Day 1 of the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout took place on Friday and its 948 entrants were spread across 120 tables meaning the entire Brasilia Room was full and the space in the vast pavilion Room utilized. By the time the curtain came down on proceedings only 120 players remained and they will return to the Rio on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. and whittle the crowd down further.
The sit-and-go format is a popular one and it attracted amateurs and professional players alike. Stellar names such as Eugene Katchalov, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Christian Harder, Josh Arieh, Shannon Shorr, Joseph Cheong, David "Bakes" Baker and 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Greg Merson being a small selection of the superstars who progressed to Day 2.
Of course, not all of the big names had an enjoyable day at the felt and Event #6 ended early for such luminaries as Scott Seiver, Stephen Chidwick, Jake Cody, Daniel Negreanu, the self-proclaimed "Poker Brat" Phil Hellmuth and the legendary Phil Ivey.
Each of the 120 returning players sit down on Saturday safe in the knowledge they are in the money and will be leaving the tournament with at least $4,411 in cold, hard cash. However, by the time Day 2 ends, this amount will more than triple and the minimum prize will be a more substantial $14,615.
Play on Day 2 takes place in the Amazon Room and PokerNews will be on the tournament floor from 1 p.m. local time bringing you the best of the action, as it happens, from Day 2 of the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout.
Until then, why not enjoy this interview with Vanessa Selbst who won her third WSOP bracelet by taking down the $25,000 Mixed Max event earlier in the day.
Mike Matusow has sent Chad Eveslage to the rail after an epic heads-up battle.
The final hand saw all the chips going into the middle on a flop, Matusow holding and Eveslage . The on the turn gave Matusow a ton more outs, one of which was the that fell on the river.
Matusow congratulated his opponent for being such a formidable opponent and wished him luck for the rest of the series.
Rich and Eric finally get together in Las Vegas to break down the latest Global Poker Index rankings, try to project where Vanessa Selbst will land after winning her third WSOP bracelet, and discuss the Fantasy Poker Manager game and the new GPI Magazine.
The 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Greg Merson is safely through to Day 2 in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout.
Merson sent Brandon Meyers to the sidelines to give himself a massive chip advantage over Yosuke Sekiya. In the penultimate hand, Sekiya moved all-in for 2,500 chips (around eight big blinds) and Merson contemplated calling for a few moments before deciding against it.
The next hand, Merson set Sekiya all in and Sekiya called.
Sekiya:
Merson:
According to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Sekiya held a narrow 57.34% to 42.14% equity advantage over the former world champion, which increased to almost 62% when the flop came into view. The turn was a game changer as the improved Merson to a straight and left Sekiya needing a king to win or an eight to split the pot. The river was the , sending Sekiya to the rail and Merson to the next round.
The crew is back for another episode of the PokerNews Podcast from the 45th annual World Series of Poker. Jason Somerville talks about his 18th-place finish in the $1,000 buy-in pot-limit Omaha event, and the crew discusses the Jason Mo vs. Vanessa Selbst heads-up match along with Darren Elias' affinity for North Faces and the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
flop, Matusow holding 
and Eveslage 
. The 
on the turn gave Matusow a ton more outs, one of which was the 
that fell on the river.
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
improved Merson to a straight and left Sekiya needing a king to win or an eight to split the pot. The river was the 
, sending Sekiya to the rail and Merson to the next round.
