Quads Over Boat on First Hand of WSOP Main Event; Two Immediate Eliminations

Over 500 players were registered at the start of Day 1a, a group that included some big name players such as Michael Mizrachi and Freddy Deeb. Defending champion Daniel Weinman got the party started by announcing “shuffle up and deal” following an introduction from Jack Effel.

“The Greatest Tournament in the World”

A familiar face to many, Effel welcomed the players and explained just how special the tournament they were about to play.

“There are a lot of poker tournaments out there,” he said. “But there’s only one that determines who the world champion is, and it’s this tournament right here.

“It’s a $10,000 buy-in and it’s a freeze out — so you only get one chance to win. I know that over the next couple of weeks, it’s going to be very tough. There’s gonna be a lot of long hours, you’re gonna have a lot of tough decisions, you’re gonna have a lot of tough opponents, but we’re gonna be with you every step along the way.

“And at the end of all of it, we’re going to share that experience with you.”
Daniel Weinman

“This is the greatest poker tournament in the world”

He was followed by defending champion Daniel Weinman, who shared the same sentiment as Effel.

“This is the greatest poker tournament in the world,” he said. “I see mysel playing this tournament for the rest of my life. I’m just excited to see who gets their banner up on the wall next to me, if I don’t do it again.”

Quick Exit for Two Poker Players

And then the fireworks began one day before the Fourth of July.

Each year, at least one player busts within minutes from the start of the $10,000 buy-in world championship event. This year, there were two whose championship dreams came to an abrupt end.

As reported to PokerNews live reporter Ollie Garland by Jon Pardy, a player on his table was eliminated on the very first hand of play.

On a board reading 8XJX10X8XAX, David Williamson, holding 8X8X, placed a sizable bet, which was met by an all in from his opponent. Williamson snap-called. The opponent, Travis Darroch, found out the bad news when his 10X10X for a full house was cracked by quads right off the bat.

“He’s gonna squeeze jacks pre-flop, so less likely he’s got jacks. And then of course, once again, Jack eight. So I rip it in and he snap calls. He’s got pocket eights. And, I put my my face in my hands for a few seconds, then walk back to my hotel room,” Darroch told PokerNews after busting.

The other hand at a separate table, also on the first hand dealt, was told to our reporter Jeff McMillan, Harlan Karnofsky raised to 500 from middle position and got four callers to see a flop of J♦6♦10♥. Karnofsky bet 1,200. Craig Issod raised to 7,000 from the small blind which folded everyone out except Karnofsky who called.

The turn was the 4♠ and Issod led for 15,000, Karnofsky called again. The river came the A♣ and Issod jammed for about 37,000, Karnofsky called and tabled the nuts with the K♦Q♦, while Issod turned over 6X6X for a cracked flopped set.