Matt Glantz Leads WSOP $50,000 Players Championship After Day 1

Day 1 of the 2012 World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players Championship is in the books, with Card Player mixed-game columnist and two-time final tablist in this event Matt Glantz leading the 103 remaining players with 310,700 heading into day two.

“This is my favorite tournament of the year,” said Glantz just after play ended. “As far as tournaments go, this is my personal main event… I’m really looking forward to this one every year.”

In the lead up to this event, much was made of the decision by ESPN to pass up television coverage of this event in favor of the $1,000,000 buy-in Big One for One Drop, which kicks off on July 1st. As a result, the final table of this event will be played as eight-game, unlike the previous two years which stuck to no-limit hold’em at the final table to appeal to TV audiences.

Many feared that the lack of television coverage would have a dramatic negative impact on the turnout, despite growth in previous years. Last year’s running drew 128 entrants, up from 116 entrants in 2010 and 95 entrants in 2009. Registration remains open until the beginning of day 2 at 2:00 PM PST, but by the end of day 1 104 players had already taken their seats.

“I actually thought it would be under a hundred, so I was really happy that we got over a hundred,” said Glantz. “It looks like we will have between 105 and 110, so I’m excited about that and even more excited that mixed-games seem to be growing. There are so many cash games, more big games than ever before, so I’m really excited about that.”

As one would, this event drew many of poker’s biggest names, including Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, and Viktor ‘Islidur1’ Blom. The event also drew some less famous, but highly successful pros like Keith Gipson, John Hanson, Owais Ahmed, Tom Chambers, Ville Wahlbeck and Rami Boukai.

Of the 104 top players that posted the $50,000 buy-in, only one was eliminated in the first day’s play, David Singer, who made the final table of this event in 2006 and 2007.

Singer got the last of his chips in against Bruno Fitoussi on the turn, with the board reading A546. Singer held top set with AAKK in the hole, but had run into Fitoussi’s wrap-turned-straight with the 9876. The board did not pair on the river, and Singer earned the unenviable distinction of being the first and only player eliminated from this event on day 1.

Here is a look at the top ten chip counts heading into day 2:

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