Bodog Beat

Merlin the wizard among the field here in Day 1 of the WSOP Main Event. (Bodog Beat Image)

We aren't sure what Merlin was up to last night but from the looks of his face he spent the evening before the WSOP drinking and fighting. Good on you Merlin baby.

We're now about two hours into the first Day of the WSOP Main Event and it's as much of a circus as it ever was. Wayne Newton showed up to open the poker tournament with an entourage of Vegas babes in blue. We're pretty sure that Newton got the opening words wrong and shouted, "Shut up and deal!" It might have been intentional which would be awesome. Atta boy Mr. Las Vegas. Way to stick it to them.

We've got about 10 Bodog WSOP qualifiers out there today as well as a slew of famous poker pros. We'll be hammering you with updates all day today.

Play will go until 1 a.m. tonight and Day 2 of the WSOP Main Event will start at noon tomorrow.

Keep your browser tuned to the Beat for plenty more WSOP news and updates.