First Day of The Big One: Drama and Eliminations

The first all-in occurred on the first level with stacks of 500 big blinds between Tom Dwan and John Morgan, resulting in a chop.

The Second Level: Phil Hellmuth Joins

Phil Hellmuth joined the tournament on the second level, quietly making his way through the corridors of the Rio and immediately engaging in the game.

Third Level: Justin Smith's Elimination

Justin Smith eliminated his first opponent, Frederick Banjo, on the third level. Smith caught a straight on the river with 2c 6s 8h As 4s, while Banjo showed Ks Qs and was eliminated.

Fourth Level: Phil Hellmuth Doubles Up

Phil Hellmuth doubled up on the fourth level against Paul Phua, winning an all-in preflop with Ax Ax against Kx Kx.

Fifth Level: Brian Rast Eliminates Andrew Robl

Brian Rast eliminated Andrew Robl on the fifth level. In a 4-bet pot, Rast made a bet on the flop Qc 8c 4c with Ac Ks, and Robl called with Kc Kd but lost when the 9c hit on the river.

Sixth Level: Jens Kilonen and Jonathan Duhamel Eliminated

Jens Kilonen was eliminated after losing to Frederick Banjo. Kilonen called a bet on the flop 5s 3h 2h with Ah Qd and bought a queen on the turn, but Banjo's Ad 4d held up. Jonathan Duhamel was eliminated after losing to Bill Perkins. Duhamel had a promising flop Ts 9c 6c to Qc Tc, but Perkins made a straight, and Duhamel's hand did not improve.

Dinner Break: Frederick Banjo Leads

Frederick Banjo led with 8,390,000 chips at the dinner break, followed by Phil Hellmuth with 8,105,000 and Brian Rast with 7,650,000.

Amateur Eliminations

Paul Phua was the first amateur to be eliminated, losing an all-in preflop with 4x 4x against 8x 8x held by Daniel Negreanu. Eric Seidel was eliminated after losing to Nick Schulman in a preflop cooler, with Antonio Esfandiari claiming the remaining four blinds. Bertrand Grospellier was eliminated after losing to Gus Hansen. Grospellier raised with Kh Jh and was dominated by both Hansen's Jx 7x and Schwartz's Jx 8x, but Hansen ultimately won with a full house.

Late Eliminations

Nick Schulman was eliminated after losing to Antonio Esfandiari. Schulman had two pairs but lost to Esfandiari's stronger hand. Evgeny Kachalov was eliminated after losing to Antonio Esfandiari with 4x 4x against Ax 9x, as the nine hit on the turn. Mike Mizrachi was eliminated after losing to Mike Sexton. Mizrachi raised with 100,000 from the small blind, and Sexton called. On the flop Ac Kc Js, Mizrachi bet 70,000, and Sexton called. On the turn 5c, Mizrachi went all-in with 180,000, and despite the pot odds, Sexton called with Qh Jc, revealing Mizrachi's bluff with 3s 2c.

Final Elimination

Giovanni Garasco was the last to be eliminated on the first day. He interpreted a 3-bet from Banjo as a squeeze and decided to bluff with Ah 9h, but Banjo's Ac Kc won the hand.