Phil Hellmuth (right) strutting in to the 2024 WSOP Main Event to the tune of "Kung Fu Fighter," flanked by Jungleman Dan Cates (left) on Day 1C. (Image: X/@RealPhilHellmuth)

The marathon of the 2024 World Series of Poker’s $10,000 Championship Event rolled along on Friday as Day 1C took to the floors of the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. 

As expected, more than 2,500 players would come out for the penultimate day of the four flights of action, with a surprisingly large 1,800-plus players making it through Day 1C. 

The atmosphere was particularly festive with the arrival of former World Champion and 17-time WSOP bracelet winner (we are contractually obligated to mention that) Phil Hellmuth making a somewhat muted entrance to the WSOP stage. 

Hellmuth Steps into the Main Event Ring

It has become a yearly tradition for Hellmuth, long recognized as one of the best players in WSOP history (if not the best) to make a grand entrance to his first day at the Championship Event. In years past, Hellmuth has appeared as a championship boxer, Julius Caesar, and P. T. Barnum (as portrayed by Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman). 

But this year’s grand entrance was, by Hellmuthian standards, a bit muted. Surrounded by luminaries such as fellow former World Champion Scotty Nguyen, fellow pro Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates (who was a lion to Hellmuth’s Barnum), and actor Shannon Elizabeth, Hellmuth entered the 2024 WSOP battleground to the tune of Carl Douglass’ “Kung Fu Fighting,” complete with Hellmuth wearing the accompanying gi.

The schtick doesn’t always work for Hellmuth, but it seems to have done the trick for 2024. Hellmuth would make it through the Day 1C carnage as one of the survivors, albeit with only a few more chips (66,700) than what he started the day with (60,000). 

New “First Hand Club” Members 

There were two new additions to the “First Hand Club” -- players who busted on the very first hand of the Championship Event to burn through $10,000 in minutes -- and they both featured the same hands and all-in action before the flop was even dealt. 

In one situation, pocket Aces and pocket Kings went to battle, with the Aces turning a set on the Q-J-x-A run, only to see a 10 come on the river to deliver the bad beat. In the second situation, the Aces actually stood tall against the Kings as the board ran out without any surprises. 

Remembering Poker’s Strangest Day 

None of what occurred on Friday in the halls of the Horseshoe or Paris Las Vegas could be considered a contender for poker’s strangest day. That honor happened five years ago when the WSOP festival was still being conducted on the grounds of the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It happened during the play of the opening rounds of the WSOP Main Event, and it was a day that many will not forget. 

One of the strangest happenings came when one player, who had obviously had too much to drink while playing, was all in for his tournament life. When we say “all-in,” we do mean ALL IN as he dropped trou to the table, displaying his genitalia. WSOP officials did not stop him from doing that, but they did remove him from the tournament once he chucked his shoes at the dealer (even though he won the hand).

Then Mother Nature decided to get involved in the WSOP. A major earthquake registering 7.1 on the Richter scale would strike during the evening’s play, but the players were insistent on playing through the tumbler. Only after WSOP officials called an early dinner break did the tournament floor clear and the situation could be appraised.

Toss in another player being disqualified for stealing chips from an opponent, and it was a day that many still remember from WSOP history! 

Over 3,000 Players Move Onward

There were no such histrionics in 2024, just poker being played by the throngs around the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. In the end, when it was time to bag chips, 1,897 players survived the Day 1C action, bringing the total to 3,143 players who advance to Day 2ABC on Sunday. 

(Days 1A, 1B and 1C are going to be played as one of the two Days 2. The WSOP calls it “Day 2ABC,” when really it’s just Day 2A, to be played on Sunday. Survivors from Day 1D, playing right now, advance to “Day 2D,” which is played on Monday.)

Leading the way for that Day 2ABC action will be the eventual leader of Day 1C, Robert Pardo, who amassed 441,000 chips by the close of business. Zyad Qasem will be in the #2 position overall for Sunday with his 390,300 in chips, while the two leaders of Day 1A and 1B, Joshua Feiger and George Dolofan (respectively), follow those two players. 

Saturday mark’s the final flight of the four Day One starts for the 2024 WSOP Main Event. History has consistently shown that the final day of a multiflight tournament is by far the largest because it is the final chance players have to find a bag for future play in the tournament. 

In 2023, 4,100 players would come to the tables for the final Day 1 of the championship, and if a similar number is booked for 2024, nearly 8,500 players will be the total for this year. 

While it would be a far cry from last year’s record-breaking field of 10,043 players, it would still be the third-largest live tournament in the storied history of the World Series of Poker Main Event.

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