Betfair: 2009 WSOP: Main Event in full swing

Today’s update from Betfair:

The “Day 1s” are already over at the WSOP main event and some familiar names are nursing some healthy chip stacks at this stage. Eric Cloutier currently leads the pack as Day 2b begins. Cloutier had an outstanding days play and managed to amass a chip count of 383,500. Hot on his heels are Ed Perry on 370,000, Brandon Demes on 369,800, Miika Puumalainen on 361,200 and Jamie Brown on 360,400.

With all due respect to the current chip leaders, where are the household names? Well, we don’t have to look too far down the list to see Greg ‘FBT’ Mueller looking comfortable just outside of the top ten. Ireland’s Andy Black is also well in contention with over 200,000 chips. Betfair’s Sorel Mizzi has had a solid main event so far. Mizzi is sitting pretty on 166,400 chips. The <a href=”http://betting.betfair.com/cricket/2009-ashes/”>Ashes cricket test match clearly hasn’t put Shane Warne off his poker. The former Australian international also has over 160,000 chips.

Many of the “A list” poker players are struggling at this stage. Although Day 2b contains plenty of “names” the famous players already through to Day 3 are very thin on the ground. A scan down the chip counts sees Vitaly Lunkin, Julian Gardner, Greg Raymer and Michael Greco with average stacks and Sam Farha, Barny Boatman, Erik Seidel and Roland De Wolfe all in need of a chip boost when they begin Day 3.

The remaining players are chasing an $8.5 million dollar winners prize with the top nine players all becoming dollar millionaires this year.

The lack of well known names could also be attributed to the main event unexpectedly reaching capacity. Red faced WSOP organisers were forced to apologise to approximately 500 poker players that were turned away as they tried to register for the tournament.

Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP commissioner, said; “We do not want to be in the business of turning people away. This is not our preferred outcome, but operationally we are at capacity. Just so we are clear, we are not happy about what has happened today, but from an operational standpoint we have done everything that could have done to accommodate everyone today. I apologize and I promise you we will deal with this and it will not happen again.”

Many star names vented their frustration at being unable to register for the biggest poker tournament on the Las Vegas calendar. Several “fringe players” also expressed disappointment at wasting money on travel and accommodation only to be sent from The Rio clutching their $10,000 buy in.

We’ll have the latest from the WSOP main event as it develops here at Betfair Poker.

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