The 2018 WSOP Kicks Off With Event #1: $565 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em
It's that time of year again where folks from all around the world start to gather at the hotbed of poker in Las Vegas, Nevada. As in past years, the 2018 World Series of Poker will get underway with Event #1: $565 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em. Just off of the Las Vegas strip, the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino will play host to the largest poker festival in the world over the span of seven weeks in the desert heat.
For many casino employees, this is their one shot at poker glory and their chance to take home a coveted WSOP gold bracelet. To be eligible, entrants must be employed by a licensed gaming facility such as a casino, poker room, or racetrack.
Last year, Bryan Hollis a poker dealer from Maryland, captured the title along with a first prize of $68,817. The event attracted a total of 651 entries which created a prize pool of $325,500.
The action is slated to get underway at 11:00 a.m. local time with each player receiving a starting stack of 5,000 chips. The blinds will begin at 25/50 and will see an increase after every 30 minutes. There will be a 20-minute break after every four levels and a 75-minute dinner break after Level 12. The blinds will be increased to 60-minute levels on Day 2.
Each player will be given the option of one re-entry during the late registration period of eight levels, ending at approximately 3:40 p.m. A total of 20 levels are scheduled for Day 1 and a winner will be crowned on Day 2 in this fast-paced opening event.
PokerNews has activated the MyStack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone. You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
It is sure to be an action-packed 2018 WSOP with 78 bracelet events on tap for the summer and the PokerNews live reporting team is pleased to bring you complete coverage of every single event. There will be plenty of new faces walking through the doors in search of poker's most prestigious titles. There will also be many familiar faces in the crowd looking to mark their place in the record books. Stay tuned to find out who will be next!
, Dieter Dechant was first to act. He checked to Mike Majerus who put out a bet before Dechant moved all in over the top with a covering stack. Majerus called. 
came, and the river was the 
which was safe as well. That allowed Majerus to double-up back to around the starting stack while Dechant also dropped back to a starting stack. 
, improving Holloway's opponent further to two pair. The river was the 
, though, and that completed Holloway's straight, allowing him to double up. 
and Seufert celebrated with a fist pump after flopping two pair. However, the turn brought the 
on the river giving Phornton a straight. Seufert was left with his head in his hands as he couldn't believe that Phornton caught his runner-runner outs to double up.
, Hanson picked up plenty of outs. Unfortunately for him, the turn and river bricked off and Kopp's aces held on for the knockout.
turn or the 
and Ratanakul's pocket eights held on to eliminate Kunze in 18th place.
, Sanders checked again. Dechant moved all in and Sanders called. 
