Poker professional Chris Moneymaker competes during the first day of the 41st annual World Series of Poker no-limit Texas Hold ‘em main event Monday, July 5, 2010. Moneymaker won the main event in 2003. It’s expected that 6,000 to 7,000 players will pay the $10,000 buy-in to enter the tournament, officials said.
Monday, July 5, 2010 | 8:41 p.m.
Sun Coverage
Within the first hour of play at the World Series of Poker Main Event Monday, some players already were bemoaning their bad luck while others were celebrating their good fortune.
Matihis Wilhelm, an amateur player from Germany, was one of those on the positive end. He notched one of the first knockouts of the tournament when he flopped three of a kind with pocket 8s, got all of his chips in to double his starting stack of 30,000 and sent a player with pocket Aces home.
“It’s extremely exciting,” Wilhelm said. “I wasn’t sure if I had the best hand because he was very confident with his hand, but I had to call. It was a wonderful feeling to double up that early and lose some of the pressure.”
Wilhelm was one of 1,125 people who showed up to compete on the first of four starting days in the $10,000 buy-in Main Event. Each year it's one of poker’s biggest days as the Main Event is considered poker’s world championship.
Among those included in the field was the man many considered to be responsible for the surge in poker’s popularity in the past decade, 2003 Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker. Moneymaker was a recreational player and accountant from Nashville, Tenn., when he took down the $2.5 million first place prize seven years ago.
Since then, Moneymaker has traveled the globe playing in all of poker’s most notable tournaments. Even though some of them have larger buy-ins than the Main Event, Moneymaker said this tournament was the only one that made him jittery.
“I’m always nervous when I play in the Main Event,” he said. “This one has a special feel to it.”
Poker professional Greg Raymer, center, competes during the first day of the 41st annual World Series of Poker no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event Monday, July 5, 2010. Raymer won the main event in 2004. It's expected that 6,000 to 7,000 players will pay the $10,000 buy-in to enter the tournament, officials said.
Moneymaker assembled an above-average chip stack through six hours of play. He had a much better day than his successor, Greg Raymer.
Raymer, who won the 2004 Main Event, couldn’t get past the first level and lost most of his chips when his top pair of Kings and a flush draw fell to an opponent’s three of a kind 10s.
“Last year, I busted out early and it was very disappointing,” Moneymaker said. “I haven’t had the best run since I won. I keep getting unlucky. I’m determined to make a deep run this year.”
Moneymaker had that in common with everyone competing at the Rio. All of the players dream of the staggering prize money up for grabs in the Main Event.
Although figures won’t be released until Thursday night when all of the starting days are completed, the champion will likely earn at least $8 million. The nine players who make the final table, which will emerge after two weeks of play at the Rio, will probably each take at least $1 million.
Only 10 percent of the field will finish in the money, but that doesn’t stop optimistic thoughts on the first day.
“This is everyone’s shot,” World Series of Poker spokesman Nolan Dalla said. “This is their last chance at everything — fame, fortune, glory, redemption and victory.”
Everyone in the field is after those feelings. The Main Event attracts all kinds of participants.
Actor and comedian Ray Romano competes during the first day of the 41st Annual World Series of Poker at The Rio on July 5, 2010.
Some of the notable non-poker pros at the Rio Monday included actor and comedian Ray Romano, former UNLV basketball star and current NBA player Shawn Marion, Norwegian Olympic skier Petter Northug and 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year Sara Underwood.
“There’s no other tournament in the world that comes close to the prestige of this event,” Dalla said.
Although poker stars and celebrities garner much of the attention, it’s players like Wilhelm who make up the majority of the field. They are unknown faces with varying levels of experience seeking poker immortality.
Wilhelm won an online satellite to play in the 2009 Main Event, but took the cash instead when he was unable to make it to Las Vegas. He saved the money and used it to buy in to this year’s tournament — his first ever at the World Series of Poker.
“Even surviving Day One would be great,” Wilhelm said. “Every day I survive is a success for me. It really is.”
Carnival lasts all year at the Rio. With a float occasionally passing overhead and dropping beads while feathered dancers fire up the gamblers below, the Rio tries to keep its 120,000-square foot casino jumping with excitement. Special Brazilian mixed-drinks are also served throughout the casino. The hotel suites tend to be larger than similar priced rooms on the Strip and many offer excellent views with floor to ceiling windows.
The Rio offers some quality shows like "Penn & Teller" and "Chippendales." Many come to the Rio for the nightlife at the VooDoo Lounge, located on the 51st floor, or McFadden's Irish Pub on the casino level.
Others come for a bit relaxation at the Rio Spa or pool area and still others come to shop at the hotel's 60,000 square feet of shops. In each of these endeavors, the Rio attempts to make the experience a bit more fun and spontaneous.
The Rio also offers guests a variety of dining choices from all-American food at the All-American Bar & Grille to Gaylord India Restaurant for something a little spicier and even Carnival World Buffet for the indecisive.
Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer for live updates from the Main Event.
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