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If you're headed to the Betfair WSOPE, here's a bit of advice: put some oil on your shoulders. That will help you slip through the massive crowds that have already poured into the Empire Casino here in London. There's no talk of a recession here as Event #1 got off to a booming start, with over 600 players making up the field, amidst rumours that WSOP commissioner hired a Tetris expert to figure out how to get 33 poker tables into a space that couldn't conceivably hold them.

Event #1's packed field was definitely exciting, but we'll get back to that in a minute. First, we have to talk about the kickoff event of the WSOPE, an event that was exactly the opposite of a sold out field. That was the Betfair Million Dollar Game, were only an elite 18 invitees were given the opportunity to play...for FREE... for a million in cash. Strangely, only 17 runners actually made the start of the MDG, since the Russian representative was a mysterious no-show. Conflicting reports of either visa issues or a resurgence of the KGB did nothing to illuminate the mystery behind the Russian missing the opportunity of a lifetime. But miss it he did, and that didn't hurt the feeling of the remaining 17 players who sat down in the Empire to try to put a million dollars into their Betfair accounts.

The action was actually quite good, with some excellent play. It wasn't long before the 17 were whittled down to a final table of 9. Well, 9 players and the dead stack of the missing Russian. As a Canadian, I had to openly declare my support of Canada's rep, young Mike Phan of Toronto. Mike acquitted himself very well, finally bowing out in fourth place and winning what turned out to be a very coveted entry into the sold out WSOPE event #1.

When it got down to heads up, France's Kevin Michoud found himself locked into a gruelling battle with Anestis Metsas of Greece, and some excellent poker was played by both sides. In the end, Greece wore the laurels of the champion, along with the more modern prize of a cool million in US dollars. Not a bad payday for a freeroll. Say that again. It was a FREEROLL. Sigh. I wish I could have played.

However, I did sit down to play Event #1 on Friday, and that was loads of fun on its own. The capped field meant loads of pros, and my Day one saw the likes of Hellmuth, Matusow, and many others plying their trade. Despite the pros, the tournament was a complete bloodbath in the early stages, with so many players hitting the rail that tournament director Jack Effel was forced to make the call to cut the day's play short at 50 players remaining. Sadly, for me, I went out with 75 players left. It was an amusing day for me, since I experienced the most card dead day I have ever had on the poker tables. But that's a story for another time. I did survive several hours with Shaun Deeb on my right, followed by Raymond Rahme on my right, followed by Eric Seidel on my right. That's the fun of this event: loads of pros to play with!

Day One B is well underway today, and there are more interesting story lines. The MOST interesting story is the presence of one Phillip Ivey, chasing another WSOP bracelet. For those that live in the poker cave, Phil Ivey is the best player in the world. Period. Case Closed. If anyone doubts it, then just stand around the Rio in November. If Ivey wins the Main Event of the WSOP in Vegas, he stands to win 8.5 million dollars for the tournament. AND a rumoured 15 million in prop bets. Yeah. He is that good.

A typical Ivey exchange occurred while I was standing next to Phil's event #1 table. Someone was talking to Phil about going to the Chelsea football match on Sunday. A player at Ivey's table asked Phil if he was a fan of English Football. Ivey responded, 'I'm a fan of things I can bet on'. Don't bet against Ivey putting a WSOPE bracelet around his already heavy wrist.

All in all, the atmosphere here is a ball. I've done the odd bit of sightseeing, but the sights to see inside the Empire Casino are just as interesting. So, for now, I'm off. I'd like to write more, but I need to get back to the casino...the cash game action is AWESOME!