WSOP What to Watch For: Sunday, May 30

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Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to a big few days at the World Series of Poker, with a lot of storylines to keep your eye on.

Record turnout?
After a huge first day for day 1a of Event No. 3 No-Limit Hold’em, with 2,601 entrants, there’s a possibility that the tournament could be one of the largest non-main event tourneys in WSOP history.

There are already 1,200 entries for day 1b, and the record of 6,012 players for a non-ME event is within reach. That mark was set last year in the first $1K event, called a “stimulus special,” playing on the recession and the economic stimulus package in the U.S. “We are expecting between five and six thousand entries by the time registration is closed,” said Seth Palansky, Director of WSOP Media Relations, told BLUFF Magazine.

The big turnout is certainly good news for the rest of the WSOP, and could mean a lot of huge prize pools as the tournament series continues. If nothing else, it allays fears that the poor economy is going to affect the WSOP negatively.

54 left in the $50K
While many expected more than the 116 players who registered for the high-roller Players Championship, the players are still vying for a top prize of $1.5 million. The mixed-game event, scheduled for five days, will start day three today. There is still a long way to go to reach the money, as only 16 get paid. Players who finish 15th and 16th will get about double their initial buy-in back. Much of the field is extremely deep stacked, so there will be a lot of room to play heading toward the money bubble.

Andy Bloch, who is considered by some to be the best tournament player without a bracelet, is in second place in chips and will look to make a run against some of the top players in the world in the mixed-game event. Bloch finished second in the first $50K event at the WSOP, back when it was still HORSE.

The top 10 in chips has a very international feel: there are six Americans, two Swedes, a Russian and a German in that group.

Dwan’s slow start
Tom “durrrr” Dwan is making the WSOP a focus this year, and has a lot of money riding on taking down a WSOP event.

But things aren’t going will early for the internet cash-game phenom, who has just two WSOP cashes before this year, both in 2008. He busted out of both Event No. 2 and Event No. 3 on the first day, and will try to get things going this weekend.

Reports have Dwan making several bets on his ability to win a bracelet, with $2 million coming to him if he accomplishes the feat; he’s giving 3.25:1 odds that he will win an event. He’s also got side bets with players like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey.

Starting today
The two events mentioned above continue today, while one event starts today: Event No. 4, $1,500, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better. That event is expected to last three days. All three events are scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, making that a big day for bracelets.

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