Chris Gros Wins the 2006 WSOP Employee EventCaesars Poker Dealer Defeats Long-Standing Chip Leader Bryan Devonshire |
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Eighteen players remained in the casino employee no-limit hold'em event, and by the end of the day one of them would receive the first bracelet of the 2006 World Series of Poker.
The two-table, nine-handed action began at 4 p.m. PDT with $2,000-$4,000 blinds and $500 antes. Tournament officials scheduled the late start to accommodate the spatial needs of the $1,500 buy-in no-limit hold'em event, which drew a massive field of 2,776 entrants.
Any concerns regarding space soon became irrelevant as seven players dropped out of the employee tournament within the first two hours, and, by the second level, officials consolidated the play to one table.
The chip counts entering the final table were as follows:
1. R.J. Wright - $299,000
2. Chris Himmenger - $163,000
3. Bryan Devonshire - $147,500
4. Scott Clark - $138,000
5. Barry Goldberg - $117,000
6. Craig Federspiel - $111,5000
7. Chris Gros - $91,000
8. Alejandro Posso - $81,000
9. Marsha Waggoner - $61,500
10. David Wortham - $59,500
Alejandro Posso became the first final table victim. The Hard Rock Seminole poker dealer took home tenth place ($11,088) when his pocket kings failed to improve against Chris Himmenger's pocket aces.
Barry Goldberg, a casino dealer at the Venetian, finished in ninth place ($12,474).
Marsha Waggoner, the executive host at the Hollywood Park and Casino, enjoyed a lively cheering section, which included her husband, poker pro Kenna James. Despite the love and support, Waggoner bowed out in eighth place ($13,860), a victim of David Wortham's pocket aces.
Pocket bullets led to a number of bustouts during the final table, and Wortham soon found himself on the receiving end of poker's strongest starting hand. The Soboba Casino shift manager received no help for his pocket queens and hit the rail in seventh place ($16,632).
Less than 10 minutes later, Chris Gros continued the pocket aces hot streak when his A
A
held up against Craig Federspiel's J J. Federspiel, a Mirage Casino poker dealer, ended the day as the sixth-place finisher ($19,404).
Fifth place ($22,176) belonged to Chris Hemminger, the lone Binion's representative at the final table, and Scott Clark, a poker dealer from the Rio, took fourth place ($27,720)
At 11:41 p.m., R.J. Wright pushed all in on a 6
2 2 flop and Bryan Devonshire called. After the 3 turn, Wright's A
5 appeared
to be in good shape against Devonshire's K Q. However, the K spiked on the river, and Devonshire eliminated Wright from the tournament. The Luxor poker dealer netted $38,531 for his third-place finish.
The final hand of the tournament began with a $30,000 Bryan Devonshire raise. After Chris Gros' call, the flop came 8 3 3. Devonshire bet $45,000 and Gros repopped to $100,000. Devonshire, a former employee of Bronco Billy's, moved all in and Gros immediately called. Devonshire showed A K but Gros all but wrapped up the tournament when he turned over 4 3. The 10 turn and 7 river sealed Devonshire's fate and he finished the tournament in second place ($66,582).
Along with winning the $127,616 purse, Gros, a poker dealer from Caesars, became the first bracelet winner of the 2006 World Series of Poker.
Defending champ Allen Cunningham lost his bid for a repeat title, and a shot at the $757,839 first place prize, when he exited the tournament at the three-hour mark.
Other notable day one eliminations included Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Johnny Chan, Howard Lederer, and Annie Duke.
Day one also saw Phil Hellmuth make WSOP history. He made his 49th cash finish, which put him in a tie with Men "The Master" Nguyen for all time WSOP cashes.
The 122 remaining players return to action today at 4 p.m. PDT. Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com for live updates, chip counts, photos, videos, a new episode of "The Circuit" radio show, and the debut of "The Series," starring Scott Huff and Rich Belsky.
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