LAS VEGAS — The marathon grind toward the richest pot in poker is under way.

Play opened in the 39th World Series of Poker main event yesterday, with nearly 1,300 players hoping to make it through a 10-hour day of no-limit Texas Hold 'em against high-profile players and unknowns who could come out of nowhere to win millions of dollars and the game's ultimate crown.

"Finally, we are here," said 59-year-old Serge Grenier of Montreal, who won his entry into the tournament through online poker site PokerStars.net.

"It's the dream of every real poker player to come here and play."

The day kicked off in classic Sin City style, with Las Vegas icon Wayne Newton delivering the famous order — "Shuffle up and deal!" The UNLV marching band rushed to the middle of the tournament floor at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and played Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas."

The clinking of chips at hundreds of tables immediately filled the room, drowning out crowd murmurs — in several different languages — as the players got down to business. The field is so large that first-round play is spread over four days.

Each seat in the tournament cost $10,000, and players were issued 20,000 in chips. About 10 percent of those who entered will win money by the time the tournament gets down to nine final players July 14.

The tournament's first-day total of 1,297 entries was just 10 players more than its opening day last year of 1,287. Last year, the number grew to 6,358 players, with the top prize of $8.25 million going to California psychologist Jerry Yang. Tournament officials were hoping for a boost this year based on poker's popularity moving its final table to November, giving an extra four months of hype to the final nine players.

Barry Clancy, a 54-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas, became the first player eliminated from the main event yesterday when his pocket aces — the best starting hand in Texas Hold 'em — were beaten by Rocco Lazazzaro and his jacks when a third jack came on the river, the final card of the hand.

"Total luck, bro, total luck," said Lazazzaro, 50, of Las Vegas. "No master pokermanship here, right?"