Day 1 of Event #19 is in the books, and after eight levels of play, Shannon Shorr is our unofficial chip leader with 47,000 chips.
The field drew 354 runners - 30 less than last year - and attracted a long list of notables including Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu, Joe Sebok, Maria Ho, David Williams and many more. Those names all failed to reach Day 2 however.
There are a handful of players still in contention for the $213,431 first-place prize however. 2009 WSOP Limit Hold'em World Champion Greg Mueller survived the day with 41,700 chips, his good friend and fellow countryman Shawn Buchanan (45,200) also made Day 2, and so too did Michael "Squeakzilla" Winnett (38,000), Isaac Haxton (39,000), and David Benyamine (28,400).
The tournament resumes at 3 p.m. PT tomorrow. Be sure to keep it locked to PokerNews.com for all of your exclusive up-to-the-second updates throughout the entire 2011 World Series of Poker.
Despite having lost nearly two thirds of the field, four of our original players at the "Table of Death", Purple #365, are still alive.
Chris Vitch, Jennifer Harman, Jameson Painter and Justin Bonomo have been battling out all day and all four will see each other tomorrow. Harman and Vitch have been struggling with short stacks for the past hour or so but have survived none the less. Bonomo and Painter, on the other hand, have both better than doubled their stacks and enter tomorrow with a good shot to build on their Day 1 success, especially if they can find a softer table.
Many will tell you, including Mike Matusow, that so much of tournament success is about table draw. These three players didn't exactly draw well today but each has given themselves a chance to try it again tomorrow. Win or lose, they can be happy they made it through Day 1 against such formidable opponents.
Michael Winnett raised preflop from the cutoff and the player in the big blind called. The flop ran out .
The player in the big blind checked, Winnett bet, and his opponent called. The fell on the turn. The player in the big blind bet, Winnett raised, his opponent reraised, and Winnett capped the pot. His opponent called. The showed up on the river and the player in the big blind bet and Winnett called.
Winnett showed and his opponent showed {9h]. Winnett is now up to 41,000.
With the board reading , Lex Veldhuis and another opponent checked to Shannon Shorr who bet. Only Veldhuis called. The turn was the , Veldhuis check-called another bet, and the river was the . Veldhuis check-called one more bet from Shorr, and tabled . Shorr showed for trip kings however, and raked in the pot.
The very next hand, Veldhuis and an opponent were heads up with the board reading . Veldhuis bet, his opponent put in two bets, Veldhuis put in three, and his opponent called all in for less. Veldhuis showed for a pair of aces, but his opponent had better - .
"I'm going to come back short tomorrow," Veldhuis said. "And I'm going to drive my car into a f***cking river."
Noah Boeken was faced with a raise and a call on the button, and put in a third bet. Both of his opponents called, and the flop came down . The first player bet out, another raised, and Boeken and the original bettor folded.
A player from middle postion raised preflop and Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier reraised from the small blind. The player from middle position reraised and Grospellier called.
The flop ran out . Grospellier checked, his opponent bet, and Grospellier called. The fell on the turn. Grospellier check called after his opponent led out again. The river brought the . Grospellier checked, his opponent bet, and Grospellier folded.
Chris Vitch raised from early position, Justin Bonomo called on the button, and the flop came down . Vitch checked, Bonomo bet, and Vitch called. The turned, Vitch check-called another bet, and the river was the . Vitch check-called one more bet, but mucked when Bonomo opened for trip nines.
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fell on the turn. The player in the big blind bet, Winnett raised, his opponent reraised, and Winnett capped the pot. His opponent called. The 
showed up on the river and the player in the big blind bet and Winnett called.
and his opponent showed {9h]
. Winnett is now up to 41,000.
, Veldhuis check-called another bet, and the river was the 
. Shorr showed 
. Veldhuis bet, his opponent put in two bets, Veldhuis put in three, and his opponent called all in for less. Veldhuis showed 
.
. The first player bet out, another raised, and Boeken and the original bettor folded.
fell on the turn. Grospellier check called after his opponent led out again. The river brought the 
. Grospellier checked, his opponent bet, and Grospellier folded.
. Vitch checked, Bonomo bet, and Vitch called. The 
