WSOP Main Event: Breakfast of (Future?) Champions

DAY 1B Begins

by C.J. Hoyt

It's a nervous breakfast. Perhaps eggs and grease aren't the best antidote for butterflies, but that's exactly what the hundreds of PokerStars qualifiers are eating this morning. There's still another hour or so before cards go in the air, but it's clear these players are ready.

Colin "nairobi" Thomson

"My Dad is a better poker player than I am," Colin told me. Of course, it's Colin who's playing in the Main Event and not his father, not that his father didn't try.

Colin spent 80 FPP in a 40 FPP rebuy to win a spot in a 4000 FPP satellite. He turned that into a free seat in the WSOP.

"It's not really free," he told me, "My wife wanted to come along." And it's a long way from Colin's home in Scotland.

This is, as you would expect, Colin's first WSOP event, and, in fact, he tells me he hasn't played a whole lot of live poker in his life.

"I've probably got a million tells!"

Tomorrow, Colin has a seat in a PokerStars online satellite to the Barcelona EPT event. He didn't spend any money on this one either, just more FPP's.

"That one's a little closer to me, and it's a little nicer there."

Steve, Bill and Dan

They don't know each other, but found themselves at the same breakfast table. For each of these guys, it's their first World Series of Poker Main Event.

Steve "steveo72" Vassilaros is here from Austin, TX. Bill "llbilly" Crouch lives in Chicago. And Dan "forkpens" Kaplan flew in from New York.

They didn't seem nervous, but it's still early. They all know it's going to be a long event, but they're confident enough to talk about what they'll be doing on their days off. Good luck!

PokerStars Five Update

I wrote about these guys quite a bit yesterday so when the final chip count list finally showed up, the first thing I did was try to find out who survived. There's good news!

Nate "Jimmytogni" Kelley got just the double up he was desperate for. At the end of Day 1, he's at the low end of the totem pole with 12,300 chips. The only other survivor of our PokerStars Five is England's Matt Tailby. He's sitting at 14,295.

Here's a few other PokerStars qualifiers I mentioned yesterday:
Tammy "bighearted" Rocco: 13,875
Sumit "Pool_shark_1" Kumar: 15,150
Wade "Wader" Graham: 15,625
Ray "kgbs nutz" Uy: 21,550

Editor's note: Here's a list of PokerStars players we'll be watching today in Day 1B:

**JML***
1eyd willie
4BETUONTURN
55lucky55
5thSt.Felon
AaronLoew
abbeyroad99
acbgo
acekingqq
Acey-Deucey
Aholibah
allabob
ALLin2k5
allinstevie
AlmostFamous
andaw
ascott67
attytess
AudiTT1
babyjess28
badkad
BadLarry
Bastien
bates35
beach03
beanie35
bestofphx
Bigdaddydvo
BigDennys
bigdog414
biggies05
BigRiskky
bingobent
bl0wback
BobOjedaFan
bocaorange
BOCCE
Born2DogBaby
bostonfred
Brett Favre
brianbeeper
Brownshoe
Buckohfive
Bushman
Casey ATB
casinoroyale
cbunger
chizzer
chubick
Ciaranstout
clarsonx
CoachMarshal
Codes888
Coffee5481
Cohen robert
confidence09
coolhandkuhn
Coop101
Crobat
Cubbie76
CUTboy11
CuteBabyface
czar007
D Money1919
DalleValdez
danomano2
danxxx1
darkcloud
davidross
dazita
-db-
dbbaker
deeznutz88
DELTA LAW
Devin1
dibsy
Didyouhaveit
dinesletter
Djorgo
DLoRT
doanestyle
Dogger9
doh1
DoobMan420
drag0nslay3r
dumbhand
Electronutz
ELI2TXC
ElmerFudd
enjoyin_nyc
erf?
EvilDrSluggo
Fezzig
Fireman22222
franco50
FreddyColors
fumbo420
G6Dragon
Galaga
gcDanno
Genguskon
geoeng
Germaniac2
gjsmittys
goleafsgo41
goleafsgoeh
Gordan Gekko
gpguy25
GRAPPA
GreasyTony
groupco
GTChemist
HalJenn
HappyMeals
HardCor33
Härskitheman
holdemboss11
Hotrod0823
hymenstealr2
IAmSnow
iceberg
ijsj2003
imstorm
insane4g0lf
isuck123
J.N. DUARTE
JACACEWd
jamesy
Jaqueline
jasonkobe
JaspudUF
Jbird33
Jedi Ken
jet101
jezaja
jingles174
jodster1977
JohnnyBax
JohnSmiley1
Jomar60
JONAH J
JRJ69
jrot1
jshadow323
J-town JJ
Junior71930
KingAlan6
KingDingalin
kjust
knickadam55
knusper
korihor70
Lazy Otter
LedStudent
LLBilly
londongee
Luckypete77
LURPED
mardy
Mark_Mich
mattheconq
mattymat
meez
MeltonOk
MGCAPRI
michael1123
michftball
MickBt23
micnik
Midd Bear
mikescud
MingLi
MiracleFlop
MJDpoker2
MK12
moledaddy
moneyivey
monkey38
muchakja
muskrrr
mustafa
MVTh
nordlight
NotHimAgain
nowins
NPR34675992
nuts69
nutsnima
NYWalker
onyourknees
orock99
Paddy Hat
pairDboard21
pfurious
Pilot2000
PMJackson21
pokerMJ
polaris3239
Pothog23
ProfPolo
qmrw
quzzo
rayjunior77
RED__BIAN
red720
reraise420
retgals
ribol
richflounder
Rizen
rlk2226
RockogRul
Rocktoit420
Roothlus
RoundTower
Royal11
rutasasha
SADCATS
scottjf8
scrapper41
scsuhockey10
Seanuuu
settlement
Shaaarrrp
shahmat
Shawn Fry
Shotgun747
shwaguy
sideshowgil
skarbiec
skittles_165
sonofjws
Sooners
spankmenow
stars2stars
Stiff
stockbrokerr
stones99
Strumpan
sunshine1951
Surrey Rock
Swift Raven
TCN2TW
The Hat
The Mongrel
TheBudak
thee nuttzz
theGorn
thekingsweed
ThePhenom508
thunderswede
Timid Bill
TOM JR
TRAFFICKER
trashman831
Trivoli
Troubles
tuckeroo
tweets2
twocomma
Tycoon_Kid
ukfiberguy
victorydance
virus1975
Vital_98
vouna
VTXr
vupti3
wari
wieb enik
Willibal
WillieDM3
windough
WINNER'circl
worm-50
Yaba
yankeejoe1
yankfan
yarskin
yeknaH
yellowhat
Zoomee