Saturday, July 29, 2006 | 7 a.m.
A glance at the World Series of Poker main event, which began Friday:
What: 37th annual World Series of Poker main event.
Where: Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.
Who: More than 8,000 players, including defending champion Joseph Hachem.
Prize Money: Not determined until all entries are final, but first prize is expected to range from $10 million to $12 million. Top 10 percent of most fields usually cash in at poker tournaments.
Format: Because of the huge size, the field is split into four sections of about 2,000 each - one each starting Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Play on each day continues until 800 players remain. Fields A and B are combined on Aug. 1 (C and D play Aug. 2) and they play until 700 players remain. The 1,400 players left are combined and play each day from Aug. 4 until the end.
Final table: Nine players begin at noon on Aug. 10 and play until a winner is determined.
Coverage: Cardplayer.com provides live coverage. ESPN coverage begins Aug. 22 and continues each Tuesday through Sept. 26.
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