in your boots. Unlike the WSOP where you have 7000 entrants and among them endless qualifiers, the WSOPE attracts only the finest, with most willing to stake their own money (£10,000) to validate their confidence. Whoever wins this event surely has beaten the best and is truly a world champion.
The first starting day was filled with several highlights. WSOP President and Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack presented poker pro Jeffrey Lisandro with his prize for winning 2009 World Series of Poker “Player of the Year” honors. Lisandro, who won a record-tying three gold bracelets in events earlier this year in Las Vegas, received a whopping three buy-ins into future WSOP Main Events. He will freeroll the 2010, 2011, and 2012 world poker championships, courtesy of Harrah’s Entertainment. Lisandro’s award is valued at more than $30,000.
The Main Event officially began with Doyle Brunson performing the traditional “Shuffle Up and Deal” honors.
But the spotlight was certainly eclipsed if not stolen outright by none other than 11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. Replicating his grand entrance into a WSOP event earlier this year held at the Rio in Las Vegas, something which has now become a Hellmuthian custom, the poker bombast was clad in full regalia as a Roman gladiator and rode through Leicester Square in Central London on a chariot drawn by a white horse. As if that was not enough pomp and circumstance, Hellmuth was encircled by several muscled centurions and concubines wearing white dresses. “It’s great to be me,” the poker legend mused. Hellmuth’s grand arrival brought a mix of gasps, laughter, and puzzled stares from the thousands of people gathered around London’s theatre district witnessing the spectacle.
Next, Hellmuth entered Empire Casino much like Nero burning through Rome, oblivious to the ongoing tournament and taking his seat at the televised feature table. The bizarre spectacle was ornamented by an army of faux Roman soldiers erect and pretty girls standing at attention, while trumpets blared. Meanwhile, Doyle Brunson, who was positioned at the same feature table with Hellmuth and had his back to the entire Romanesque ordeal, could only muster half smile and shake his head with an unconcealed sense of bewilderment.
Notable players who survived Day One include; Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson, Antonio Esfandari, Annette Obrestad, Daniel Negreanu, Ram Vaswarni, Eric Friberg, Phil Hellmuth, John Kabbaj, Alex Kravchenko, Liz Lieu, Mike Matusow, Jason Mercier, Scott Montgomery, Men “the Master” Nguyen, Nick Schulmann, Barry Shulman, Erik Seidel, Phil Tom, Pras Bansi, Juha Helppi, Sandra Naujoks, Howard Lederer, Marc Goodwin, Julian Thew, and Marco Traniello.
Notable players who did not survive day one included – Jeff Madsen, Hoyt Corkins, Dario Alioto, Max Pescatori, Robert Mizrachi, Roland de Wolfe, Vanessa Rousso, David Pham, Huck Seed, Barny Boatman, Phil Ivey, Dario Minieri, and Andy Bloch.
Scott Fischman, who has to be the rudest poker player I have ever encountered, was thankfully also eliminated.
Brian Powell goes into Day 2 with the chip lead of 194,600 followed by Jason Mercier on 189,725.
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