22:20: Main Event resumes after final break

The last break of Main Event Day 1A has ticked away and players are now back for the last level. Pete Yen Han Chen made quick work of boosting his stack. Also in action is Korea’s Namhyung Kim who is sporting the Somuchpoker patch.

Asia – top stacks

Shota Nakanishi – Japan – 336,000 (560 bb)
Pete Yen Han Chen – Taiwan – 195,000 (325 bb)

21:45: COLOSSUS Update: Daewoong Song doubles up

Daewoong Song celebrated his double up with dominating Moshe Refaelowitz’s . However he is still behind 18.5 bb to 45.1 bb.

21:15: COLOSSUS Update – Pete Yen Han Chen finishes in 3rd place

Taiwan’s hope for a gold vanished when Pete Yen Han Chen fell in 3rd place at the COLOSSUS event. Returning from a break, Chen lost a chunk of his stack to Daewong Song then fell shortly after the elimination of Darrick Arreola in 4th place. Chen risked his stack with but missed against Moshe Refaelowitz’s . Despite missing the gold, Chen still turned his $400 buy in into a sizable $216,320 payout.

Chen jumped in the Main Event. Daewoong Song is still in contention for his first gold and first win for Korea in this series.

18:00: Asian update on Event 70: $400 COLOSSUS

Over at Event 70: $400 COLOSSUS No Limit Hold’em, only five players remain out of 15,894 entries. Among the finalists are Korea’s Daewoong Song and Taiwanese pro Pete Yen Han Chen. Chen already has a WSOP bracelet which he won at the 2021 WSOP.com Online Event NLH Ultra Deepstack event. Chen and Song are both seeking their first live WSOP title.

16:00: Random stack update of Asian players at the end of Level 2

End of Level 2: 200-300 ante 300

14:00: Asians seen in action

Among the Asians seen entering the first level of play are Nishant Sharma, Edward Yam, and Dennis Ng who came up and told SMP he has already had a deep run. Ng arrived last week and entered Event 65: $5,000 NLH 6-Handed. He finished 64th out of 1,194 entries for a $12,694 payout. At the first break of the day, here are chip counts of a few players in the field.

End of Level 1: 100-200 ante 200

12:00: Jamie Gold delivers speech and customary “Shuffle up and deal!”

The 2023 WSOP Main Event is underway with two ballrooms seeing wall to wall action!  Before the cards started flying, 2006 Main Event champion Jamie Gold delivered a welcome speech,

“I know I am up here to do the shuffle up but I really feel compelled to say that what has been put on this year and every year here at the World Series of Poker is such a herculian feat that what the entire team has done, all the dealers, all the staff, what they put on for us, the players, we are so lucky to be able to play at the highest level in a $10,000 buy in and break the record of the biggest Main Event of all time, which I was so lucky and fortunate to win. I am just so happy to be here, so proud to be here, and I am so excited to get into this event. I wish everyone all the good fortune that I’ve had, all the good run that I’ve had, all the luck, except for the last person at the final table against me then I do not wish you so well. So everyone, ‘shuffle up and deal!’”

2023 WSOP Main Event info – Day 1A

The 54th Annual World Series of Poker opens today with the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship aka WSOP Main Event! This is the first of four Day 1 starters. Players can also sign up on Day 2 with late registration open for two levels.

As always, buy in for this iconic tournament stands at $10,000. This is a Freezeout No Limit Hold’em format which means you bust you’re done. No rebuys nor re-entries allowed.

Starting stack: 60,000
Starting time: 12:00pm
Opening blinds: 100-200, 200 bb ante
Level duration: 120 minutes
Dinner break: 75 minutes after Level 3
Day 1 bagging time: end of Level 5
Late registration: end of Level 7

Somuchpoker is on-site to capture the action, with special focus on the Asian contingent. Cards in the air at 12pm!