There being four days of day ones un' all, the Jack Effel introduction for players arriving at the Amazon Room for the first time was already becoming familiar. Yesterday we got the original version. It was new and exciting. Greg Raymer was up on stage, his big arm raised aloft with the glinting World Series bracelet wrapped around his wrist for all to see - a beacon above the crowds of heads to which every man and woman could set a course.
Jack Effel
Today we got Phil Gordon in a lady's tracksuit.
Naturally it was for charity, Gordon asking players to pledge one per cent of their winnings to the cause, and the effect of a figure hugging white velour on the already six feet tall Gordon - making him appear even bigger - was eerily persuasive.
Gordon then made way for Effel, his voice switched over to Wrestle Mania mode, perfect for ratcheting up the excitement or selling chops at a meat auction, welcoming everyone to the Main Event and repeating the line, believed only by the terminally romantic, that they were the lucky ones, one-hundredth of one percent of the world's poker playing population, carrying their ambitions with them.
Then Effel switched back to single tone voice, recounting the same rules as were explained yesterday, ones about telephone calls, internet at the tables, English only, penalty trackers, levels, breaks, dinner breaks, the kind of thing you can drift off to, like the safety briefing on a short-haul 737 or the back stretch of Finger Lakes maiden claimer.
The Amazon room filling up
Once awake again and we were under way, thanks to today's guest announcer Ashley McCoach. McCoach, from Denver, Colorado, is one of the 1,000 dealers at the World Series. This is her first, making her both Rookie Dealer of the Year and WSOP Most Valuable Dealer, good for a plus one dinner certificate to the Voodoo lounge and a unique watch created by WSOP bracelet designer Steve Soffa. She seemed pleased and was happy announce "shuffle up and deal."
With the crash of a cymbal coming from somewhere day 1B is under way.
*****
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE HOUR
Peter Eastgate to take a break from poker
*****
THE HAS IT TAKEN THIS LONG OF THE HOUR
Today mark's Annette Obrestad's first World Series Main Event.
*****
INTERVIEW OF THE HOUR
*****
STAT OF THE HOUR
Players remaining at end of yesterday's day 1A: 762 (of 1,125)
Percentage of day 1A field eliminated: 32.3%
*****
OUT OF CONTEXT, OR MAYBE NOT, QUOTE OF THE HOUR
"Are your parents here? Good."
*****
STATISTIC OF THE HOUR
Number of bags of Atomic Fireballs purchased by PokerStars Blog team this morning: 6
*****
STACK OF THE HOUR
A quick reminder that players begin the Main Event with a 30,000 chip stack. That breaks down to:
4 x 5,000 orange chips (20,000)
8 x 1,000 yellow chips (8,000)
2 x 500 blue chips (1,000)
8 x 100 black chips (800)
8 x 25 green chips (200)
To contact the PokerStars Blog team, simply email 
