Posted by Andrew Feldman
5:10 a.m. ET: It definitely will not be the last time I bring this up, but for now, the debacle of Day 1D has come to an end. Bluff's Lance Bradley and I discussed the situation at length on the Poker Edge podcast, and there are a few things we all need to take away from the action of the last 24 hours. First, with 6,494 players entering this event, everyone needs to realize that this result is a success. Yes, an estimated 500 to 700 players were turned away (which coincidentally would've made this the second-largest field), but to be able to boast that during these tough times the WSOP can put up a number like this is incredible. Second, Harrah's always learns from its mistakes, and next year, you can bet that we'll see even playing fields across all starting days. Finally, the system isn't perfect. While players should've registered, Harrah's should've been ready.
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Phil Ivey made it through Day 1 with an above average chip stack.
I know I say it every day, but it truly was a great day here at the Rio. It was probably the best for Troy Weber who, at $353,000, nearly has double the stack of his closest competition. Josh Arieh and buster of ESPN Poker Club players Jesper Hougaard have found their way into the top 10. The leaderboard isn't official as of yet, but Arieh and Hougaard most likely will be at the top of the pack regardless. Other notables moving on include Peter Eastgate, Erick Lindgren, Phil Ivey, Michael Mizrachi, Dutch Boyd, J.C. Tran, Kenny Tran and ESPN.com's Bernard Lee. There weren't a ton of notables eliminated, but two main event runner-ups, David Williams and Ivan Demidov, will have to wait for next year. Jeff Madsen, Mark Seif, Phil Gordon, Michael Binger and Scott Fischman also hit the rail.
Moving on to Day 2AB …
The tiny field of approximately 1,400 players will return to play a full five levels on Tuesday. If you followed my blog or podcast from Day 1A, you know that I'm closely watching the chip count of actor Jason Alexander. A good performance from "George" will result in good times for the poker world. Having a celebrity succeed in the main event is almost as important as a name pro making it deep. Besides, it's clearly the summer of George (or Jason).
Champion of the $40,000 Event 2, Vitaly Lunkin, continues his main-event run on Tuesday, along with Eli Elezra, Andy Black, Phil Laak, Greg Mueller, Joe Sebok and Greg Raymer. Day 2 is another survival day for most in anticipation for a money run on Days 3 and 4. I'll be back in the Amazon Room for all the action, so stick with me as we continue to narrow our remaining field into the 2009 November Nine.
Good night/morning from Las Vegas!
Small blinds: Take a look below for our latest cool feature. The interactive poll below will let you add players and vote on the thoughts of others. During the day, vote and vote up or down the selections of others. We'll change the polls as the days go on and give you the chance to submit your thoughts to everyone here at the WSOP. … Michael Mizrachi told me that on his day off he's planning to go play cash games at the Bellagio. … WSOP Academy instructor Alex Outhred made it through to Day 2. Outhred finished 54th in the 2008 main event. … The MavenVT hasn't launched yet, but their logos are everywhere. … Rafe Furst battled all day to end up with a final chip count around $15,000. … Cash games are still going on at 10 tables. They didn't start until 5 p.m. since the tables were in use for the main event. … I think I calculated that even if Grospellier wins the main event, with Hevad Khan second and Justin Bonomo third, I still lose the ESPN fantasy poker league. … You can follow everything ESPN Poker on Twitter at @ESPN_Poker.
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