[user217945]
Norbert Szecsi winner of the last $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Event.
We're just minutes away from the start of Event #54: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em, which represents the last $1,000 no-limit event from the summer, not including Event #58: $1,111 Little One for One Drop No-Limit Hold'em.
We're also just hours away from Event #55: The $50,000 Poker Players' Championship so many players may be using this event as a warm up, or may not play at all. Either way, we're sure to see plenty of lower stakes players taking their shot here today in Event #54.
The last $1,000 no-limit hold'em event was won by Norbert Szecsi and he took home $345,037 for his victory. We may see Szecsi here today attempting to take a second shot at another title here today in Event #54. That event, like all other $1,000 no-limit hold'em events here at the World Series of Poker, lasted for three days and saw more than 2,000 entrants. Today we can expect to see similar numbers.
We're just minutes away from the "Shuffle up and deal," here in the Brasilia room. Just like the other $1,000 no-limit hold'em events, the players will begin with 3,000 in tournament chips and the blinds at 25/25. The players will play out 10 levels today and we may even see them make the money here on Day 1, but only time will tell. Make sure you stay here with us at PokerNews.com as we begin our journey to crowning a new World Series of Poker champion.
Niall Farrell at an earlier 2013 WSOP final table.
Niall Farrell is in the field today after a deep run in Event #44: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em where he finished second for $366,815, but he's not off to as good a start as he was in that tournament. After just one level he's down to less than a third of his original stack.
We watch Farrell play one hand while we were stalking around his table. In the hand Farrell opened to 75 from under the gun. He was called by a player in middle position and the player in the big blind as well. The flop came down and the big blind player checked to Farrell who fired out 150. The middle position player folded to the big blind who called.
The turn was the and both players checked, and they both checked again on the river. The player in the big blind showed and that was good enough to take down the pot as Farrell mucked.
Farrell still has chips left to play with so anything could happen, but he's already short here on Day 1 of Event #54.
After a quick start here in Event #54, former Player of the Year Frank Kassela is busto. We didn't catch the action but another player at his table was kind enough to inform us that Kassela flopped the butt end of a straight with on a flop and he got all his chips in against a player with .
The turn was a blank for Kassela and it kept him in the lead, but the river was a giving his opponent a better broadway straight to eliminate Kassela from the tournament. A rather unfortunate end for Kassela especially after he had doubled up just a few hands earlier here on Day 1.
Dwyte Pilgrim (Seen Here in an Earlier WSOP Event) Just Arrived, Like Pilgrims Always Do, On a Big Boat
Circuit grinder Dwyte Pilgrim is known for his willingness to dive into any poker tournament, from the Rio's Daily Deepstack series to WPT Championships, and everything in between. While other players choose their tourney schedules based on the potential for television appearances, the chance to compete against upper echelon players, and other esoteric factors, Pilgrim just plays the game, all day, everyday.
Pilgrim is in the house here this afternoon, trying to add a gold WSOP bracelet to his impressive list of poker accomplishments, and after a recent hand, he is off to a great start.
According to the easygoing Pilgrim, who is always ready with a little dap for fans, fellow players, and even the occasional nosy reporter, he spiked a set with on the flop.
Pilgrim bet 250 on the flop, and his opponent made the minimum raise. After calling in the only way he knows how, smoothly, Pilgrim bet 750 on the turn. His opponent flatted, and the river gave Pilgrim a boat. An all in and a call later, Pilgrim had claimed his first stack of the day, and we will be sure to track this dangerous pro's progress as the day continues.
Ken Griffin (Seen Here at the Height of His Poker Career) is Here Today Hoping to Make Another Amazing Run
With thousands of unfamiliar faces marking the beginning of every low buy-in WSOP event, a glimmer of recognition can occur in the most unlikely ways.
When a seemingly anonymous player asked us to update his chip count, the scene was unremarkable initially, until it became apparent that this was not your typical amateur.
As a ten-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, who served tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Griffin is not defined by his poker accomplishments, and instead has dedicated his life heroically to the defense of our nation's freedom. Although adding a second bracelet to his trophy case would certainly be quite the feat, Griffin knows better than most that there is more to life than a card game, and that sense of perspective undoubtedly aids his game on the felt.
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman (Seen Here Competing in the Recent Ladies Championship) is Just One of the Hundred or So Women in the Field Here Today
Whether due to the recent WSOP Ladies Championship, or perhaps Beyonce's sold-out concert last night here in Las Vegas, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of women among the field.
The typical WSOP open event attracts a small percentage of females to the felt, but today there seems to be a women at every other table.
One of the more well accoutered women we've spotted so far was Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, who has been seen sporting the flashy gold bracelet she won last year at the Senior's Championship.
Although Jaffrey Shulman was a bit low on chips when we passed by her table, she was smiling and talking with her tablemates, and with her experience she stands a good chance of rebounding from the early losses.
Benjamin Scholl at an earlier 2013 WSOP final table.
Now seated together in the Brasilia room are bracelet winner Benjamin Scholl and the now wife of David 'Doc' Sands, Erika Sands.
Scholl took down his bracelet last year in a $5,000 limit hold'em event where he took down $206,760. He followed up that impressive performance with a deep run in Event #29: $5,000 H.O.R.S.E. this year where he finished second to Tom Schneider earning him a total of $197,228. He looks to follow up those two runs with a good run here today in Event #54 which would be his second cash in a no-limit event here at the World Series of Poker. His first was in a $1,500 no-limit event in 2009 where he finished 4th for $150,132.
Sands also has some impressive results under her belt, but mostly under the maiden name, Erika Moutinho. Her crowning jewel would be her amazingly deep run in the Main Event two years ago, where she last just one spot more than now her husband 'Doc' Sands. For her 29th place finish, Sands locked up $242,636.
The two just entered but we're sure to see some exciting high level poker between the two players so we'll keep updating.
The current record for most consecutive years with a World Series of Poker Bracelet currently belongs to Bill Boyd and Doyle Brunson, who have each won four bracelets in four years. Matt Matros has currently gone the last three years and earned a WSOP bracelet each year and looks to tie the record by winning Event #54.
In 2010, Matros took down a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event worth $189,870. The year 2011 came along and Matros found himself taking down yet another bracelet in a $2,500 Mixed Hold'em event for $303,501 more. In 2012, Matros accomplished the nearly impossible task of taking down a third bracelet in three years by shipping a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Six Handed event for $454,835.
Matros has appeared in the field here today and he's already built himself a nice tower of chips. Could this be the event that Matros takes down his fourth bracelet in four years? It's still to early to tell here on Day 1, but anything can happen in the world of poker. We'll be sure to keep a close eye on Matros throughout the day as he tries to lock up his fourth World Series of Poker bracelet in four years.
With so many poker pros in attendance today, we managed to spot a familiar face who made his name away from the felt.
Bill Fagerbakke has played crucial roles in many of television's longest running series, although the average fan would be hard pressed to pick him out of a lineup.
Fans of the college football themed series Coach, which aired from 1989 to 1997, will remember Fagerbakke from his legendary portrayal of Dauber, the dim witted but devoted assistant to Coach Hayden Fox.
For the younger generation, Fagerbakke's voice will no doubt ring bells, as he has given life to Patrick Star on the Nickelodeon hit SpongeBob SquarePants for the show's 14-year run.
And if animation isn't your thing, Fagerbakke has made several memorable appearances on How I Met Your Mother, portraying Marvin Eriksen, the Scandinavian father of Marshall Eriksen, until the character's death in 2011.
Fagerbakke's distinctive height and voice have provided him with plenty of on-screen work throughout the years, but today he is hoping to add a deep run at the World Series of Poker to his long list of life accomplishments.
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and the big blind player checked to Farrell who fired out 150. The middle position player folded to the big blind who called.
and both players checked, and they both checked again on the 
river. The player in the big blind showed 
and that was good enough to take down the pot as Farrell mucked.
on a 
flop and he got all his chips in against a player with 
giving his opponent a better broadway straight to eliminate Kassela from the tournament. A rather unfortunate end for Kassela especially after he had doubled up just a few hands earlier here on Day 1.
turn. His opponent flatted, and the river 
