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It was the second of four first days of the main event at the 2008 WSOP, and it played on the 4th of July. Independence Day inspired a unique start to Day 1B, as Andy Griggs, a country music singer, gave special recognition to all of the U.S. service veterans in the Amazon Room before singing the Star Spangled Banner. The 2007 WSOP main event champion, Jerry Yang, then said a few words, among them, “Shuffle up and deal!”

The story of the day, especially the one being discussed amongst the media, had to do with the number of players. The first day – Day 1A – drew 1,297 players, which was only ten more than the kick-off day in 2007. Day 1B was down quite significantly with only 1,158 starting players, as compared to 1,545 in 2007. The official WSOP press release is quick to note that there are two more first days, registration is open until the end of the second level of play on Sunday, and the numbers thus far are not much of an indicator of what the grand total will be. However, many had predicted that the numbers this year would surpass those from last, and it is now looking like it could be the lowest turnout since the Moneymaker effect. Only the attendance over the next two days will tell.

Important to note on Day 1B was the presence of 1983 WSOP champion Tom McEvoy. He was the first player to ever win the main event after qualifying through a satellite tournament, and this year marked the 25th anniversary of that feat. While it has become commonplace for winners to start their journeys via satellites, McEvoy started what he had no idea would be a 25-year trend.

Interesting faces in the field included sports stars like Major League Baseball’s famous pitcher Orel Hershiser and Australian cricket legend Shane Warne. In addition, legally blind player Hal Lubarsky, who famously cashed in the 2007 WSOP with a card-reader at his side, played again this year and finished the day in the top 20% of the field.

While there are certainly some interesting stories at the 2008 WSOP, as there are each year, the start of this year’s main event seems to be a little less exciting, missing the flamboyant characters who dress up for the television cameras and the players who showboat for their 15 minutes of fame. Sure, there are a few, including a player who sat down in a bathrobe on Day 1B, but it pales in comparison to the originality and humor of previous years. Regardless, it will be Day 1C and 1D that will tell the real story of this year’s main event – the numbers, the characters, the stories, and the trends.

After five levels of play, the original 1,158 field had been trimmed to 615, all of whom will return on Day 2A to continue play on Tuesday, July 8th along with finishers from the previous first day. The top ten chip counts from 1B were as follows:

Ben Sarnoff 177,500
Brian Schaedlich 160,725
Robert Mizrachi 142,400
Nick Caltabiano 127,700
Liya Gerasimova 111,050
Robert Eckstut 110,275
Alex Balandin 109,925
Coco Valerice 106,727
Michael Watson 104,425
Gilles Smadja 101,450

Coincidentally, the ten above-listed players were the only ones above the 100K mark for the day. While this is no indication of what will transpire over the numerous days of play left in the main event, it is interesting to note that only a small portion of the ten are recognizable pros.

Stay tuned for Day 1C observations, perspectives, and the recap.