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The $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship kicks off in about 4 hours as the biggest stars in the world are expected to take their seat in this one.

There are a few questions on everyone’s minds as the kickoff of this event approaches.

The Chip Reese Memorial Trophy from the 2010 Poker Players Championship.

First, how many players will show up?  Last year’s field drew 116 players.

Many would have guessed going into the 2011 WSOP that the number would be lucky to break 75, but if this series has taught us anything, it is that the poker economy is resilient.

Now many of the pros are saying that the number may well exceed 116. Personally, I am taking the under on 116 and saying somewhere between 108 and 112.

Next, will Doyle Brunson show up?

Doyle has been noticeably absent for most of the 2011 WSOP.  He has admitted via twitter that he doesn’t have the passion since Black Friday to really play poker.

Fans are wishing him luck, but it remains to be seen if he shows.

Finally, the big question is whether Phil Ivey will show up.

Barry Greenstein stated that Ivey may play the Main Event, but nothing before that. Some speculation has been circling this morning that may suggest that Ivey may make an appearance.

Considering Ivey’s talent in mixed games, he might be a force in this event should he show up.

We should find out these questions, and hopefully more in just a few hours. Come back later as we will bring you updates from Day 1 of the 2011 WSOP $50,000 Player’s Championship.

Updated 10:35 p.m. EST / 7:35 p.m. PDT

Action has been underway for a couple of hours now and so far this appears to be a solid field. As expected, many big names showed up like Daniel Negreanu, Durrrr, Michael Mizrachi, etc.

We also found out the answer to a couple of questions. First, Erick Lindgren twittered the following about the status of Phil Ivey for the event:

EdogPoker For those speculating, Phil Ivey will not be playing the 50k today. He is still in Europe working to get things done.

Also, Doyle Brunson is indeed in attendance in this event. It is always good to see the Godfather of Poker. Hopefully he will go deep in this one.

By the way, my prediction on the number of players in this one is already shot to hell. There are currently 113 players at the tables.

On top of that, since players have until the end of Level 5 to register, it will be very late before we have a final number. (In the case of this blog, that will be tomorrow as I will not be staying up to get the list.)

Of course, everyone still remains in this field as it is a very slow structure. Day 1 is always a slow one in this event.

If anything interesting goes down, I’ll update this blog and let you know. Otherwise, check out the recap in the morning for any pertinent action.

For daily recaps of all the action at the 2011 World Series of Poker, check our WSOP news section.