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WSOP: Day 1C Belongs to Kevin Song; Paul Pierce Survives

Paul Pierce is playing the WSOP Main Event in hopes of adding a WSOP bracelet to go with his NBA championship ring.
Paul Pierce is playing the WSOP Main Event in hopes of adding a WSOP bracelet to go with his NBA championship ring.

Over the last 16 years Kevin Song has amassed $3.3 million in tournament earnings and yet most poker fans probably couldn’t pick him out of a lineup. That could change though if his efforts on Day 1C of the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event prove to be a sign of things to come.

Song, who owns a WSOP bracelet from a $2,000 Limit Hold’em event in 1997, finished the third starting day with 163,325, good enough for the best on the day and fifth overall with only one starting day left to go. Song trails Day 1A chip leader Fred Berger, Ben Lamb, Shane Sigsbee and Andrew Hinrichsen.

“It really means nothing, it just means I have a little bit of edge on the other players. It is just the first day, we still have a long way to go,” said Song. “As first day chip leader, you have a little cushion when it comes to play, that is all.”

Chris McClung got closest to Song and sits just 950 chips back. Giuseppe Zarbo, with 159,400, and Daniel Skolovy, with 151,475, were the only other players to break the 150,000 chip mark.

A few big name celebrities also found their way to the felt on Saturday. Former Everybody Loves Raymond stars Ray Romano and Brad Garrett were in action as was Boston Celtics superstar Paul Pierce. Romano busted out the second level of the day but both Romano and Pierce managed to advance to Day 2. Garrett finished with 68,000 but it was Pierce who surprised most observers with his play. The NBA all-star bagged up 63,750 despite having what he describes as limited playing experience.

“Solid day. I’ve gotta pick it up if I want to compete. It’s a good first day. It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” said Pierce, who wore his NBA championship ring at the table. “Regardless of who I am in the NBA I’m everybody’s equal at the table. I’m fair game. You’ve got to be able to play”
The biggest story of the day might just be the field size. Day 1A and 1B saw a combined 1,875 players but the third starting day brought out 2,181 players. WSOP officials now expect the 2011 Main Event to get as high as 7,000 entrants. Of the 2,181 that started the day 1,479 managed to survive. Some of the bigger names to bust on Saturday were Robert Mizrachi, Ali Eslami, Fabrice Soulier and Chris Moneymaker.
There were seven former Main Event champions in play along with reigning champ Jonathan Duhamel. Bobby Baldwin, Tom McEvoy, Phil Hellmuth, Dan Harrington, Scotty Nguyen and Joe Cada. The only one of the seven to fall was Moneymaker. The best performer of the bunch of was Cada who amassed 58,225.
Day 1C Top 10 Chip Counts
  1. Kevin Song – 163,325
  2. Chris McClung – 162,375
  3. Giuseppe Zarbo – 159,400
  4. Daniel Skolovy – 151,475
  5. Henry Pena – 140,800
  6. Nathan Amar – 140,000
  7. Mozhnyakov Alrsandr – 136,225
  8. Don Nguyen – 136,000
  9. Thomas Pohnke – 135,900
  10. Adam Junglen – 127,025
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