The 2016 World Series of Poker Kicks Off
The 2016 World Series of Poker kicked off in Las Vegas on Wednesday inside the Rio All-Suite Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. All summer long, PokerNews.com will be bringing you daily coverage that is brought to you by our sponsors, 888poker.
The 69-event schedule began with its traditional soft start, as the $565 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em event started at 11 a.m. local time.
This year the event was held with a single-reentry format and it drew a healthy total of 731 entries, playing into the money and down to just 23 remaining when play wrapped up around 12:30 a.m.
The 731 entries created $365,500 prize pool that paid the top 110 spots, with $75,157 and the first gold bracelet of the summer awaiting the winner.
Sacramento, California's Spencer Bennett grabbed the chip lead and will come into play on Thursday with almost twice as much as anyone else.
Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spencer Bennett | 627,000 |
| 2 | Kerryjane Craigie | 323,000 |
| 3 | Nick Sliwinski | 301,000 |
| 4 | Tanja Vujanic | 195,000 |
| 5 | Amanda Wheeler | 182,000 |
| 6 | Eric Stack | 178,000 |
| 7 | Allison Arvey | 164,000 |
| 8 | Ashkun Lajevardi | 160,000 |
| 9 | Tom Ratanakul | 141,000 |
| 10 | Emmauel Ravelo | 135,000 |
*Chip counts according to WSOP.com reports.
It is also worth nothing that 2008 WSOP Main Event 13th-place finisher Nick Sliwinski bagged a top-three stack. Sliwinski earned $436,201 for his Main Event run in 2008, but disappeared into relative obscurity following the tournament, and hasn't cashed at a WSOP event since 2010.
The event will resume at 12 p.m. local time on Thursday, with plans to play down to the first WSOP bracelet winner of the year.
What's On Tap for Tomorrow?
Wednesday's Day 1 at the 2016 WSOP was just the calm before the storm, however, as things will really heat up on Day 2 when the first of six flights in Event #2: $565 Colossus II begins at 10 a.m.
This event has an affordable buy-in, but it comes with a $7 million guarantee. After last year's inaugural Colossus event shattered records, this year's affair is widely expected to set a new record for the largest poker tournament ever held. Last year there was 22,374 entries, and Cord Garcia won that title for $638,880.
This year's event also comes with a guaranteed $1 million first place prize.
Stay tuned to PokerNews.com for more coverage the 2016 WSOP, including the conclusion of the $565 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em event, brought to you by our sponsors, 888poker.
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