2008 WSOP $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold’em Event 1 Day 1
May 31st, 2008
The world’s richest and most prestigious gaming tournament, the 2008 World Series of Poker, has begun in Las Vegas for Day 1 of the $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold’em event at the Rio Hotel & Casino.
Following ten-time gold bracelet winner and two-time world champion Doyle Branson’s announcement to "Shuffle up and deal!", 352 poker players of all levels took to the famous tables to take part in the first of 55 bracelet events in this year’s series. The total prize pool of $3,308,800 means first place takes home $709,121 in winnings.
Some well known faces among the poker fraternity took part in the event including the likes of Phil Ivey, Gavin Smith, Mike Sexton, Chris Moneymaker, Erik Seidel and 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider. 84 of the entrants were former WSOP gold bracelet winners with 143 gold bracelets between them.
Those players not making it through to day 2 included American Jason Mercier, recent winner of the EPT San Remo, actresses-turned-poker-pro’s Jennifer Tilly and Shannon Elizabeth, Vince Van Patten, and David Pham.
Others not surviving the day included Howard Lederer, Alex Bolotin, Greg Raymer, David Singer, Kenny Tran, Gavin Griffin, and Chris Moneymaker.
70 players make it through to Day 2 with Eli Elezra the chip leader ahead of Amit Makhija and Nenad Medic.
Chip stacks for Day 2:
Eli Elizra - 302,900
Amit Makhija - 251,100
Nenad Medic - 240,200
Patrik Antonius - 236,300
Justin Newton - 233,000
Mike Sowers - 216,700
Anthony Licastro - 211,000
Nikolay Evdakov - 206,200
David Bach - 204,100
Vivek Rajkumar - 194,000
