Lee Davy is on hand to deliver a recap from the first day of the 46th Annual World Series of Poker, including a sterling performance from the reigning world champion, Martin Jacobson, and a series of casino employees searching for that little strip of gold.
For most people, the wait for the 46th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP), has been 12-months. But for one young man, it seems like he has never even left.
In November, Martin Jacobson was on top of the world after winning the $10 million first prize in the 2014 Main Event. A documentary of those heady days will be released in due course, but in the meantime, you can check out the Swede’s silky skills, by watching him perform in Event #2: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em. He bagged a top 10 stack worthy of 173,800, and don’t be surprised if he weaves even more plastic into gold.
But long before Jacobson took his seat, it was the turn of the Casino Employee’s to experience life on the other side of the felt. 688 entrants paid the $565 to enter Event #1: Casino Employee Event No-Limit Hold’em, and 51 will be returning at 1pm where they will play the tournament out to a finish.
The chip leader is Stephen Gilbert, who leads with 236,000. Last year’s runner-up Corey Emery also made it through to Day 2, albeit with a much smaller stack (19,000). Former champions Roland Reparejo, and Chad Holloway, also entered, but couldn’t find the luck needed to wheeze past what was essentially a turbo style structure, with blinds going up every 40-minutes. Caesar chiefs Ty Stewart and Bill Rini also played, but failed to make it through to Day #2.
The winner will pick up $75,704, 72 players will receive a minimum of $970. The only downside was the decrease in field size, 27% to be exact.
Jacobson, Esfandiari, Merson and Hellmuth Make It Through to Day 2 of Event 2
The $5k buy-in events attract the very best proponents of this game, and Event #2: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em was no different. 422 of the very best in the business were whittled down to 171, and they will return to do battle in the Amazon Room at 2pm.
The aforementioned Martin Jacobson is sitting pretty with 173,800, but there are a league of legends, present and future, also joining him in the Day 2 fray: Joseph Cheong (111,500), Greg Merson (100,600), Antonio Esfandiari (82,900), Bryn Kenney (80,000) and Phil Hellmuth (34,500) to be exact.
The man leading the field is Darryl Ronconi with 211,100 chips. Ronconi is no stranger to the $5k fields. In 2011, he was runner-up to Antonin Teisseire in a WSOP $5k Triple Chance event, where he picked up over half a million dollars.
45 players get paid in this one, and $466,120 is reserved for first. Last year this event attracted 696 entrants (a 39% drop in field size), and final tablists Oliver Price, Kevin MacPhee, and John Dolan are all still in the hunt for a second deep run. New England Patriot and Oakland Raider Richard Seymour was also in the field, but failed to make it through to Day 2.
Top 5 Chip Counts
1. Darryl Ronconi – 211,100
2. Ludovic Geilich – 194,000
3. Joe Ebanks – 187,000
4. Rong Li – $180,000
5. Tommaso Briotti – 178,800
