WSOP Day 3 Update

Ok, so maybe it is really Day 5, but remember, "Day 1" was split up into three sections, so we here at PND are going to pretend all three flights were one day.

Hand-for-hand play starts on Monday, as there are only 566 players remaining (or 568 or 569, depending on who you talk to), which means that the tournament is only 6 places from the money.

For the uninitiated hand-for-hand play means that a hand will not be dealt until all of the tables have completed the previous hand. It slows down the play significantly, as their is always a lot of waiting around for all the tables to finish, but it is a necessary evil in large stakes poker tournaments like the World Series. If hand-for-hand was not used, the small stacks would just stall, trying to wait for others to bust out.

For complete tournament standings as of the end of Day 2, click here

12:30pm
As expected, play is slooooooooowwwww.

Nobody wants to bust out a few players before the money. The tournament officials have been very strict about how things are going to be run today because of the money at stake. No media is allowed in the tournament area unless they are with ESPN. Once the players are in the money, media can go back in, but only one representative per media outlet. Media members are also not allowed to stand behind players or essentially stand in one place for any amount of time. And if ESPN camera converge on a table, clear out.

Even the players were under strict orders to remain in their seats after the hands were completed. Of course, not many actually listened. It really is amazing how players and spectators alike have trouble following simple rules, and not just today. Throughout the entire WSOP, tournament officials have had problems reigning in those who feel like they should be allowed to do what they want. Considering the huge crowds, however, the WSOP staff has done a solid job policing the event.

One nice touch was a speech by defending champion, Greg Raymer, before the cards were in the air. He told the crowd how much fun he has had over the last year since his win and how he will continue to play his best for the rest of the Main Event. Before he gave the “shuffle up and deal” command, Raymer gave some praise and words of encouragement to his fellow competitors:

“There are 568 dreamers left and 5,000 people who wish they were still here.”

To that, he received thunderous applause.

2:20pm
HERO OF THE DAY – BUBBLE BOY

The bubble has burst! The 561st player has been eliminated, which means that everyone still playing has made the money. There silence was deafening during the couple hands leading up to the one that punctured the bubble, but when the ESPN cameras rushed to a table, a rumble started making its way through the field.

Before the hand was even over, word started spreading that the player who was all-in was drawing dead on the river. And when he finally busted out, the players around the table erupted in excitement. Like a sonic boom, the cheers flowed over the rest of the tournament until most of the players were standing, congratulating each other, and kissing their loved ones.

“Bubble Boy” was Karl Ygborn, who put his money in with A-10 when the board showed 10-9-7-2. His opponent had J-8 for the nut straight and the river was no help.

One player had a hard time describing his emotions to someone over his cell phone, barely able to muster, “I am in the top ten percent of players in the world right now. This is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.”

While the “Bubble Boy” may have been everybody’s best friend at the time, his popularity probably gave him little consolation, as he was still out $10,000. In a surprise gesture, however, Tournament Director, Johnny Grooms, announced that for being the last person eliminated before the money, Ygborn would receive a free entry into the Main Event next year. So, while he still didn’t turn a profit, at least he gets a do-over.

6:00pm
When the players went on dinner break, the Rio staff held a mandatory meeting with the members of the media to go over some new tournament procedures.

One of the big problems with the onset of the Main Event is not just the influx of competitors and spectators; it’s the mad rush of new reporters. For the first month, the mess of media members (nice alliteration) was bad enough. Now, every writer, cameraman, and person who heard poker was popular has shown up. And with less tables as the Main Event progresses, there is less and less room for all the press and spectators to move.

Thus, the staff decided to restrict the movement of the media amongst the tables. Instead of having free reign, there will now be four “bullpen” areas cordoned off around the tournament area where the press must stay. Supposedly, these areas are positioned so that the media will be able to have a good view of the different tables. If members of the press want to get up close to a table, they can wait in line for one of ten “badges” that give them access for five minutes. Sounds like a plan to me.

But, of course, there are a bunch of holier-than-thou folks in the media who think they need to have unfettered access to the players. You know, because their websites are so important. Because there are so many people out East who need to get up-to-the-second chip counts at three o’clock in the morning. The questions and requests by some people were absolutely ridiculous.

Ok, if Mike Matusow is at the final table, maybe an audio feed would be useful.

Oh, and there are 352 players left at the dinner break. Told you they’d start dropping like flies.

What? There’s Another Bracelet Up for Grabs?

Just like Raphael was the forgotten Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, just like Garrett Morris was the forgotten member of the original “Saturday Night Live” cast, today’s $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event is the forgotten WSOP tournament.

That’s right, there are actually three more tournaments to be played. And the winner gets money and a bracelet. There were even big names in the one today, including Marcel Luske, Cyndy Violette, Mark Seif, and Erik Seidel. Nobody, not even the media, seemed to care, though. What, a $10,000 buy-in event with a $7.5 million first prize is more interesting?

Come On, Have a Heart

At the beginning of the line that eliminated players go to in order to receive their prize receipts, a representative from Full Tilt Poker set up shop in order to ask people to make a pledge for Bad Beat on Cancer. The organization was started by pros Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst, with the goal of getting as many members of the poker community to donate one-percent of their winnings to the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation. Many players already have, but many more have not.

It was absolutely amazing how many people refused to fill out a pledge form. All they were asked was to donate a measly one-percent of money they just won. Even for those who just barely made the money in the Main Event, that’s only $125 out of the $12,500 prize. Frankly, it was appalling.

One man from the UK, however, bucked the trend. When asked to donate, the player, without hesitation, said, “I’m giving 20%.” Nice. Very nice.

1:00am
Essentially, what has been going on at the World Series in the last few hours is the playing of poker. Pretty much the same as the hours before dinner. It’s just that now, there are bigger chip stacks.

And it’s starting to look like 2004. Greg Raymer is leading the field.