After a slow Day 1Aand a rain-soaked Day 1B, the World Series of Poker Main Event featured the largest single-day starting flight in its history on Tuesday. A field of 3,963 players turned out, keeping WSOP staff busy and pumping the tournament’s attendance up to 6,420, down 4% from last year.

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Over the course of all three starting flights, 4,389 players advanced to Day 2. According to WSOP officials, “The 6,420 entries created a prize pool of $60,348,000. The top 1,000 places will be paid, with a min-cash worth $15,000. All players who make the November Nine will earn seven-figure payouts and the winner will take home $7,680,021.”

Last year, Martin Jacobson outlasted a field of 6,683 entrants en route to a $10 million first place prize. Here’s how attendance in the Main Event has looked since the record-setting 2006 version:

2006 (Jamie Gold): 8,773 players
2007 (Jerry Yang): 6,358 players
2008 (Peter Eastgate): 6,844 players
2009 (Joe Cada): 6,494 players
2010 (Jonathan Duhamel): 7,319 players
2011 (Pius Heinz): 6,865 players
2012 (Greg Merson): 6,598 players
2013 (Ryan Riess): 6,352 players
2014 (Martin Jacobson): 6,683 players
2015: 6,420 players

Some of the hubbub on Tuesday was about one table that featured both Phil Hellmuth (pictured) and Phil Ivey, who own a combined 24 WSOP bracelets. Ivey doubled up through Hellmuth after the former shoved all-in on a board showing K-10-4-2 with three spades. Ivey showed K-J for top pair, while Hellmuth had As-Q. A red 4 completed the board and Ivey survived. Hellmuth ended Day 1C with 79,725 in chips, while Ivey was at 22,350.

World Poker Tour host Tony Bond18 Dunst also doubled up late in the day on Tuesday. He 5bet all-in before the flop with A-K and received a taker who had kings, but rivered a wheel to double up. Dunst ended Day 1C with 50,750.

Twitter was ablaze with players reporting on their Day 1C progress. James FlushyDempsey was among them, Tweeting, “Bagged 15k going into day 2, nobody in the world would have bagged from my seat.” Zachary HustlerGrune Gruneberg told his followers, “Bagged 47,125 in the Main Event. Near tournament peak, super happy with it.”

Jason JCarverSomerville (pictured), Twitch master, Tweeted, “Made day 2 of the @WSOP Main Event with a peaceful 50,250 from 30k starting chips. Back Thursday for day 2!”

Finally, we wanted to touch on longtime PocketFiver and bracelet winner Cliff JohnnyBax Josephy, who ended the day with over 80,000 in chips. “Bax” Tweeted at one point, “Flopped bway v top set AAA and got all the chips in on the turn. I held to bust him and he awkwardly stayed in his seat for 5+ mins.”

On Wednesday, the survivors of Day 1A and 1B will combine for their Day 2. On Thursday, the survivors from Day 1C will return to do the same. Then, on Friday, the field will combine for the first time on Day 3.

Stay tuned to PocketFives for the latest WSOP coverage, brought to you by Tournament Poker Edge.

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