WSOP Event #46: A Slow-Paced First Day

Only 178 players were registered for the $2,500 Omaha-8 Event forty minutes before it started, but as usual, the number would explode before the end of late registration and we ended up with a field of 424 runners. Almost $230,000 are now up for grabs for first place - on top of the coveted bracelet.

The high-profile list of participants already created some tougher tables right from the start - on one of them, you could find Kristy Gazes, Todd Brunson and Gavin Smith sitting right next to each other. Another notable table was shared by Michael Binger, Paul Parker, Andreas Krause and Chris Bjorin.

Dario Minieri almost turned into one of the early victims when he was crippled to a mere 375 chips, but somehow he managed to escape doom and make it back up to 2,500. In contrast, Farzad Rouhani - a former Omaha-8/Stud-8 bracelet winner - managed to build his 7,500 starting stack up to comfortable 26,000 early on.

In the end, about half of the participants succeeded in making their way through the first day, and with 214 remaining players, we can look forward to seeing the likes of Todd Brunson, Annie Duke, Mike Matusow (pictured left), Kelly Kim and John Juanda return tomorrow. All of them have a rather modest stack, though, so things are sure to heat up as the contestants mount up for the second day.

On top of the list, we can find Joshua Schlein and Thang Luu, who were able to build up a certain gap between themselves and the other top ten players - things are far from settled, though, and everything is set for an exciting second day where the remainder of the field fights it out for the final table.

Be sure to check back for day two of this event, where the pace is sure to speed up.