Round One of the $10,000 Heads-Up Event

Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier stands out from any crowd, even the elite field that showed up to play in Event #35 ($10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em). The event was sold out, with 256 players filling out the bracket of the single-elimination event. (The final match will be played as the best two out of three.)

Justin Smith Finishes Day 1 of Event #33 With a Huge Lead

Justin "BoostedJ" Smith is all smiles at the end of Day 1 of Event #33 ($2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha). Smith finished the day with a huge chip lead -- a third more chips than anyone else. Physically, his stack seems even larger, because he has bought up all the small denomination (green) chips at his table to ease the color-up process.

The Money-Making Mizrachis

Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi (standing, red cap) visits his brother Robert (center) to check on his progress in Event #31 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E.). Michael had finished eighth at his third WSOP final table earlier that day, while Robert had just reached the money in this event. The two brothers had final tabled Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship) together, with Robert finishing fifth and Michael winning the bracelet.

Maria Ho Makes the Money

Maria Ho scores her second WSOP cash of the year in Event #31 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E.) on the same night the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship. Ho is a huge Lakers fan, and wore Lakers gear to support her team. But the chilly temperature in the Amazon Room won out over team spirit once the game was over, and Ho put on a sweater.

Jon Turner in the Money in Event #31

Jon Turner (known online as "PearlJammer" or "PearlJammed") scores his third cash of the WSOP in Event #31 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E.). This is the 13th WSOP cash of Turner's career, and he is looking to make his fifth WSOP final table.

Allen Kessler's Fourth Cash

Allen Kessler (center) cashes for the fourth time this WSOP in Event #31 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E.). Kessler is quick to point out that his cashes have each come in different variations of poker -- his earlier cashes were in Omaha hi-lo, 2-7 triple draw, and seven card stud hi-lo. With four WSOP cashes, Kessler is tied for the second-most so far this year -- Tad Jurgens (not pictured) is the only player with five.

James Van Alstyne Knows H.O.R.S.E.

James Van Alstyne defends his title in Event #31 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E), with a deep run into the money. Van Alstyne won this event last year, and definitely excels at mixed games; last year he had first- and second-place finishes in H.O.R.S.E. events, and added a sixth-place finish in the $10,000 Mixed Game.

Michael Craig Never Stops Writing

In between hands, Michael Craig takes time to chronicle his tournament progress in his notebook. In addition to writing books, Craig is also a blogger, and he's always on the lookout for interesting stories.

Poker Author Michael Craig

Michael Craig is the critically-acclaimed author of "The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King," which chronicles the ultra-high-stakes cash game between top Vegas pros and a billionaire banker from Texas. Craig is also an accomplished player, as his progress in Event #31 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E.) represents his sixth WSOP cash and he has made three WSOP final tables. His best result was a second-place finish in $2,500 razz last year, where he finished runner-up to WSOP Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro, who won three WSOP bracelets in variations of seven card stud. Craig would later joke that he was the razz champion in the non-Lisandro division.

November Niner Jeff Shulman

Jeff Shulman is the publisher of Card Player magazine, but rose to wider fame when he made the final table of last year's WSOP Main Event -- the November Nine. Shulman would eventually finish fifth, earning $1.95 million. Here, he has made the money of Event #31 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E.), and is still in the hunt for his first bracelet. His father, Barry Shulman, has two WSOP bracelets, including one for winning last year's WSOP Europe Main Event.