British pro Jack Ellwood has taken his seat over at table 366 where he is seated two to the left of Jason Mercier so we expect some decent sized pots to be created between those too.
Elsewhere in the orange section is a man who is no stranger to WSOP Main Event success. Representing Ukraine is Anton Makiievskyi who in 2011 managed to navigate his way through the vast majority of the 6,865 field of the Main Event before falling in eighth place for a $1,010,015.
We joined the action on a three-way flop of where an older gentleman had led out for 2,350. Tom Middleton in the cut-off raised to 7,500 and the player on the button was deciding what to do. After some thought he laid it down and it was back to the small blind. He asked the dealer how much more it was for him to call and put out the additional amount.
The turn card was the and both players checked. The river was the and again both players quickly checked. The player in the small blind turned over and Middleton had a little wry smile to himself and mucked his cards.
Arguably the best young poker player in world, Ole Schemion, enters his first ever World Series of Poker Main Event today. We've just spotted Schemion in the orange section of the Amazon Room and lots of eyes will be on him today.
Schemion amassed a staggering $5.2 million in live tournament winnings in just three full years of live tournament action. Schemion turned 21 last year after the WSOP and he's still looking for his first American flag on his list of results.
The number five on the German all-time money list's biggest score came back in September of 2012 when he won the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event for $1.45 million.
Today Schemion faces Dario Sammartino, who could very well be one of the few players who recognizes this 'unknown' on US soil.
In a battle of the blinds, Dave Swanson and his opponent committed 225 preflop to see a flop with Swanson betting out 300. The big blind made the call as the rolled off on the turn and Swanson tossed in 650. The big blind again made the call as both players checked the on the river.
"Ace" announced Swanson as he tabled his .
However, the big blind tabled his for a better kicker and scooped the pot as Swanson slipped to 28,575.
For most people in the poker scene, the name Dave Swanson might not ring a bell, but when you pair it with his nickname of "All-American Dave" most will associate it with an Eat Better, Be Better philosophy that provides a well-balanced and micronutrient-rich food service to poker players here at the World Series of Poker.
Beginning several years ago as food delivery for just a few players, Swanson's business has boomed to where his food truck is located out the back of the Amazon room and his clients include everyone from seasoned tournament grinders, high stakes players, cash game regulars and even WSOP staff such as some of PokerNews' own loyal bloggers and reporters.
"I'm living my dreams right now!" stated Swanson when asked about his first WSOP Main Event.
Swanson originally created his Eat Better, Be Better philosophy from a perspective of if he was a poker player and how he could keep healthy by eating clean while enduring the long grind of the WSOP. Now Swanson gets to experience his program first hand.
"I had my breakfast, worked out and now I am about to order a protein shake."
Swanson - who has dabbled in tournaments before - now gets to mix it up with some of the best players in the world as he is getting to play his first WSOP Main Event.
"I'm blessed" added Swanson who continued by saying that he had lots of poker players and clients chip in for pieces to provide him with this opportunity of a lifetime to play his first WSOP Main Event and see what it's like to be on the other side of his business.
The 1983 World Series of Poker Main Event champion and four time bracelet winner Tom McEvoy has decided to play Day 1a this year. McEvoy's seated next to Trishelle Cannatella on one of the highlighted tables and he'll also be facing one of the most successful players of the last 12 months.
Mukul Pahuja became World Poker Tour player of the year this past season and more than a million dollar in cashes in both 2013 and 2014. In total Pahuja has just short of three million in live tournament earnings and he'll be one of the toughest players in today's Main Event flight.
The $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event kicked off an hour ago, but there's still time to win a seat to the grandest tournament of the year. At 5 p.m. today, WSOP.com in Nevada is guaranteeing 25 seats to the Main Event in the 25 Seat Scramble, a $215 satellite to the Main Event!
If $215 is out of your budget, one last $27.50 super satellite to the 25 Seat Scramble begins today at 2 p.m. This satellite guarantees 10 entries into the Scramble, so be sure to register and take your shot at poker immortality!
Antonio Esfandiari faced a bet on the river of 2,100. The board read and Esfandiari decided to probe his opponent for information. “What do you got over there?” he asked.
His opponent remained tight lipped however and Esfandiari decided it was perhaps too early to waste some of his magic and he quickly released his cards saying, “Nice hand.”
World Series of Poker Player of the Year leader Brandon Shack-Harris joins the PokerNews Podcast to talk about his summer thus far, tell stories, discuss music, and share some very brilliant accents. There are also cameos by friend of the podcast Matt Glantz and ESPN's own Andrew Feldman.