2007 WSOP DAY 1A RECAP + FLIPCHIP PHOTOS

Poker from behind the WSOP Curtain only available from Dr Pauly of Tao of Poker. Complete 2007 WSOP stats at the Poker Prof’s World Series of Poker 2007 Information Page.

The 2007 WSOP main event finally kicked off at the Amazon Ballroom at the Rio casino. It was the day that everyone in poker was waiting for. Who would become the next WSOP champion? By the end of Day 1a, 445 players (give a take a few) would advance to Day 2.

The Buzz

Everyone wanted to know the official numbers. The most commonly asked question was, “How many players?” 1,287 players were in the field which was a lot less than last year’s Day 1a. Due to the affects of the UIGEA, everyone in the poker industry wondered how many people would play in the 2007 Main Event. Internet websites predicted that only 26% of their total internet qualifiers would actually show up. If all four flights of Day 1 get roughly the same numbers, Harrah’s is going to struggle to get 5,000 players.

The Backstory

Vinnie Vinh was supposed to be playing on Day 1a. He never showed up and many of his friends suggested that he was in the hospital. They tried to get TD Jack Effel to give him a refund. Vinh’s stack was blinded off during the first level when Effel made a decision to take his stack out of play. Vinh will be offered a refund or he can play another day if his health improves. Vinh has not been seen since he ended Day 1 of Event #30 as one of the chipleaders. Vinh skipped both Day 2’s that he made. He cashed in both… as a dead stack. Rumors have circulated that Vinh had been abusing drugs while other friends insist that he was having health problems.

Sight of the Day

Jeff Madsen had to play Day 1a in a Jester’s costume. Madsen (who won two bracelets in 2006) lost a three-way prop bet with Joe Sebok and Gavin Smith. They were in a contest where to determine who did the best in preliminary events. The loser was forced to wear a Jester suit. Last year, Joe Sebok and Gavin Smith had a prop bet where the loser had to dress up in a costume of choice by the winner.

Quote of the Day

“Shuffle up and deal!” was said by comedian George Wallace. It was odd to have a comedian to utter the most famous saying instead of a former WSOP champion or any of the bracelet winners.

Hand of the Day

Dennis Frederick made the first Royal Flush of the main event holding Qd-Jd. Harrah’s gave him a free forty-minute massage for his high hand. When one of the tournament directors announced that they were giving out a prize for the first royal flush, many players in the room groaned and booed. They were hoping to get a cash prize.

Celebrity Players

The WSOP main event always attracts plenty the celebrity crowd. Janet Jones (wife of NHL great Wayne Gretzky) was in Day 1a along with actors Ray Romano and Brad Garret, NHL hockey player Max Talbot, Tobey “Spiderman” Maguire, Kirk Acevedo (actor from Band of Brothers), Guy Laliberte (Cirque de Soliel founder), and Jim Feist (sports handicapper). Even WPT announcers Vince Van Patten and Mike Sexton were also playing.

Noteworthy Stacks

Andy Black was one of the first players past the 100K mark. Timten Olivier was one of the first players past the 200K mark along with John Dutchak.

Day 1a Top 10 Stacks:
Tinten Olivier 270,500
John Dutchak 209,600
Stephen Austin 205,000
Michael Tureniec 203,900
Aurelio Arcano 166,000
Kitai Davidi 164,700
Scott Yeates 163,200
Dane Lomas 161,800
Andrius Tapinas 159,100
Alex Michaels 155,500
Adam Weiss 151,400

Noteworthy Bustouts

Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Chris Reslock, Nick Frangos, Mike Sexton, Ram Vaswani, Will Durkee, Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis, Doug Lee, Josh Arieh, Marco Traniello, Eli Elezra, Shaniac, Dewey Tomko, John D’Agostino, Greg FBT Mueller, Mel Judah, Guy Laliberte, Gabe Thaler, Arnold Spee, Johnny Chan, Gene Todd, Thomas Wahlroos, Alex Jacob, MaxTalbot, Allen Kessler, Terrence Chan, Liz Lieu, Mark Vos, Tony Ma, The Grinder, David Grey, Victor Ramdin, Vince Van Patten, Blair Rodman,Richard Brodie, Mickey Appleman, Jerri Thomas, Perry Friedman, Sephen Paul-Ambrose, Devilfish, Svetlana Gromenkova, Joe Awada, Andy Black, and Ray Romano.