The buzz inside the walls of the Rio extends beyond just the tournaments on the 2013 World Series of Poker schedule. Online poker in Nevada is a very, very hot topic right now, and WSOP.com is making a lot of noise.
While the site has yet to launch, you can head to the Lambada Room of the Rio or look for one of the beautiful and friendly WSOP.com ladies walking the hallways to sign up for a free, personal WSOP.com online poker account. This is a great way to get a jump on the site's registration, and plenty of people have already taken this opportunity.
What's more is that the WSOP will be hosting daily raffles for everyone that has taken the time to register for WSOP.com at the Rio. What can you win? Plenty of fantastic prizes including 36 WSOP seats!
Players 21 years of age and older who sign up for a WSOP.com account will automatically be entered into the “36-Seat Giveaway” where a randomly-selected winner will win a seat into the next day’s first WSOP gold bracelet event. One of the events eligible in this promotion is the $111,111 One Drop High Roller No-Limit Hold’em tournament that is expected to feature a $10,000,000 prize pool and allow you to play poker with the biggest names in the game. In total, $182,333 in WSOP seats, including a seat to the WSOP Main Event, are being given away during this one-of-a-kind WSOP.com promotion.
In addition to the 36-Seat Giveaway, a “Hot Seat” promotion will allow any player who signs up for a WSOP.com online account and wears their WSOP.com patch on their chest at the table while playing an event to be randomly selected to receive 500 bonus dollars deposited directly into their WSOP.com online account once the site has received all regulatory approvals and launches.
With 62 WSOP gold bracelet events and three winners promised for the Main Event, this promotion includes $32,000 worth of value to those participating.
Randy Ohel keeps getting quartered, and he doesn't like it.
On the latest hand, Ohel opened from the hijack to 625 chips. Action folded to the big blind who raised to 2,500. With action back on Ohel, he made the call.
The flop came down and the player in the big blind potted it. Ohel moved all in for less and the two players went to a showdown.
"Do you have a three?" the player asked Ohel.
"You don't have to worry, I never have a three in this spot," Ohel replied.
Ohel:
Opponent:
Ohel was behind, and needed to catch a piece to make the low, but he could also catch a four to win the high pot. The turn was the though, not improving either hand, and the river was another , giving his opponent a full house. Ohel received one quarter of the pot for the low, and that was it.
"I've never been quartered so many times in my life," Ohel said after the hand.
On a board of with about 2,000 in the pot, Action had checked to "Miami" John Cernuto who was thinking about his decision before recent bracelet winner Calen McNeil almost acted out of turn.
"I haven't acted yet," Cernuto told McNeil.
"Sorry," McNeil apologized. "I didn't see that you had cards still."
Eventually, Cernuto put out a bet of 2,300 and McNeil moved all in over the top for roughly 3300 total. Action folded back around to Cernuto who made the call.
Cernuto:
McNeil:
Cernuto had flopped the nut straight, but McNeil was very much live with the nut flush and low draws.
The turn was the , not giving McNeil any help. The river was the , completing McNeil's low, but nothing else, thus awarding him half the pot.
"How do you fade all of that?" McNeil asked Cernuto after the hand.
"The question is, how do you fade all of that?" Cernuto retorted.
"I just won a bracelet!" McNeil exclaimed. "I'm lucky!!!"
Joining the action on a flop, Gavin Smith had bet 4,500 from under the gun and Jeff Madsen has shipped his 7,475 stack into the middle from the cutoff. The button called and Smith called.
Smith then put the rest of his stack forward when the appeared on the turn and the button called off the rest of his stack.
Smith:
Button:
Madsen:
The fifth and final community card was the and the deal got to work splitting the pot. When the dust had settled, Madsen was sat with 11,700 chips and Smith 23,000.
"I'm changing my strategy," declared Smith, "I am only going to make nut hands from now on!"
We caught up to Leif Force on a board of . Force had put out a bet of 1,400 which an opponent had then raised all in over the top of for 2,250 more.
Eventually after thinking over his decision for a bit Force made the call.
Force:
Opponent:
The turn gave Force a few extra outs to hit a straight and those were outs he would hit on the river.
Force's opponent stood up for the table realizing that he had been drawn out on and eliminated from the tournament. Force has built up a healthy stack here on Day 1 of more than double where he started.
Table 383 has the potential for a gigantic pot thanks to Andrey Zaichenko being armed with almost 70,000 chips and Ari Engel almost 40,000. If those two players clash we could see a 100,000 chip pot created. We will continue to circle their table, like a vulture looking for prey.
and the player in the big blind potted it. Ohel moved all in for less and the two players went to a showdown.
though, not improving either hand, and the river was another 
, giving his opponent a full house. Ohel received one quarter of the pot for the low, and that was it.
with about 2,000 in the pot, Action had checked to "Miami" John Cernuto who was thinking about his decision before recent bracelet winner Calen McNeil almost acted out of turn.
, not giving McNeil any help. The river was the 
, completing McNeil's low, but nothing else, thus awarding him half the pot.
appeared on the turn and the button called off the rest of his stack.
gave Force a few extra outs to hit a straight and those were outs he would hit on the 
of his opponent when it made quad aces on the 
