We decided to grab an update on the three recent Main Event Champions that are playing today and it appears as though Pius Heinz is having a tough time at his table that is currently playing six-handed as there are four dead stacks in play.
With Heinz having lost roughly a third of his stack, it is 2009 Champion Joe Cada doing better on the feature table as he has chipped up his stack by 34 big blinds.
Greg Merson is sitting just below starting stack while he bops away to whatever is being channelled into his headphones.
"Seat open on 407!" bellowed the table 407 dealer.
Our PokerNews reporter rushed over to the table to see if he could get any details, and on spotting the three-seat sitting with over 50,000 in chips he asked him for the details. Unfortunately that player couldn't speak English so two players on the table helped give us the rundown on the hand.
Mark Jeffreys opened and then another player three-bet before Angel Funes Rios flatted next to act. Jeffreys pushed out a four-bet totalling 2,000 to force the initial three-bettor out as Rios came along.
The flop fell and Jeffreys checked before Rios continued with a bet only to have Jeffreys check-raise. Rios called and when the turn landed the , Jeffreys tapped the table again with Rios firing out another bet. Jeffreys responded with yet another check-raise and Rios called as the river blanked out.
Jeffreys checked for a third time before Rios bet out only to have Jeffreys now check-raise all-in. Rios called and tabled his which was enough to take the pot once Jeffreys tabled his .
Following the triple check-raise with his pocket queens, Jeffreys is the first casualty here on Day 1a.
Chad Holloway (Seen Here Playing in Event #1), Will Have to Mount a Comeback if he Hopes to Win his Second Gold Bracelet of the Summer
We caught our PokerNews colleague, and recent bracelet winner Chad Holloway involved in a confrontation with his friend and fellow Wisconsin native Eddie Blumenthal.
The board read by the river with nearly 7,000 in the pot already, and Holloway had two orange T5000 tournament chips in front of his cards, having check-raised Blumenthal's bet of 3,100.
Blumenthal tanked for a solid minute, while Holloway did his best impression of a statue, but eventually Blumenthal tossed out his own pair of orange chips for the call.
Holloway's sigh told the story, and Blumenthal rolled over for top pair on the turn. After flopping the nut flush draw, Blumenthal had found a red card that worked just as well as a diamond, and with this win he is off to a great start here at the Main Event.
One of today's players is actor Robert Iler, famous for his portrayal of A. J. Soprano in the mob drama The Sopranos. Early in the Main Event, Iler is living up to the infamy of his character's fictional family, virtually bumping off opponents. We haven’t seen him felt anyone yet, but he’s off to a good start.
In a recent hand, on a flop of , Iler bet out for 250, and the button and the big blind both called. The turn was the , and action checked to Iler, who bet again, this time for 450. The button folded, but the blind called. The dealer then completed the board with the . The blind checked again, and Iler bet 1,000. His opponent tanked for about a minute, then tossed forward a chip to call. Iler turned over . His opponent mucked, and Iler won the pot with his set.
Following a limp under the gun, Mike Sexton limped also next to act along with the button and small blind before the big blind tapped the table.
The flop landed and Sexton tossed in a chip while announcing a bet of 200. The table swiftly folded and Sexton collected another pot to add to his growing stack of 35,675.
Tony Dunst opened to 300 from under the gun, two players called in position, and a third player three-bet to 1,525 in the small blind. Dunst and a player in the hijack called.
The flop fell , the three-bettor checked, and Dunst fired out 2,400. Only the three-bettor called.
The turn was the , the three-bettor check-called another 4,200, and the completed the board. The player checked, Dunst fired 8,300, and the player folded.
Actor and impressionist Kevin Pollak opened to 750 before the flop and received a call from a player in the cutoff.
On the flop, Pollak continued with a bet of 700, and after his opponent flatted the turn came .
Pollak slowed down on fourth street, and when he tapped the table for a check, the cutoff fired out a bet of 1,200 to force the fold.
After making a deep run in last year's Main Event, finishing in 134th place and drawing the attention of the cameras as he's done for three decades in Hollywood, Pollak is hoping to recapture that magic here today.
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and Jeffreys checked before Rios continued with a bet only to have Jeffreys check-raise. Rios called and when the turn landed the 
, Jeffreys tapped the table again with Rios firing out another bet. Jeffreys responded with yet another check-raise and Rios called as the river blanked out.
flop, pro Barry Hutter tossed out a bet of 400 when his opponent checked, but a raise to 1,200 forced a quick fold.
by the river with nearly 7,000 in the pot already, and Holloway had two orange T5000 tournament chips in front of his cards, having check-raised Blumenthal's bet of 3,100.
for top pair on the turn. After flopping the nut flush draw, Blumenthal had found a red card that worked just as well as a diamond, and with this win he is off to a great start here at the Main Event.
, Iler bet out for 250, and the button and the big blind both called. The turn was the 
, and action checked to Iler, who bet again, this time for 450. The button folded, but the blind called. The dealer then completed the board with the 
. The blind checked again, and Iler bet 1,000. His opponent tanked for about a minute, then tossed forward a chip to call. Iler turned over 
. His opponent mucked, and Iler won the pot with his set.
and Sexton tossed in a chip while announcing a bet of 200. The table swiftly folded and Sexton collected another pot to add to his growing stack of 35,675.
, the three-bettor checked, and Dunst fired out 2,400. Only the three-bettor called.
, the three-bettor check-called another 4,200, and the 
completed the board. The player checked, Dunst fired 8,300, and the player folded.
flop, Pollak continued with a bet of 700, and after his opponent flatted the turn came 
we found Rep Porter tossing in an orange 5,000-denomination chip while announcing a bet of 4,000.
and threw them into the muck.
