2008 WSOP $10,000 World Championship Main Event - Day1a Update
July 4th, 2008
The prestigious 2008 WSOP $10,000 World Championship Main Event has finally got under way at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, in what is the highlight of the 55 events on offer in this year’s WSOP series.
Through the next two weeks amateurs and poker pros will be battling it out with each other in order to reach the final table to be decided on July 14th. The final table won’t be played out until November however.
On Day 1a, the first of four Day 1’s, a total of 1,297 players took to the tables with high hopes of making it through the day and onto Day 2. A host of familiar poker names were in action including the likes of seven-time bracelet winner Billy Baxter, 1995 Main Event champion Dan Harrington, Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander, Gavin Smith, and Barry Greenstein.
Among those who would be going home early was Tom Dwan, whose eventful morning was finally brought to an end on Jean Claude Moussa’s flush. David Benyamine also fell early on, his two pair of jacks and eights not enough to beat Avdo Djokovic’s full house of aces full of eights. David ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott was also one of the many eliminated, along with David Pham, Eli Elezra, Dan Harrington, and Gavin Smith.
2007 Main Event runner-up Tuan Lam also fell during the course of the day, as well as unlucky loser Motoyuki Mabuchi who was knocked out despite holding quad aces. His opponent had a royal flush…
With an estimated 650 players making it through the day, the early chip leader is Mark Garner, ahead of Brandon Adams and Kellen Hunter. Also still in the hunt are WSOP bracelet winners Blair Hinkle, Ted Lawson, Perry Friedman, and Barry Greenstein.
Top ten chip stacks at the end of Day1a:
Mark Garner - 205,000
Brandon Adams - 170,000
Kellen Hunter - 154,000
Patrick Fortin - 145,000
Stefan Mattsson - 139,000
Jeff Frerichs - 130,000
Todd Rebello - 125,000
Bryan Colin - 119,000
Mojgan Stringham - 115,000
Kido Pham - 115,000
