Day 1: Sunday, May 27, 2012
"The Daily Shuffle" will be posted exclusively at WSOP.com prior to the start of the day's events. Post time will be at about 11 am (Las Vegas time). Players and fans may look to this page as a daily clearinghouse for important news and information about tournaments and other events happening at the Rio. When applicable, "The Daily Shuffle" will also provide a brief overview of the highlights from the previous day.
Today, the 43rd annual World Series of Poker officially begins. The first gold bracelet event (of 61) will be the "Casino Employees Championship." The buy-in is $500. The game is No-Limit Hold'em. This tournament is limited to casino employees only. All players must be employed by the gaming industry.
Event #1 begins at noon. Registration is expected to close at approximately 4:40 pm -- following four levels of play (plus two 20-minute breaks). This means eligible players may enter up until about 4:40 in the afternoon on Sunday.*
Day One action is expected to be concentrated inside the Pavilion -- which is the largest of the three tournament rooms. Most opening day events will begin inside the Brasilia Room. However, last-minute work and preparations are still being done in that room. So, opening day will take place inside the Pavilion instead.
The Casino Employees Championship is officially listed as a two-day event. Day One will play from noon until about 12:30 am. There will be a 90-minute dinner break -- expected to take place from 6:40 to 8:10.
Performing the official "Shuffle Up and Deal" honors alongside WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel will be longtime poker dealer Richard Turnbull. Announcements begin promptly at noon.
Surviving players from Event #1 will bag up at the end of the night and return to play on Monday for Day Two. That session will begin at 1 pm.
Last year's Casino Employees Championship drew 850 entries. The 2011 winner was Sean R. Drake, from Folsom, CA.
The Casino Employee's Championship is the most American-centric of all gold bracelet events. American players dominate the entry ranks, unlike some open events which sometimes draw as much as 30 to 40 percent from outside the United States.
There will be no video stream on this day. The first video stream is expected take place Monday. All final tables of gold bracelet events will be streamed at WSOP.com on a five-minute delay. Action can be seen exclusively at WSOP.com.
Coverage of Event #1 can be seen at WSOP.com. Updates will include almost-live chip counts as well as written updates supplied by our friends at PokerNews.com.
The first of many Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em tournaments begins at 2 pm. The entry fee is $235.
The next Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em tournament begins at 6 pm. The entry fee is $185.
The last Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em tournament begins at 10 pm. The entry fee is $135.
Two Mega-Satellites will be held on Sunday. The first begins at 4 pm and costs $330 to enter. The second begins at 8 pm and costs $550 to enter. These satellites award seats into the WSOP Main Event Championship.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! The first gold bracelet event open to all players begins on Monday. Because a large turnout is expected, PLAYERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER EARLY in order to avoid possible lines at the Rio on the day of the tournament.
Here's to a great 2012 World Series of Poker!
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* Please note that all listed times are estimates and subject to change
