Saturday, April 25, 2015 12:36 AM Local Time
Day 1A of the World Series of Poker Main Event at Harrah's Cherokee is in the books here in Cherokee, North Carolina. The first starting flight of this $750,000 guaranteed finale saw a total of 283 players enter the fray, but by the end of 15 levels it was Aaron Plaisted (pictured) who climbed to the top of the chip counts. A true circuit grinder, the Georgia native managed to bag an astounding 429,000 chips, putting him well out in front of his nearest competitor David Williams (280,500). This David Williams isn't the same guy who nearly won the WSOP Main Event back in 2004, but rather an amateur from Alabama in search of his first big score. With all but one of his 11 career cashes coming on the WSOP Circuit, the chip-leading Plaisted is well positioned to make a run at his first gold ring, along with a first-prize payout that will likely top $200,000 when registration concludes tomorrow.
Although Plaisted's monster stack is worthy of merit, it was the performance put on by NFL great Richard Seymour that almost stole the show. A three-time Super Bowl champion from his days with the New England Patriots, Seymour earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the best defensive linemen in football during his playing days, but today he put up a little offense as well. Seymour had a stack in play with just a few hands remaining in the night, but his pocket sevens ran into pocket jacks in a preflop cooler. Seymour was looking for his fourth career cash - with the previous three all coming in events boasting buy-ins over $1,100 - so expect to see him back in action tomorrow for the second starting flight.
Other notable names to survive the gauntlet on Day 1A include Josh Arieh (218,000), Leif Force (94,000), Nicholas Palma (72,000), and Paul Sokoloff (67,000). For those interested in a bit of schadenfreude, Greg Raymer, Ralph Massey, John Holley, Nancy Nguyen, Jason Sandling, and Iverson Cotton Snuffer were among the big names who fired a bullet and fell by the wayside. These pros likely came prepared to fire two bullets though, so there's little doubt that most of the eliminated listed above will be back at it for Day 1B.
The second starting flight kicks off Saturday at noon EST, and the field will play 15 full levels before combining on Sunday's Day 2. You can check out the full list of chip counts for the 54 survivors by clicking on the "Reports" tab above.
Saturday, April 25, 2015 12:03 AM Local Time
The 63 players still left in contention are bagging and tagging after a long day on the felt. Stay tuned for a recap of Day 1A action, including a rundown of the chip leaders, notable survivors, and the dearly departed.
Friday, April 24, 2015 11:55 PM Local Time
After making an impressive run through today's first starting flight, New England Patriots legend Richard Seymour is out.
The three-time Super Bowl champion ran into , and no sets or straights arrived on board to save him. Seymour has shown quite an affinity for poker during his retirement, so expect to see him fire another bullet tomorrow during Day 1B.
Richard Seymour - Eliminated
Friday, April 24, 2015 11:31 PM Local Time
Preflop, the player on the button has 13,500 pushed forward, facing a big reraise to 28,000 by Riley Fuller. The button flats and the flop falls .
Fuller leads into his opponent for another 28,000 wager, and the button pauses for a beat before flatting once again. When fourth street brings the on board - and a four-flush with it - Fuller leads out once more, this time for 30,000. His opponent waits for a few seconds, appearing to ponder his options, before he quietly announces himself all in for 67,000 effective. The bet is for most of his chips though, as he only has around 85,000 behind.
Fuller snap-calls and when he does, the button player knows the score immediately, frowning even as he shows down for a flopped flush (and the second nuts at that). Unfortunately for him, intuition proves correct and Fuller rolls over for the nuts, securing a huge double up in the last level of the day.
Riley Fuller - 255,000
Friday, April 24, 2015 11:11 PM Local Time
A player with less than three big blinds to work with makes his stand with a preflop shove, and Leif Force calls the wager from the cutoff, as does the big blind.
After the dealer fans the flop, the big blind checks to Force, who obliges with a bet that folds the big blind and gets the pot heads-up. Force reveals for top pair, and the all-in short stack tables , hoping aloud for an ace to fall. His wish goes unfulfilled on the turn and the river, sending the small pot to Force while slimming the field by one.
Lief Force - 112,000
Friday, April 24, 2015 11:10 PM Local Time
Level: 15
Blinds: 1,200/2,400
Ante: 400
Friday, April 24, 2015 10:57 PM Local Time
Aaron Plaisted's rampage continues as he sends longtime pro John Holley to the rail. Plaisted just took a new seat and brought racks of chips with him, upwards of 370,000 at latest count.
According to Plaisted, one of his recent wins took place when he took up against Holley's . Both players hit the flop hard, but Plaisted's set put him out in front. The board bricked out on the turn and river, and with that Plaisted assumed a commanding chip lead over the Day 1A field.
Aaron Plaisted - 373,000
John Holley - Eliminated
Friday, April 24, 2015 10:55 PM Local Time
Lester Milligan is on his way out of the tournament area with a shocked look on his face. According to Milligan, he flopped a set of aces and his opponent flopped a set of queens. It was almost a sure double up for Milligan, but the river had other plans when it brought a fourth queen for his opponent.
Milligan couldn't believe his luck and said he may have to give it another shot tomorrow in Day 1B.
Friday, April 24, 2015 10:43 PM Local Time
Two of the bigger stacks in the room, Josh Arieh and Dave Terry, are in a pot together. There is about 28,000 in the pot with the flop reading . The turn is the and Arieh bets 16,500 from the big blind position and Terry calls from the button.
The river brings the and Arieh bets 22,000. Terry stares at the bet and then his chips. He grabs 22,000 and tosses into the middle. The cards are tabled.
Terry:
Arieh:
Terry's straight takes the pot. With that pot, Terry is the first player to cross the 300,000 chip mark.
Dave Terry - 305,000
Josh Arieh - 110,000
Friday, April 24, 2015 10:39 PM Local Time
With her stack shrinking to the danger zone, Julie Cornelius shoves preflop for her last 8,700, coming over the top of Aaron Plaisted's 4,200-chip open.
Action folds around to Plaisted, and although he doesn't appear pleased with the spot, he calls the remainder.
"Nice hand..." he tells Cornelius while tabling , but the reverse jinx works and she shows down just . The race is on, but the board rolls out with three aces and a couple of baby cards, leaving Cornelius with no pair - and no more chips.
Aaron Plaisted - 171,000
Julie Cornelius - Eliminated
Friday, April 24, 2015 10:28 PM Local Time
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 300
Friday, April 24, 2015 10:20 PM Local Time
Dave Terry is riding a rush right now, and after eliminating Jason Sandling earlier in Level 13, he's added another 100,000 to his already massive stack.
According to Terry it wasn't anything special, just a "run of hot cards," but his stack is swelling at the moment. With more than 260,000 at his disposal late in the day, Terry is threatening to end the first starting flight as an overwhelming chip leader.
Dave Terry - 263,000
Friday, April 24, 2015 10:06 PM Local Time
Dave Terry sits in early position with a bet of 4,500 pushed forward before the flop, as does the player holding the button. In the small blind, Jason Sandling - winner of this very event last April - reraises up to 17,800.
Sandling soon moves all in over the top for right around 80,000, a power play which pushes the button's hand into the muck. The same cannot be said for Sandling, as he calls off the rest of his 70,000 or so and tables . Terry shows down to put himself in a commanding position, and the final board rolls out to keep the cowboys out in front.
Exiting the table with the grace of a player who has been here before, Sandling offers a sincere "nice hand sir, good game" to Terry before heading out. As he stacks his newly acquired chips, Sandling points to Josh Arieh two seats to his left, saying "it's funny too, Josh here is my neighbor back home in Alpharetta, Georgia. And he's my neighbor here today too!"
Dave Terry - 164,000
Jason Sandling - Eliminated
Friday, April 24, 2015 9:50 PM Local Time
Level: 13
Blinds: 800/1,600
Ante: 200
Friday, April 24, 2015 9:33 PM Local Time
Players are taking their final break of the night. They will return in 15 minutes to play three more levels before bagging and tagging. Surviving players will return Sunday at noon for Day 2.
Friday, April 24, 2015 9:30 PM Local Time
As the night winds down here at Harrah's Cherokee, those players still unaccustomed to the thrill of building a stack continue to soak the scene in. One of those players is Lester Milligan, a native of Brighton, Alabama who has one WSOP Circuit cash to his credit. That came last year at the Biloxi stop, where Milligan finished in 30th place out of 301 runners.
Today, Milligan is trying to earn a second Circuit cash, and after a recent heater pushed him up to 68,000 in chips, he wants his friends back home to know. Looking dapper in a custom white shirt emblazoned with the words "Black Ice," complete with diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs sprinkled throughout, Milligan certainly looks the part of a card sharp.
So if you're sweating the action back home in Brighton, everything's cool. Your buddy "Black Ice" is in no danger of melting away anytime soon.
Lester Milligan - 68,000
Friday, April 24, 2015 9:27 PM Local Time
A player in early position raises to 3,000. The player in cutoff calls along with Richard Seymour in the small blind and the player in the big blind.
The flop comes and Seymour leads for 4,500. His only opponent to call is the one in early position. The turn brings the . Seymour slides a full stack of 1k chips into the middle for a bet of 20,000. His opponent quickly folds and Seymour takes the pot.
Richard Seymour - 68,000
Friday, April 24, 2015 9:18 PM Local Time
Three players see the flop fall and after a check to him, the preflop raiser fires out a c-bet. Another player raises it up, but Tom Macey is on the button with in the hole. With just 7,400 behind, Macey makes his move and shoves all in, pushing the preflop raiser out the pot.
Priced in now, the flop raiser decides to look Macey up with , but he finds himself well behind top pair and a good kicker. The turn and river blank off, coming and respectively, which sends Macey a much needed pot.
Tom Macey - 34,000
Friday, April 24, 2015 9:07 PM Local Time
A player in middle position opens to 2,500 and Richard Seymour three-bet jams for his last 19,100. His opponent makes a quick call and tells Seymour "I hope you have ace-king," but the three-time Super Bowl champion says nothing and tables .
The player looking for a coin flip winces at the sight of a pocket pair, as he has just to work with. When the dealer fans a flop Seymour's opponent concedes defeat with a "nice hand sir," and the board completes with the and on the turn and river.
Richard Seymour - 42,000
Friday, April 24, 2015 9:02 PM Local Time
The action is on the player in the cutoff position and he already has 2,800 sitting out in front of him. Kim Stone is already all-in in the small blind and Steven Snyder is also all-in for less from middle position. The player in the cutoff position folds his hand. Snyder and Stone table their hands.
Snyder:
Stone:
The board runs out and Snyder doubles up through Stone. Stone has cooled off since her hot start and now finds herself as a short stack.
Steven Snyder - 65,000
Kim Stone - 11,500