A Few Photos From the Early Action

From left to right: Soheil Shamseddin, Jeremy McLaughlin, Jonathan Little, and Carlos Mortensen. This has been one of the most interesting tables in the early levels of Day 1.

Cornel Cimpan won two WPT titles in 2009 (for a combined total of $2.59 million), and is the defending champion of this event. In this photo, he’s playing a multi-way pot during Level 2.

Gavin Smith (center) and Erik Seidel (right) watch Andy Frankenberger play a pot to the river early on Day 1. Frankenberger won the WPT Legends of Poker in August, and followed it up with a final table last week at WPT Festa al Lago, which gives him the points lead in the WPT Player of the Year race. Smith and Seidel are also having good years, with Smith (the WPT’s Player of the Year for Season IV) winning his first WSOP bracelet over the summer, and Seidel recently being announced as an inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Royal Flush Girls Katrina Topacio (left) and Michelle Banzer share some laughs with Soheil Shamseddin at Table 14 during Level 2.

The mood gets more serious as a hand develops involving Jeremy McLaughlin (center), who moves all in after a flop of [QsJd8s]. McLaughlin’s [AdQh] needed to hold against John Leontakianakos’s [Ks4s]. As you can see from McLaughlin’s tweet (below), it didn’t work out too well for him.