WSOPE Main Event Sees Record Turnout

The 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event drew a total of 346 players, setting a new record for the event and creating a £830,401 first prize for the eventual winner.

It was clear after Day 1A that there would be a strong turnout, as 137 players turned out for the first of two start dates. But Day 1B was the true catalyst for the record, as 209 more players turned up to create the events biggest ever field. A total of 195 players remain heading into Saturday’s Day 2.

At the end of Day 1 play, the chip leader is James Mitchell, who is best known for winning the Irish Open tournament earlier this year. But many big names in the poker world remain in the hunt for the title, including Phil Ivey, Phil Laak, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, Kathy Liebert, Barry Greensteein, Allen Cunningham, Chris Ferguson, Huck Seed, and Erik Seidel, among others. Three of the “November Nine” players are also still alive, including Filippo Candio, John Dolan and John Racener.

On the other hand, plenty of big names were eliminated on the first day of play, such as brothers Robert and Michael Mizrachi, Men Nguyen, and Phil Hellmuth.

There were several other storylines occurring in and around the tournament that added some intrigue to the WSOPE Main Event. Shockingly, the tournament was graced by the presence of Noel Furlong, who won the 1999 World Series of Poker Main Event – but has scarcely been seen in poker circles since. According to the WSOP website, Furlong said that he had been staying in London, and since his flight back home to Dublin, Ireland was delayed, he simply decided to play to “kill some time.” Furlong was eliminated by Phil Ivey on the first day of play.

Another story worth noting is the suspension of WSOPE Event #4, the high-roller heads-up event. The final is being contested between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy, and began as normal, with Hansen taking down the first match in the best-of-three series. However, midway through the second match, play was suspended, as both players planned to also play in the WSOPE Main Event. They had the potential for finishing the match during the 90-minute dinner break Friday evening, but both agreed that 90 minutes was not enough time to guarantee completion of the tournament. With both players’ schedules unclear, a date for finishing the match has not been determined, and may not happen until as late as November, when the WSOP Main Event concludes.