Kevin Saul(credit: ESPN)
104 players took to the felt for the first day of the Bellagio Cup IV Main Event, which is part of the seventh season of the World Poker Tour. The small field may be attributable to the $15,000 buy-in (up from $10,000 last season)….however, many think the fact that the World Series of Poker Main Event was still in full swing when the tourney began late last week had more to do with.
Regardless of the size of the field, the tables were stacked with former WPT title holders such as Eugene Katchalov (WPT Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic 2007), Eli Elezra (WPT Mirage Poker Showdown 2004), Howard Lederer (WPT Foxwoods 2002 & Party Poker Million II 2003), Barry Greenstein (WPT Tunica Jack Binion Poker Open 2004 and WPT Celebrity Invitational 2005), Antonio Esfandiari (LA Poker Classic 2004) and Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi (LA Poker Classic 2005, Borgata Winter Poker Open 2006).
Also present was the 2007 World Poker Tour player of the year Jonathan Little, recent WSOP bracelet winner David Singer, JJ Liu, Kenna James, his lovely wife Marsha Waggoner, Justin Bonomo and defending Bellagio Cup champ Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul.
Unfortunately, Saul was eliminated before the end of play as were Full Tilt Poker’s Clonie Gowen, a former WPT Ladies Night Champ, Esfandiari, Elezra, David Williams and Michael Mizrachi. A total of 70 players survived the day including Marco “CrazyMarco” Johnson who held the chip lead as the action wound down for the night.
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