Only three tables are set up in the blue section for easy viewing and they feature 1995 Main Event Champion Dan Harrington, 2001 Main Event Champion Carlos Mortensen, and 2008 Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate.

Ruben Visser	30,000
Carlos Mortensen	30,000
Mikhail Shalamov	30,000
Chris Tryba	30,000
Brian Rast	30,000
Nathan Meyvis	30,000
Peter Eastgate	30,000
Dan Harrington	27,500	0

Here are a few players over in the Tan Section.

We found JC Tran looking down at a board of . With over 4,000 chips in the pot already, Tran checked to his opponent. Tran's opponent bet 2,500 and after some studying of the situation, Tran opted to call.

The board completed with the and Tran checked once again. His opponent checked behind and tabled for trip aces. Tran tapped the table and mucked his hand.

This early hit brings Tran's stack down to 25,200.

JC Tran

25,200

-4,800

Players start with 30,000 chips (or 300 big blinds) in the WSOP Main Event, but that doesn't prevent action and big pots, given the right set of circumstances.

Just now we came on a hand in which John Wills and an opponent traded bets through the turn at which point the board showed . The river brought the and a series of bets culminating in an all-in shove by Wills for 22,000 total, and after tanking his opponent finally called.

Wills' opponent turned over for tens full of nines, but Wills showed up with for a straight flush to scoop the big pot and leave his opponent with but 900 chips (or nine big blinds).

John Wills

64,000

34,000

Dan Harrington is in the building, the old poker guard veteran seems to have this whole Main Event thing down pat. The man has made four Main Event final tables in his lifetime, and has even taken down the whole thing once already.

Harrington can be seen mixing it up in the Amazon room. We recently caught up with him while he was getting involved in a pot. The flop read . The small blind checked, and a player in early position bet out 450. Next it was on Harrington in the cutoff and he made the call. The small blind snap called and all three players were granted access to the turn.

The then showed its face on fourth street and both the small blind and the early position player checked, prompting a bet of 900 from Harrington. The small blind surrendered and the early position player made the call.

The on the river allowed for both players to knuckle the felt for checks. The early position player flipped over for a straight and Harrington mucked his cards.

Here are some of the players spotted in their seats in the Orange section of the Amazon room.

"I was just talking about it an hour ago!"

Randy Ashe was just now explaining to his table how he'd been going over a commonly imagined scenario with friends prior to the start of play today — facing the prospect of going all in at the very start of the WSOP Main Event.

That situation just occurred for Ashe following a series of reraises with Gaston Ruzo of Argentina, sitting across from Ashe at Table 416. When the betting concluded, both players tabled their hands — for Ruzo, and for Ashe.

The board ran out a friendly , meaning neither player will have to leave us early.

"This is the day! The time is now!"

So said WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel when making his preliminary announcements prior to the start of play. Players have been waiting all year, and now many of those who've registered for today's Day 1b are in their seats and being dealt their first hands of the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Today UFC fighter and current Welterweight Champion George St-Pierre handled the task of instructing dealers to get things started. "GSP" was the MMA fighter of the year in 2008 and 2009, and he's playing in today's event.

"I wish all you the best of luck. It's my first major tournament… I'll try not to tap out too fast," said St-Pierre.

"Without any further waiting, shuffle up and deal… and have fun!"

Welcome to Day 1b of the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event! The cumulative event of events kicked off yesterday with 1,066 players all with the hopes and dreams of taking down poker's greatest prize, a World Series Main Event bracelet. This event transcends the poker world, making celebrities out of the last person standing. This is what it all comes down to, winning the Main Event.

The Main Event kicked off with a bang yesterday seeing a handful of notable pros playing in the field. Faraz Jaka, Eric Baldwin, Brock Parker, Pius Heinz, and Isaac Haxton all finished the day above their initial starting stack, but it was William John who set the score to beat; bagging 266,700 chips at the end of the night. Those chips had to come from somewhere though, and day 1a had its fair share of losers as well. Matt Glantz, Joe Hachem, Greg Mueller, Eric Froehlich, and Phil Hellmuth all had early exits,

"How many people are going to play the Main Event this year?" is a common question heard throughout the WSOP. Today should be a telltale sign of what direction that's heading with plenty of people still set to duke it out on the felt. Today is day 1b, the second of the three starting days for the Main Event this year. A significant amount of players are expected to take their seats today. Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your updates on who's playing, who's winning, and who has to wait till next year.

Everyone is getting in their respective places, ready for the day's festivities to begin. Dealers are positioned at their tables, the floor staff is primed and ready to make sure everything goes smoothly, and the halls are packed with players ready for their chance at fame and glory. Play is set to start at 12:00 PM, so stay tuned.

For now, Sarah Grant has all the highlights that came out of yesterday: