WSOP Day 1C: Mike Sexton flies the PartyPoker flag

By Simon Young

PartyPoker’s “Ambassador of Poker” Mike Sexton is playing today and getting involved in the early stages. Mike, who has already cashed $248,000 in the $10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em event, is looking to run deep in the Main Event as well.

When holding A-5 he fancied raking a big pot on a A-Q-7-A-9 board, but ended up chopping the thousands of chips in the middle when his opponent flipped over A-8 for a split pot.

Mike Sexton: representing PartyPoker at the WSOP

Between playing, Mike has popped into PartyPoker’s lounge at the Rio, where our qualifiers and their guests can eat, drink, watch TV and battle it out on a PlayStation to relax.

One of our qualifiers, Bo Christiansen from Sweden, has been a busy boy in the first two-hour level of play today. After getting here for just $7 in a PartyPoker online satellite, Bo has already eliminated one player, and is diving around in pots to try and increase his 30,000 stack even more.

Before he sat down to play in the massive Amazon Room – in a field that includes 2005 champion Joe Hachem – Bo said: “I’m very excited to be here. All I can do is play my best game. If I do that I will be happy whatever happens.”

Bo Christiansen: eliminated a player early in the day

He has a wife and two young children cheering him on back home – and they’re looking forward to a holiday in France when he’s done here in sweltering Las Vegas.

Meanwhile PartyPoker qualifier Carina Thuritz, who we revealed earlier was playing on the same day as her pro son, Mikael, is on a tough table featuring US pro David Singer, who has cashed just under $4 million in tournaments,  and the UK’s Steve Jelineck, who made the final table of the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo in 2007.

Here are the PartyPoker players who navigated safely through Dav 1B’s choppy waters:

Rasmus Neilsen, Denmark, 92,400

Martin Elkher, Denmark, 87,025

Mads Wissing Andersen, Denmark, 80,250

Jeffrey Hakim, Canada, 62,750

Marc McLoghlin, Ireland, 41,050

Jose Jaraiz Lopez, Spain, 30,225

Mika Paasonen, Finland, 14,775