NEWS FLASH: Main Event Mania!
2010 World Series of Poker Main Event Championship Begins!
All journeys begin with a first step.
On July 5th, 2010 at precisely 12:05 pm the 41st annual World Series of Poker Main Event officially began. Tournament Director Jack Effel passed the microphone over to 2004 world champion Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, who bellowed out to a cavernous room packed with more than a thousand poker players.
“This is what you are all playing for -- the gold bracelet!”
With that, Raymer lifted his bear-claw arm high into the air and flashed a luminous cylinder of 18-karat gold, encrusted with diamonds, which symbolizes the ultimate achievement in the game of poker.
“This is what you all came here for!” Raymer continued as the gold bracelet sparkled in the glare of the Rio’s overhead lights. “And, now – let’s play some poker. Shuffle up and deal!”
With those words the Main Event was officially underway.
The Main Event officially began with Raymer’s booming pronouncement. But the fact is – every participant’s long journey really begins days, weeks, months, and in some cases many years earlier. Playing in poker’s world championship is the culmination of countless hours of both preparation and anticipation. Years spent sitting in weekly home games, playing in casinos and cardrooms, grinding out cashes in small tournaments, reading books on poker strategy, and learning from the inevitable mistakes that go along with self-improvement all ultimately clash in the world’s biggest intersection of dreams.
Indeed, everyone who comes to play in the WSOP dreams of winning. Players, both male and female, from more than 100 different nations -- players who speak many different languages, players with various levels of education, players of just about every conceivable profession -- are all universally amalgamated by the shared dream that this might be their year to win. Some dreams even come true. Just ask Joe Cada. Or, Joe Hachem. Or, Chris Moneymaker.
The Main Event Day 1-A attracted 1,125 players. Although the Amazon Room was packed, and overflow expanded into the more expansive Pavilion Room, this is expected to be the smallest turnout of the four starting days. The WSOP has utilized multiple starting days since 2004, necessitated by the huge field size. Players are given the option of choosing which starting day they prefer, designated as 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, or 1-D.
Among those who played on Day 1-A were former world champions Bobby “the Owl” Baldwin (1978), Chris Moneymaker (2003), and Greg “Fossilman” Raymer (2004). Multiple gold bracelet winners who entered on this day were Billy Baxter, T.J. Cloutier, Thor Hansen, Mike Matusow, Erik Seidel, Barry Shulman, David Sklansky, and Dewey Tomko.
The Main Event also attracts celebrities who love the game. One famous name who played today was actor and comedian Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), who is playing in the world championship for the fourth straight year. One of the world’s top athletes also played today. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Marcus Hellner from Sweden played in his first WSOP event. Shawn Marion, who plays for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, also participated for the first time. And Norway's Petter Northug, a four-time medalist at the 2010 Winter Olympics (including two golds) also played today.
But the bottom line is – it doesn’t matter if your name is Marion, Hellner, Romano, Northug or even Brunson. It does not matter if you’re famous, or you're not. What does matter is how you play your cards and what happens over the next 12 grueling days in poker’s biggest pressure-cooker.
Those players who are fortunate to survive will return for Day 2-A, which will be played on Friday, July 9th.
Those dreams will continue, while some have already been extinguished. At least for now, and until next year when the WSOP will once again bloom, the passions of all those who love the great game of poker.