A busy Friday at the 2021 World Series of Poker featured a wide range of events, from starting flight 1A action in the Millionaire Maker to final-table play in Event 13, the $3,000 NLH Freezeout. The railbird buzz, however, ended up occurring in preliminary action for an event that technically has yet to start, Event #20, the $1,000 Flip & Go No Limit Hold'em Presented by GGPoker.
Famed pro Daniel Negreanu drew much of that buzz by participating in all of the first series of Flip & Gos offered. Early on, though, his luck at flips was a flop. Negreanu lost his first eight attempts before winning his way into Sunday’s event on his ninth try.
Negreanu joined Ray Henson, Patrick Tardif, Jake Schwartz, and others in locking up a Sunday seat on Friday. Each of these seat winners has already locked up a cash in the event, which becomes a more traditional multi-table event on Sunday and concludes on Monday.
Format draws buzz and good-natured action
The Flip & Go tourney is a new event for the 2021 WSOP. It’s also one of the strangest tourney formats ever devised for an official WSOP bracelet event. Each Flip & Go begins when eight players are seated, and then the fun begins.
The action itself is simple. After the eight players draw for seats and the button is determined, each player is dealt three cards. The dealer puts out a standard no-limit hold’em flop. Then, however, each player discards one of his three cards, Crazy Pineapple-style (since it’s after the flop). There’s no betting whatsoever, and rather more luck than skill. Each player simply turns up his cards and roots for whatever he or she needs to arrive on the flop or turn to make a winning hand.
Henson won Friday’s very first flipament and became the first person to secure an Event #20 cash. His and others’ secured cashes won’t show up online until Sunday’s event officially begins.
Negreanu records SNG attempts for upcoming vlog
Fans who want to see how the early SNGs played out can already find a few snippets online:
Negreanu and several of the early SNG players were also on hand representing and promoting GGPoker, the event’s sponsor. Twitch streamer Patrick Tardif, for example, won the day’s sixth flip when he paired a hole-card queen on a board where two tens flopped and a third one hit the river.
In the next eight-player flip, high-stakes pro Jake Schwartz stopped in and immediately claimed a Sunday seat. Schwartz rivered a three to make an unlikely two pairs, nines and threes, on a widely-scattered board.
Meanwhile, Negreanu largely missed each SNG’s flops before finally breaking through in the day’s ninth SNG. Negreanu, though, recorded each of his attempts for an upcoming vlog, so fans can view these fast-paced flipaments on his YouTube channel in the coming days.
Featured image source: Haley Hintze
