Because of historical gaming regulation in England, there aren't any casinos in the UK that match the size of the casinos on the Vegas Strip. Consequently, the WSOPE can’t fit Day 1 under one roof, had spread Day 1 play across three Harrahs properties, Fifty, The Sportsman and the Empire. The result of the WSOPE being played across a number of venues was a difficulty for onlookers to comprehend the full gravity of this momentous tournament. However, with Day 2a upon us, Harrahs have consolidated the field play to the Main Event venue, the Empire… and that has made quite a difference.  

Somehow, this consolidation, and perhaps the weeding out the boys from the men in the sieve of Day1 qualification, has made this a much more serious tournament. The atmosphere at the tables has switched gears from what originally felt like a major tournament (but not a bracelet event) to an all-out battle for poker supremacy in Europe. According to Marcel Luske, “The players have learned from Day 1 - everyone now has a goal, they got past the first day obstacles and have changed their mindset from the American way to think (big-field tournament strategy) to the British way (smaller-field  strategy) so people are now adjusting their play to accommodate that.”

But that may not be the only reason Day 2 play has shifted the competition up a level. According to Todd Brunson, the American players came at a disadvantage to the British players. Most of them not only came to London to play poker, but to raise their profile on the global poker market. That means doing promotions, meeting and greeting, interviewing and glad handing. These distractions, combined with the jetlag that results from international flight across 8 time-zones, meant that the American players were at a physical disadvantage to the British players. But now, three days into the Main Event,  the jet lag seems to have dissipated and the publicity is out of the way– the result –complete focus on the task at hand – taking home the bracelet.

What will Day 3 bring, probably more of the same, as the gladiators of the felt get close enough to taste the bracelet and the 1 million pound sterling prize.  The WSOP is the undisputed king of card room sport, and the WSOPE, even in its first year, is shaping up to be an extension of the WSOP rather than its younger sibling.