Houston...We have liftoff.......The WSOP begins today with the thrust of a Texas tornado...


With 662 casino employees seated for the first event, the 2005 WSOP season promises to be the humdinger of humdingers. The room is fantastic with literally hundreds of tables stretching as far as the eye can see. The people are arriving from all corners of the earth and the sugarplum fairies are randomly dancing through each and every player's head. I know this to be true because I can see it in their eyes and on their faces. Some players are seeing friends they only have the opportunity to see once a year. Some are arriving in Vegas for the very first time and are in absolute awe of what they are witnessing. Poker heaven. Living large doesn’t begin to describe what the Rio has done to prepare for the series of series.

For the field today, it has to be exciting to get to sit on the opposite side of the table for a big tournament and give lady luck a go. The casino "worker bees" found their places today in the $500 event and dream of being "in the money" with other poker greats. They are playing against their peers to show the world just who is the best in this game we call poker.

At 7 pm the tables have dwindled to less than 60 players with the final table promising to be fulfilled within just a matter of hours. Stay tuned for the last nine who will be vying for the spoils of today’s activities.

Now 1:18 AM, with 21 players holding themselves up after 13 hours of play, it appears as though the first event of the WSOP will go longer than anticipated. The final 9 will most likely finish at 4 PM tomorrow. If this is going to be the way things are going to go, I think it is safe to say that the 2 day events have the potential to become 3 day events and now we are talking about the Rio becoming the newest addition to Circus Circus.

I did not get to complete the first event tonight as predicted, however Amy and I did get to cuddle up to James Woods and get a picture with him. I know that does nada for you guys, but it was the highlight of the night for us.

Tomorrw is another day. Sleep well and see ya at the final table.

Sharla Lehrmann

sharla@pokerpages.com