The second Day 1 of the Main Event is in the books, and 1,158 entrants joined the madness. America's birthday brought lots of fireworks in the Amazon room. Former Main Event winners Jamie Gold and Greg Raymer along with many other pros were eliminated by the end of the night. Ben Sarnoff is the day's chip leader, followed by Brian Schaedlich. Robert Mizrachi and Erick Lindgren are also high on the leader board. The remaining 615 players will be back for Day 2A on Tuesday, when they will be joined by the Day 1A survivors.

Official chip counts and seat assignments at the end of Day 1B:

Seat 5 was all-in with AK against Brian Schaedlich, who held pocket Queens. A King hit he flop, giving seat 5 hopes for a double-up, but a Queen hit the turn sending him home and sending the pot to Brian.

On a board of K 3 2 5, Phillip Hilm bet 12,500 and Rasmus Nielsen shoved for 32,500. Phillip called, showing 43 for a pair of 3s with open-ender. Rasmus held pocket Aces, and two of Phillip’s outs. The river was a 5 and Rasmus doubled up to ~90k.

On a flop of 8 7 6, Ben Sarnoff got a player all in with pocket 6s for bottom set. Ben held pocket 8s for top set and had his opponent drawing to the case 6. Last two were blanks and Ben took the pot, chipping up to 160k, good for the top spot on the leader-board.

After taking a hit earlier, Phillip Hilm got all in with pocket Aces against pocket Queens. His Aces held and he chipped up to ~11k.

On a final board of K 6 3 K 7, Kenna James called all-in, showing pocket 9s. Edward Teems showed pocket 3s for 3s full to take the pot, sending Kenna home just a few minutes early.

Shane Warner doubled up with QT on a Q T 6 flop, against a player holding AK.

On a J 9 9 flop, Robert Varkonyi got all-in and called. His opponent held pocket Aces and Robert held pocket Jacks for the full boat. Last two were blanks and Robert doubled up to 25k.

Shaun Deeb check-raised all-in on a flop of K J 6. His opponent called with QT for an open-ender. Shaun held J5 for middle pair. The last two were 3 6 and Shaun doubled up to ~17k.

Lee Watkinson got his last chips in on a flop of J 6 2. Daryl Yarosh showed pocket 2s for bottom set. Lee held pocket Queens and was drawing slim. The last two came 4 9 and Lee was busted.

Level 5 came to a close and the survivors began the bag & tag process.

Late-night departures: Chris Verkerk, Alexandre Gomes, and Matthew Hilger.

Ben Sarnoff closed the day out in front with about 165k. Brian Schaedlich was next with 156k.

The survivors will return Tuesday at noon to join the day 1A survivors for day 2A.

Yves Dupuis got all-in with pocket Kings. Barney Boatman had the pocket Aces that called him down. The board changed nothing and Yves was busted. Barney chipped up to ~90k.

Eddy Bueno got his chips in with A7, only to run into a player with AK. With Eddy’s departure soon after Patrick’s, we’re flat out of Buenos here at the WSOP.

Patrik Antonius and Christina Hall went to the river with a board of Q Q J 9 6 . Patrick fired 9k and Christina made the call, showing QT off for trips. Patrick held A 3 for the flush to take the pot. He’s now up to 105k.

Tom McEvoy got his last chips in on a T 7 6 flop and got called. His JT (top pair) was crushed by his opponent’s pocket 6s (bottom set). No help for Tom and he was busted.

On a flop of Q 7 3 with two diamonds, Sam Grizzle got his chips in with K 4 with action from a player holding pocket 8s. The last two cards were offsuit A 2 and Sam was gristle.

‘Captain’ Tom Franklin had a short-stack in his gun sights off the port bow. The scallywag’s pocket Queens were crushed by Tom’s pocket Kings. Then as the board cards washed up A Q 6 6 2, the scurvy dog made a set, then a boat, and made away with some of Tom’s loot. Tom still had ~41k in his stash.

After a player raised to 1,100, Johnny Caruso popped it to 5,200. His opponent shoved and Johnny was happy to call, showing pocket Kings. His opponent held AK suited, but didn’t improve with the board. Johnny doubled to ~55k.

Over on the ESPN feature table, two players got all-in and turned up their hands. One had black Aces and the other had red Aces. You expect this to end in a chop, but then the flop brought three hearts. The TD doing the announcing was calling out the board cards. The turn was a 9 , then a red card came on the river and she said “the river is….the Queen of Hearts”, giving the player with black Aces a minor coronary. The river card was NOT the Q it was the Q and the split pot we were expecting did, in fact, transpire.

Stuart Patterson shoved on a flop of Q J 7 and got looked up. Stuart held pocket Aces and his opponent held K6 off. The last two cards were T K and Stuart doubled to ~12k.

Marc ‘myst’ Karam flopped a set of 5s and busted a player holding pocket 9s. Marc is up to 117k.

Kathy Liebert doubled up with pocket Aces versus AK. Kristy Gazes got her chips in with KT, but ran into pocket Queens and was busted. Donna Blevins got her chips in with pocket 9s and ran into pocket Jacks. That’s just one out of three for the ladies here late on day 1B.

Thor Hansen’s pocket Aces held up against an opponent’s pocket Queens and Thor is up to 75k.

Giles Smadia’s pocket 4s held their lead against a player with AJ and Giles sent another one packing. He chipped up to 105k.

Ben Sarnoff has scaled the leader-board, taking the top spot with 120k.

Left with nothing but memories: Danilo Carlucce, Bill Spadea, Richard Muhlenbruch, and Tim Jaxon.

In a battle of the blinds, Phidias Georgiou raised to 875 from the small and Ross Boatman shoved for 5,400 from the big. Phidias called, showing AQ suited. Ross held A3 suited and was in trouble. The board brought no help for Ross and he was busted.

A player shoved in and Markus Golser made the call with pocket Jacks. His opponent held pocket 8s and got no help from the board. Markus chipped up to ~92k.

John Robbins got his chips in with AQ off and got action from Mickey Appleman, who held QJ suited. The board came K Q 7 8 7 with three of Mickey’s suite and he made the flush to send John home. Mickey chipped up to ~50k.

Paul Sharbanee got his chips in with AK against David Nguyen’s pocket 4s. The board brought nothing of use and Paul was busted.

On a flop of T 6 3, Rob Eckstut fired 1,900 and Kathy Liebert check-raised to 4,400. Rob called. Turn was a Ten and Kathy fired 4k. Rob called. River was an Ace and after a bit of thought, Kathy fired 8k. Rob then took his turn in the tank and finally called. Kathy showed 85 off for air. Rob showed 73 suited for bottom pair. Rob chipped up to ~78k while Kathy was left with ~16k.

Patrick Bueno got his chips in on a board of 9 7 2 9 and got action from Daniel Barlin. Patrick’s pocket Jacks were crushed by Daniels set of ducks, which had morphed into a full boat on the turn.

Kenna James was left with less than 7k after an all-in confrontation. His opponent had pocket 8s. Kenna held pocket Aces and was looking forward to chipping up, but the board came 4 4 2 8 J and his opponent boated up and doubled up.

Tossed: Peter Krieg, Mike Schneider, William Thorson, Jeremy Rodgers, and Adan Marquez.

Level 4 came to a close at ~10:30 and the significantly reduced field swarmed out of the Amazon room to stretch their limbs and feed their needs. They’ve got 20 minutes to accomplish both.

Play resumed at 10:50pm with Level 5: Ante 50, Blinds 200/400. This will be the last level of play today.

Haralabos Voulgaris called a 4,700 all in on a flop of J 7 4 . Harala-Bob held 8 5  for the flush draw with gutshot. His opponent held AJ offsuit for top pair, top kicker. Turn was the 9  giving Bob more outs. River was the 2 completing the flush and Harala-Bob chipped up to 41k.

Brian Schaedlich still tops the leader-board with 107k.

John Duthie moved in on the flop, which was Q 7 4. Mike Schneider made the call and showed AQ suited for top pair/top kicker. John showed 74 off for two pair. Last two cards were 9 4 giving John the pot with a full house. He was up to ~63k. Mike was down to only 5k.

Chris McCormack doubled up with pocket Aces, which held up against his opponents pocket Jacks. Chris was up to ~35k.

Hoyt Corkins now resides at feature table 2 which is a bit harder to get to due to the railbirds stacked three deep. Hoyt raised to 1k from the small blind and the big blind called. On the flop of Q T 4, Hoyt bet 1,200 and the big blind moved in. Hoyt called, showing Q4 suited for two pair. The player in the big blind? Well, he had pocket Kings. The last two cards were 3 5 and Hoyt doubled up to 26,500. A bit later Hoyt got paid off when he turned a full house with 65 suited.

William Davidson moved in on the river with the board showing 9 8 2 7 4. He got the call from David Nguyen, who held pocket Queens. William’s pocket Jacks were no good and he was busted.

Dan Alspach got his last chips in preflop with pocket Kings, only to run into Gary Bentley’s pocket Aces. No bad beat here, just a cooler and Dan was busted.

Peter ‘nordberg’ Feldman moved in on the T 9 6 flop and got action. Peter held QT for top pair. His opponent held pocket Jacks and had him in bad shape. No help for Peter and he was felted.

Marc Goodwin made a desperation shove with Td9d and faced Chris Bell’s AcQc. The board came 5 5 4 T J  and Chris made the flush to send Marc home. Chris chipped up to ~55k.

After one limper, Kenna James kicked it up to 1,200. The limper then raised enough to commit the last of Kenna’s chips and he obliged by moving them in. Kenna’s AK off was racing against pocket 8s. The board came J J 4 K 4 and Kenna caught his pair on the turn to double up to ~13k.

Robert Varkonyi moved in over the top of a 3,500 raise from seat 8. The player thought for a bit, counted out the chips to call, admitted that he was drawing to two outs, and made the call. Sure enough, his pocket 8s were drawing slim against Robert’s pocket Aces. Robert’s wife Olga, who had already busted out of today’s event, was standing behind his chair as the board cards ran out. Nothing but air and Robert doubled up to ~20k.

Hasta la vista, baby: Harold MacDonald, Todd ‘Dan Druff’ Witteles, Stefan Jedlicka, and Tom Oldberg.

Play resumed after dinner at 8:30pm with Level 4: Ante 25, Blinds 150/300.

Jason Gray got his chips in after the flop of T 5 3. He got looked up by a player holding T8 for top pair. Jason’s 95 (middle pair) needed help, but nothing but blanks fell and Jason was a goner.

Matt Brady met the same fate when he moved in on a flop of K 6 4 . A player looked him up with K Q for top pair. Matt held 5 3 for the open-ender and flush draw. With 15 outs twice, Matt was a mathematical favorite to win this hand, but the Poker Gods apparently don’t know math. The last two cards were offsuit K J and Matt was bumped.

Alex Quintana moved in with pocket Tens, only to run into pocket Aces. This time the Aces held up and Alex was busted.

On a T 4 4 flop, Michael Guzzardi got a sucker player to call all in with AT (top pair, top kicker). Michael held pocket Kings and was way ahead. No suckout this time and another donkey player hit the rail.

Sean Hildreth got all in against Manuel Berond on the turn with a board of 8 6 2 4. Sean’s pocket Queens were in bad shape against Manuel’s pocket 8s for top set. To add salt to Sean’s wound, the case 8 hit the river to give his opponent quads. Sean gets the rest of the night off.

Jacobo Fernandez got his last chips in pre-flop against Daniel Drescher. Jacobo’s AQ off was racing against Daniel’s pocket Jacks. The board came K 7 2 5 T and Jacobo lost the race and hit the exit.

Brian Schaedlich has overtaken Patrik Antonius and sits atop the leader-board with 101k. Patrik has dropped down to second place with 87k.

Gonzo: Nancy Todd Tyner and Orel Hershiser.

After an open for 1k, Orel Hershiser moved in for 4,450. Randall Witt called and the opener ducked out. Randall’s pocket 9s were ahead of Orel’s pocket 7s, but the board came J 8 7 K K giving Orel the set, then the full house to double-up.

Orel later got all in and called on a flop of 9 6 2. His A9 was dominating his opponent’s T9 and after the last two cards blanked out, Orel was up to ~21k.

Another sucker player, opened for 1k and got called by Lee Watkinson and the big blind. On the flop of Q 4 3, the original raiser shoved for 7k and Lee made the call, showing pocket Aces. The all-in player held KJ offsuit, for a whole lotta nuthin’. The last two were 9 8 and Lee took the pot, sending another donkey player to the rail.

On a J J 9 flop, Patrik Antonius called an all-in. His opponent showed A4 suited for zip, zilch, nada. Patrik showed JT suited for trips. Yet another donkey player hit the rail.

Greg ‘FBT” Mueller got all-in again with AK against pocket Queens. The board came T 6 5 2 K and Greg caught his pair on the river to double up to ~20k.

Several players took the flop for the minimum: 5 4 2. Edward Teems bet 1k and Kenna James was the only caller. Turn was a 8 and Edward checked, Kenna bet 2,400, and Edward called. River was a 9 and both checked. Edward showed A3 for the wheel and Kenna mucked. He’s down to ~22k.

On a 5 4 3 flop, Shaun Deeb gets his opponent to call all-in. His opponent’s pocket Kings had his pocket ducks crushed, but Shaun had the open-ender. Then the last two cards went runner-runner flush for Shaun and he chipped up to 46k.

Set over set is a common bustout theme here today, but this was a new one: quads over quads. Both players had pocket pairs and flopped sets, then caught their quads on the turn and river. Sorry guys, no bad beat jackpots here.

Jamie Gold moved his last 2,700 in from the small blind with KQ. Pat Pezzin, who has suffered in silence sitting to Jamie’s left all day, called with pocket Queens. Jamie couldn’t come up with a King and was busted. Pat chipped up to ~51k. Now maybe he can get a word in edge-wise.

William Thorson came in for 825 and Olga Varkonyi raised to 2,500. William called and the flop came J 7 4. Olga moved in for 24k and William insta-called, showing pocket Jacks for top set. Olga’s pocket Queens were in bad shape. The board blanked out and Olga hit the rail – or perhaps will go sweat her hubby Robert Varkonyi who is also playing today.

Patrik Antonius is still in the lead with 96k.

Gonzo: Dean Lasko, Rob Sherwood, Jerome Ogrodzki, and Brian Clark.

End of level 3 and players have been sent on a 90-minute dinner break. That means our next update will be at 9pm.

Official player count for today is 1,158.

Silvia Formica got all in with pocket Aces against Raul Paez, who held pocket Queens. This time the Aces held up and Silvia doubled up to ~39k, knocking Raul down to ~47k.

Orel Hershiser got his chips in with AJ suited and got looked up by a player holding AQ off. It looked like Orel was headed for the showers, but then the board came J 9 8 2 6 and Orel doubled up to ~5,500.

Vanessa Rousso fired 1k on a flop of 7 7 3 and got raised to 3k. She made the call and the turn brought a 2. Vanessa checked, her opponent fired 2k, and she called. River was a 5 and both checked. Her opponent showed A3 for two pair, but Vanessa showed pocket 6s for two better pair to take the pot. She was then up to 37k.

Jason Young flopped a straight and got George Dost to pay him off.

David Bach moved his last 3k in on a K 8 8 flop. A player holding KQ (top pair) called him down. David’s pocket Tens were beat and he couldn’t catch up. David is headed bach to Athens, Georgia.

Erik Seidel came in for 900 and the button raised to 2,300. Harold Macdonald hit it again to 7k. Back to Erick, who kicked it on up to 13k. Let’s see, that’s the fourth raise, hmmm, what could he have? The button folded quickly but it took Harold a while. Harold finally let it go, but claimed his gut told him he should have called. (I think he needs to have those guts checked by a gastroenterologist.) Erik is up to ~40k.

Markus Golser fired 1,150 at the flop of A 6 2  and got raised another 2k. Markus then popped it again for 6k on top. His opponent called. The turn was the 3 . Markus bet 8k and his opponent called all-in, showing Q 8  for the flush draw. Markus held A2 off for two pair. River was the 8  and Markus took the pot, sending another player to the rail.

Helge Stjernvang called a short-stack's all-in, showing AK. He was racing against pocket 9s. The board came 7 4 2 6 K and Helge took the pot, sending yet another player to the rail.

On a final board of K K 8 5 J, Humberto Brenes bet 2k and got one caller. Humberto showed pocket Jacks for the rivered full boat. He asked to see his opponent’s hand and the dealer showed his pocket 7s.

Dustin Sitar passively called his opponent’s bets all the way to the river, where the board showed A Q J 2 2. His opponent showed pocket Jacks for the full house. Dustin mucked and was left with less than 4k.

After a player shoved for 2,400, Tom McEvoy looked him up with pocket 5s. The short-stack held A J  and would need help to survive. The board came Q Q T 5 2 and Tom took the pot, sending another player to the rail.

Patrick Bueno got all-in with AK against Vanessa Rousso, who held pocket Tens. It was race time, albeit a short race when the board came K 6 3 9 8. Patrick was up to ~14k.

Patrik Antonius is now the pack leader with ~98k.

Early Exits: Marco Cariboni, Ram Vaswani, Mike Laufer, Edgardo Bellia, Gladys Landegger, Dean Lasko, and Glen Wagar.

Theo Tran flopped two pair and turned a full boat to drag a pot and chip up to ~25k.

Hal Lubarsky is legally blind and plays with the assistance of a ‘reader’, who looks at his cards and whispers them in his ear, then reads the board cards to him as they appear. Hal cashed in the main event last year, finishing 197^th for over $51,000. Hal checked the 7 7 2 flop and after a player bet 1,100, Hal check-raised to 2,600. His opponent raised to 9,100 and Hal shoved all-in. His opponent called all-in with his last 2k. Hal showed pocket deuces for the flopped full house. His opponent held pocket Aces. The last two cards were bricks and Hal chipped up to 42k.

Kenny Tran moved in on a flop of A Q 2. Pattari Kangas looked him up showing AK to crush Kenny’s AJ. Kenny was left with ~6k after losing that pot. Then he fired at a flop of K J 3. Jeremy Renz check-raised him all-in and Kenny called, showing KT for top pair. Jeremy showed 6 4 for the flush draw. Turn was the Q and it was over for Kenny.

On a Q J 4 flop, Tony Hachem moved in and got the look-up. Tony held pocket Queens for top set and his opponent insta-mucked. Tony chipped up to ~47k.

Andrew Schoepfer, who was born on the 4^th of July, celebrated his 21^st birthday today, playing in the main event. It did not go so well for Andrew and he found himself all-in for his last 3k with AT suited, racing against pocket 9s. Andrew’s hand did not improve and he was busted, but with one heckuva birthday story to tell.

On the turn with a board of K Q 7 J, Orel Hershiser moved in and Chris Chambers called all-in. Orel held KJ for two pair, but Chris held KQ for two better pair. The river was a brick and Chris doubled up, leaving Orel with less than 4k.

Greg Raymer got his chips in on a flop of 8 5 5. Kai-Are Hauge called him down with pocket Jacks. Greg held Q8 suited for two inferior pair. Only an 8 would save Greg, but the last two were 2 7. Greg was busted.

Patrik Antonius flopped a set of 3s to crack pocket Kings and chip up to ~80k.

On a turn of K 8 5 A, David Levi got all-in against James Namken. David held pocket 5s for bottom set. James held pocket 8s for a better set. Only the case 5 would save David and it did not materialize on the river. David was done.

Level 2 came to a close at about 4:33pm and players were sent to enjoy another 20 minutes away from the felt.

Play resumed following the break with Level 3: Blinds 150/300.

Greg ‘FBT’ Mueller flopped a set, but his opponent rivered a flush and Greg paid off his 5,700 raise on the end. Greg was left with only 3,500.

Todd ‘Dan Druff’ Witteles doubled up when his pocket Queens held up against an opponent with pocket Jacks. Todd is up to ~30k.

John Carey got his last chips in with AK off against Peter Krieg’s pocket Queens. The board brought nothing but bricks and John was busted. Pocket Queens seem to be doing much better today than pocket Kings.

On the turn with a board of 8 6 5 5, Tuan Le fired his last 2k at the pot. He got looked up by a player holding pocket Jacks. Tuan held A8 for top pair, top kicker. He would need help to survive in the form of an Ace or an 8 on the river. It was a Queen, however, and Tuan has left the building.

‘Captain’ Tom Franklin flopped Broadway and got a player all-in on aboard of K Q J K 9. His opponent held K3 and was busted while Tom chipped up to ~31k.

On a flop of 8 6 4 , the small blind bet 5k and Vanessa Rousso shoved for 25k. The small blind made the call all-in showing pocket Queens. He was ahead of Vanessa’s A T – she needed a heart or Ace to survive. The last two cards came J A and Vanessa caught her pair on the river to bust her opponent and chip up to ~42k.

On a board of K 8 7 9, Keith Lehr shoved and got the look-up. Keith held pocket Aces, but his opponent held pocket 8s for the set. An Ace on the river is the only thing that would save Keith, but alas, it was a Jack and Keith was done.

About an hour ago, Jamie Gold’s mother came in to say Hi and he went to give her a hug. “I need help, Mommy, I need help” he said as he lamented his luck and dwindling stack. It must have worked as he is now up to ~25k.

More Aces cracked: On a flop of K T 7 , Noble Simpson checked to Per Svensson, who moved in for 13k. Noble insta-called, showing A K for top pair with the nut flush draw. Per was actually ahead with pocket Aces. The turn was the A giving Per a set, but the river was the 8 which gave Noble the flush and sent Per to the rail.

Alexandre Gomes, the first Brazilian ever to win a bracelet, got his last chips in with K Q against a player holding pocket 4s. The flop came T 9 4 giving his opponent a bigger lead with a set. Then the last two came 8 J giving Alexandre the flush to take the pot and double up.

Scott Fischman flopped a set and got his chips in good, but his opponent made a flush on the turn to send Scott back to the Fisch-tank.

Recently departed: Steve Biko, Michael Spagnalo, Irakli Tsitsishvili, Jeff Fenech, Michael van Leest, and Jens Forner.

Raul Paez is leading the field with ~60k.

On a flop of T T 7, Erich Kollman got his last chips in the pot with pocket Aces. Well, as you probably guessed, his opponent held pocket Tens for quadz to crack those Aces and send Erich to the rail.

At the river with the board showing A A J A J, Jamie Gold bet 2k. Both of his opponents folded. Jamie showed his pockets Tens and gloated as he collected his “stolen” chips. He’s still only got ~8k because he’s been playing almost every hand.

On a board of 9 7 7 Q a player shoved and Sverre Sunbo tanked for several minutes. He finally put his last chips in the middle, showing 5 4 for the flush. His opponent showed 8 7 for trips. River was the 3 and Sverre doubled up.

The first 20-minute break of the day took place about 2:10pm and players streamed out of the Amazon Room heading for the Poker Kitchen, restrooms, smoking area, and the coffee stand.

Play resumed following the break with Level 2: Blinds 100/200.

Pat Pezzin called a short-stacks all-in with 9 8 . His opponent held KJ suited. The board came A 9 5 7 T and Pat made a pair, then a flush, to send another player home.

On a flop of A Q 2 , Scott Fishman fired 600 and Nancy Todd Tyner called. Turn was the 9 and Scott checked. Nancy bet 600 and Scott check-raised to 2,100. Nancy called and the river was the A . Scott fired 7k and Nancy called, showing A 9 for Aces-full. Scott mucked.

With the board showing J 8 7 T A , Dewey Tomko committed the last of his chips to the pot and got the call from Magno Cunha, who showed him KQ off for the nut-straight. Dewey held Q9 for the lower straight and the losing hand. Dewey collected his towel and headed for the door.

Stephen Ladowsky check-called Greg ‘FBT’ Mueller’s bets on the turn and river, with a board of K T 6 5 J. Greg held pocket Aces, but Stephen showed KJ offsuit for two pair to take the pot. Stephen is now up to 47k.

On the flop of J 9 4, William Davidson bet and his opponent shoved. William called, showing pocket Jacks for top set. His opponent held pocket Kings – apparently the hand of death today – and was drawing slim to two Kings. River was an 8 and William doubled up.

After a raise to 300, three players called including Andrew Black. The flop came 7 5 3 and one player fired 1k at the pot. Andrew made it 3k and his opponent shoved. Andrew called all-in, showing pocket Jacks. His opponent showed 75 suited for two pair. The last two cards were 2 5 adding salt to Andrew’s wound giving his opponent the full house. Andrew’s got the rest of the day off to meditate over what went wrong.

Kristy Gazes three-bet pre-flop and the original raiser hit it again to 5k. Kristy shoved and her opponent tanked, then called all-in. Kristy held pocket Aces (duh) and her opponent showed AJ offsuit (doh!). The board came 9 9 8 7 giving her opponent four outs to crack those Aces, but the river was a 6 and another player hit the rail in one of the most donkey-tastic ways I’ve seen yet.

On a board of A Q J 6 7 , a player bet 2k and Greg Raymer raised to 7k. After tanking for a minute, the player called. Greg showed his 8 4 for zip, (busted flush draw) and his opponent took the pot with pocket Jacks for the set. Looks like Greg has now established a table image as a bluffer.

Sebastian Ruthenberg got all-in pre-flop against MattiasT oermae, who held pocket 5s. Sebastian held AT suited. The board came J 2 2 2 8 and Sebastian was busted.

On the turn with a board of K Q 8 5, a player shoved for 14k and Keith Lehr made the call. Keith held pocket Aces, but his opponent held pocket 8s for the set. River was a Queen and his opponent doubled up, leaving Keith with ~16k.

Vicky Coren was one of four players calling a 300 raise to see the flop of A T 6. The cutoff fired and Vicky raised to 1,600. The cutoff called and just the two of them went to the turn, which was another Ace. Vicky checked, then called a 2,700 bet. River was a Queen and both checked. Vicky showed A8 suited, but her opponent held AK and she was out-kicked. She was down to ~15k.

To celebrate our country’s birthday this July 4^th, players were given small flags as they arrived. Country Music Artist Andy Griggs sang the National Anthem and players were waving away. Daniel Negreanu, seated at the second feature table, was waving his Canadian flag.

The 2007 WSOP Main Event winner Jerry Yang gave the order, “Shuffle Up and Deal!” at 12:10PM. Jerry is not playing today; he will start his title defense on Sunday.

Level 1: Blinds 50/100. Players began with 20,000 chips. Levels last two hours and tables are 9-handed.

There is an ESPN feature table being filmed on the stage and 2008 WSOP Player of the Year Erick Lindgren is seated there. Erick earned his first bracelet this year, made two other final tables, finishing 3^rd and 4^th, and had two additional cashes. He has already pocketed $1,348,528 from this WSOP.

There was no delay in getting to the action today. On a final board of T 9 8 9 K a player with pocket Kings was all in against Stephen Ladowsky. Stephen held pocket 9s for the stone-cold-nutz and sent a player home.

Yet another player with pocket Kings has been dispatched. On a board of A K Q 6, Michael Guzzardi got his chips in the middle with pocket Kings, only to have his opponent show JT for the straight. Michael needed the board to pair on the river or he would be busted. River was a 9 and now Michael can take the rest of the day to tell his bad beat story to anyone who will listen.

Yet another player has busted out at the 20-minute mark. On a flop of A 5 3, all the chips went in the middle. One player held pocket 5s for the set, but Johnny Caruso held pocket Aces for the boss set. Only the case 5 would help, but it did not appear. Yet another player has hit the rail. Let’s see…20 minutes of play, $10,000 buy-in, that’s $500 per minute.

In another set-over-set encounter, Dustin Sitar got his opponent’s chips in the middle on a flop of Q 8 5. Dustin held pocket Queens for top set against his opponent’s pocket 8s for middle set. No case 8 here and Dustin is up to 38k

Ted Forrest is today’s first ‘big-name-pro’ casualty. On a flop of A Q 2 , Ted Forrest fired a pot-sized bet. Giles Smadia, the pre-flop aggressor, re-raised to 7k. Ted shoved for 19k and was insta-called. Ted held pocket ducks for bottom set. Giles held K J  for the nut-flush-draw with gutshot. The turn was the 7  and meant nothing. The river, however, was a monstrous T , completing Giles’ flush and completing Ted Forrest’s main event.

The Main Event if off to an explosive start!  Day 1B is sure to be even more packed and star-studded than Day 1A.  By the end of the day, the 1,297 entrants had been whittled to 636 surviors.  They will join those lucky enough to make it through Day 1B on Tuesday for Day 2A.  Poker pros like Brandon Adams, Mark Vos, and Hasan Habib climbed the leader board on Day 1A.  Which famous faces will join them from Day 1B?  Be sure to stay right here at PokerPages.com as we bring you all of the live wire-to-wire action from the 2008 WSOP Main Event!

Live coverage of the Main Event - Day 1B begins Friday, July 4th.