Through the Lens: Marching Into Day 2

THE STARTING FLIGHTS HAVE WRAPPED UP: TIME TO GET SERIOUS!

Posted July 6, 2019 by Drew Amato

The first three starting flights have come and gone in the Main Event at the 50th World Series of Poker. While Day 1B remained relatively quiet, Day 1C was one of the craziest days of the WSOP I’ve ever covered. Between Phil Ivey being eliminated within 40 minutes, two players being disqualified, and an earthquake, there was no shortage of storylines. Below are a collection of some of my favorite images from Day 1B and 1C.

Drunk Shenanigans on Day 1B 

Day 1B seemed to be derailing a little bit right before the dinner break, as two gentlemen that had indulged in a few too many sodas were feeling absolutely no pain. This first of the two was moving all in blind, telling everyone else they were scared with their money. The player received numerous penalties throughout the night.
The second guy accidentally spilled two drinks on the table, and then couldn’t help but cough numerous times in the direction of the dealer. The floor staff sent him on dinner break 30 minutes early.
He returned from dinner about 40 minutes early and proceeded to catch up on some much-needed rest before play resumed.
As is tradition, every fourth of July, Caesars Palace puts on a firework show. I snuck out on dinner break to capture some spectators enjoying the show from the Rio parking lot.

Day 1C Gets Out of Control

Day 1C was absolutely insane. Within 20 minutes of the tournament starting, two players were banned. Georgii Belianin was caught allegedly trying to pull in an abandoned chip stack at his table while raking in a pot. He was quickly and abruptly removed from play and escorted out of the Rio.
One of the other headlines emerging out of the first level of Day 1C was the early exit of Phil Ivey. Ivey started the day seated in the farthest region of the casino, in an old bowling alley. Just 40 minutes into the level he got in a flush draw versus top two and was eliminated from the Main Event.
As crazy as the day was, plenty of people had a good time and put some chips in the bag! With the main event hitting record numbers, it will be interesting to see what storylines pan out moving forward.