Little Action in the First Level of this Star-Studded Field
Not much action went down in the first level of play here in Hammond for this $10,000 WSOP Circuit Regional Championship. The field is chock full of big names and notable players. Just check our chip count page for the list of people we've spotted in the field today. Here's some of the action from the first level.
Selbst Asks To See Jaka’s Hand – 12:30 PM
We arrived at the table and found a pot brewing between Vanessa Selbst and Faraz Jaka. Selbst, in the small blind, had 1,025 invested in the pot while Jaka, under the gun, had 2,800 in the middle. Selbst took her time and put in another raise, this one to 8,100. Jaka called and the flop came down 
.
Selbst checked and Jaka paused for a few moments before betting 4,000, getting a call from Selbst. That would be the last of the action as both players checked the 
turn card and 
river card. Before revealing her hand, Selbst asked the dealer about what this casino’s policy was when it came to revealing hands, clearly wanting to see Jaka’s cards. We aren’t sure what exactly the dealer told her, but after tabling her 
for kings full she asked to see Jaka’s holdings, which turned out to be 
. Jaka, though not too peeved, did mention it was not best etiquette.
Selbst upped her stack to about 43,000 while Jaka slipped to about 17,500.
Jaka Sliding – 12:50 PM
On an 
board, a raising war ensued between Faraz Jaka and David “ODB” Baker. Baker’s 1,325 bet at the flop was raised to 3,250 by Jaka, though Baker came back over the top and made it 7,050 to play. Jaka gave it up and dropped to just a tad more than 15,000. Baker is up to about 34,000.
Mercier Gets Paid Off – 1:06 PM
With the board reading 
, Jason Mercier’s bet of 1,700 was called by one of his two opponents in the hand. Mercier tabled 
for a straight to win the pot and increase his stack to about 37,000.
Who's Here? - 1:10 PM
Among those taking their seats during Level 1 were Full Tilt Red Pros Justin Smith, Jordan Morgan, Steve Zolotow, Jeff Madsen, and Brandon Adams. Also arriving were Dave Sands, Nick Binger, Nenad Medic, Bryn Kenney, Keven Stammen, Shawn Busse, Tom Marchese, Chad Brown, and Peter Jetten. Registration will remain open through the dinner break so you can expect that number of 206 entrants to rise plenty throughout the day.