The WSOP is here once again, and I have results from the first event ready for you this morning. It's almost like Christmas, except Christmas isn't nearly as cool. Of course, we're all waiting for the Main Event, but that's still a month away. I really hope to see the "big name" pros have a better year than they did last year. While it's enthralling to see some nobody win a series of satellites to take home the top prize for an initial investment of 14 cents (yes, that's an actual figure -- Superior Poker had WSOP qualifiers that began at 0.10+0.04), I would still prefer to see the guys who are the best at this game get their rewards. Just imagine how cool it would be if Doyle Brunson were to win it one more time. But the sheer numbers make that scenario a bit unlikely. I read that Poker Stars is sending at least 1,000 people, and that the expected field of 6,600 was already half full, mostly of online players. That's more online players than total players last year! Frigging amazing. If you're looking for a dark horse to bet on, look no further than Don Mullis, out of North Carolina. This guy burned up the WSOP Circuit this year, making something like 10 final tables. And no, it does not appear I will be making an appearance at the WSOP this year. Last year I made a quiet promise to myself that I would find a way to get there this year, but I never followed through on it. I didn't try one single qualifier. But, without further delay, here's the results from Event 1: World Series of Poker - Event 1 Casino Employees World Poker ChampionshipNo-Limit HoldemBuy-in: $500Number of Entries: 662Total Prize Money: $297,900 Official Results:1. Andy Nguyen, Las Vegas, NV, $83,3902. Danilo Flores, San Leandro, CA, 43,1953. Thang Luu, Las Vegas, NV, 23,8304. Simon Matthews, Victoria, BC (Canada), 20,8555. Steven Cuti, Stockton, CA, 17,8756. Dustin West, Riverside, CA, 14,8957. Todd Dakake, Las Vegas, NV, 11,9158. David Slowik, Las Vegas, NV, 8,9359. Justin Porter, Kansas City, MO, 5,96010. Tyler Wasileff, 3,27511. Patrick Olsson, 3,27512. Christopher Gibase, 3,27513. Stanley Bartlett, 2,680 14. Christopher Swanson, 2,68015. Nicholas Ruff, 2,68016. Charles Pannabe II, 2,08517. Donovan Barton, 2,08518. David Wortham, 2,08519. Anthony Suarez, 1,49020. Marsha Waggoner, 1,49021. Pete Climer, 1,49022. Shiela Drake, 1,49023. Mark Erb, 1,49024. Danny Plovide, 1,49025. Quac Dep, 1,49026. Aaron Well, 1,49027. Patrick Grace III, 1,49028. David Branch, 1,04529. Derek Scott Powell, 1,04530. Tamir Sad Ilcatass, 1,045 31. Eric Schutzberg, 1,045 32. Kevin Luc Chiem, 1,04533. Gholam Ghanavati, 1,04534. Brian Wolard, 1,04535. David Stainton, 1,04536. Brent J. Pollack, 1,04537. Edward Rudd, 89538. Justin Lepper, 89539. Jason Reep, 89540. Shawne Portman, 89541. Aaron Bass, 89542. Arthur Eastridge, 89543. William Kiley, 89544. Delia Derby, 89545. Dalton McCulley, 89546. John Sheffield, 74547. Casey J. Loop, 74548. Nick Sanders, 74549. Randall Hampton, 74550. Michael Chicoski, 74551. Thomas B. Liming, 74552. Theodore Finkleman, 745 53. Desiree Lee Turner, 74554. Chi Wei Lee, 74555. Peter Sanders, 59556. William Gilmore, 59557. Mohammed Falnipour, 59558. Donald Johnson, 59559. Wade Michael, 59560. Dana Martino, 59561. Joe Ramos, 59562. John Vasher, 59563. Chris Harner, 595 Andy Nguyen Wins! Poker Dealer at Binions Becomes 2005 Casino Employees World Poker Champion Every year, the World Series of Poker starts off with the Casino Employees World Championship. To be eligible to enter, players must be active employees at a casino. The winner of the event receives a gold bracelet and bragging rights as the world champion among casino employees. The 2005 World Series of Poker began with a record-setting parade of poker players who jammed into the Rio in Las Vegas. The number of entries (662) smashed the previous all-time record for this event, when 279 players entered. It took 14 long hours for the final table to begin, as 653 players had been eliminated by 2 am. The final nine players assembled around the final table and were eliminated as follows: 9th Place -- Justin Porter, a poker dealer from the Isle of Capri Casino in Kansas City was the 9th-place finisher. He collected $5,960 in prize money. 8th Place David Slowik, a poker dealer from the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas was the 8th-place finisher. He collected $8,935 in prize money. 7th Place Todd Dakake, a poker dealer at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas was the 7th-place finisher. He collected $11,915 in prize money. 6th Place Dustin West, a poker dealer at Casino Morongo near Palm Springs, CA was the 6th-place finisher. He collected $14,895. 5th Place Steven Cuti, a poker dealer at the Casino Real in Stockton, CA was the 5th-place finisher. He collected $17,875. 4th Place Simon Matthews, a poker dealer at Great Canadian Casinos in Victoria, British Columbia was the 4th-place finisher. He collected $20,855. 3rd Place Thang Luu, a craps dealer at Harrahs Las Vegas was the 3rd-place finisher. He collected $23,830. 2nd Place The runner up was Danilo Flores, a poker dealer at the Oaks Card Club in Emeryville, CA. He collected $43,195. The winner was Andy Nguyen, a poker dealer at Binions Casino in Las Vegas. Nguyen is a 43-year-old native of Vietnam. He has been in the U.S. for 20 years and has worked at Binions since 2001. Official Report by Nolan Dalla World Series of Poker Media DirectorWorld Series of Poker Circuit Director of Operations Ken LambertWorld Series of Poker Tournament Director John GroomsRio Poker Room Manager Michael MattsRio Poker Tournament Director Robert Daily

Source: Trials of a Poker Apprentice