WSOP Day 1B Review: A Waterlogged Pitch, 1,716 Players and Billy Pappas’s Boner

WSOP Day 1B Review: A Waterlogged Pitch, 1,716 Players and Billy Pappas’s Boner

Lee Davy brings you all the major moments of Day 1B of the World Series of Poker Main Event, including a waterlogged pitch that didn’t delay the play, further evidence of a reduced field size, and Billy Pappas’s boner

WSOP Day 1B Review: A Waterlogged Pitch, 1,716 Players and Billy Pappas’s BonerWith rain water flooding the strip 1,716 players jumped into their yellow submarines and headed directly towards a sea of green. There were sharks, there were fish, and there were one or two mermaids beckoning everyone to the rocks. A few people even drowned, lost from the 46th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) forever.

There were 20% fewer players than this time last year. Hamid Feiz was the man standing on the horizon holding more chips than anyone else. He had 182,675, and that means he currently leads the final 1,624 players who remain in the field with Day 1C still to play (470 survived Day 1A & 1,154 survived Day 1B).

Reigning WSOP Player of the Year (POY) George Danzer was on hand for the ‘Shuffle Up and Deal’. The German mixed game specialist seemed to use that impetus as a cactus up the ass ending the day with 96,300 chips. There was still no sign of the reigning champion Martin Jacobson. We expect to see the Swede entering tomorrow despite being under the weather.

Yvonne Thomson was the sacrificial lamb when it came to the dubious honor of being the first player eliminated. Bless her cotton socks. Thomson got it in good, holding Broadway on [Qd] [Th] [6h] [As], only for her opponent Dean Freelander to find a boat on the river to save his set of sixes from being frazzled by the jellyfish. He would end the day with 58,325 chips.

The most famous face to be hit by the savage sentimental sucking deck was the PokerStars Team Pro Celina Lin. She got it in good with AA v KK pre flop, only for a third king to upset the harmony of the hand and hack her Main Event health to pieces.

At the end of the first two levels Marko Neumann was leading the way. Thomas Muehloecker and recent $500,000 Super High Roller Bowl winner Brian Rast also had impressive chip stacks.

The third level of action was the last for the impressive Barry Hutter. The WSOP bracelet winner bluff shoved the river, only to be called by a player who had become one with his top pair. Then Kristen Bicknell became another casualty of the boat, when she got it in good on the turn, holding a straight, only for Matt Zoorob to hit a miracle card on the river to send her floundering.

What was that about boats? Don’t talk to Steve O’Dwyer about them. The American star losing his boat to quads, all-in on the river, 77 v JJ on [Jh] [7s] [3s] [9h] [Jc]. Bernard Lee, Nick Maimone and Eric Baldwin also exited stage left during that level, and Adil Khan emerged as the new chip leader.

Level 4 saw the Spanish conquistador Leo Margets crumble under the weight of a pair of queens. Pocket tens not finding the luck it needed to escape that crushing blow, and Robert Mizrachi was eliminated by Cheng Liu – boat over boat – QQ

Dan Smith’s AKdd couldn’t beat pocket nines when it mattered, and we lost Jean-Robert Bellande, Mohsin Charania, Ben Lamb, Scott Seiver, Neil Channing and Lily Kiletto. It was also the level that Billy Pappas called himself a boner. Or did he say he had a boner? I can’t remember. Adil Khan was still on top with George Danzer, Marko Neumann and Matt Zoorob waiting in the wings.

The final level of the day saw everything change. Jay Farber’s guns misfired, Tomel Wolf bit off the head of Allyn Shulman, Galen Hall was glad he was eliminated on Day 1 and not Day 3, and Shannon Shorr said the day couldn’t have gone any worse after being eliminated in the final orbit KJ

And that was that.

Hamid Feiz had just pipped Adil Khan to the headline slot, the chips and chairs were stowed away, and everyone jumped back on board the yellow submarine and headed for home. As the sub sailed into the molten light of the morning sun a periscope could be seen breaking the water line.

Wait.

False Alarm.

It’s Billy Pappas’s boner.

Top 10 Chip Counts

1st. Hamid Feiz – 182,675

2nd. Adil Khan – 156,800

3rd. Srikanth Koneru – 154,725

4th. Edward Grau – 148,825

5th. Marko Neumann – 146,675

6th. Yong Lu – 141,750

7th. Alexander Wilkinson – 139,025

8th. Chad Power – 135,575

9th. Omri Shaked – 134,250

10th. Jeffrey Tanouye – 131,075