By: Las Vegas Now Staff
DAY: 1 (Officially known as Day 1A)
BIG NEWS: Play opened in the 39th World Series of Poker main event Thursday, with more than 1,000 players putting down $10,000 each in hopes of making it through a 10-hour day of no-limit Texas Hold 'em.
Flanked by 10 showgirls, Las Vegas icon Wayne Newton delivered the famous order — “Shuffle up and deal!” The UNLV marching band played Elvis Presley's “Viva Las Vegas,” and some players showed up in costumes. One wore a full wizard's outfit complete with a white, Merlin-esque beard
Famous faces playing on Day 1 included comedian Ray Romano, actors Jason Alexander and Mekhi Phifer and poker pros Scotty Nguyen, Barry Greenstein, Joe Hachem and Dan Harrington.
STUD OF THE DAY: Joe “The Show” Gualtieri, of Toronto, who saved himself from busting out of the tournament by catching a royal flush, poker's best hand. Unfortunately, the musician was only able to double his stack from 50 chips to 100, with the blinds at 100 and 200. He was rewarded with a gift certificate for a free massage, which he immediately sold to another player at the table.
BUSTED OUT: Poker pros Freddy Deeb, David Pham, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliot, Eli Elezra.
POKER TALK: Aces cracked: When a player wins a pot against pocket aces, the best starting hand in Texas Hold 'em. Barry Clancy was the first player eliminated from the tournament when he raised all-in with his aces against Rocco Lazazzaro, with the board showing a pair of sixes. Lazazzaro called with a pair of jacks and caught a third jack on the last card, ending Clancy's tournament.
UP NEXT: On Friday, the second starting group will play 10 hours of poker to prepare for the second round.
HE SAID WHAT?: “Total luck, bro, total luck. No master pokermanship here, right?” — Rocco Lazazzaro, after catching a jack on the final card of his hand to eliminate the first player of the tournament, who held pocket aces.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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