Dimitar "KuuL" Danchev Bags the Lead on Day 1 of WCOOP-02-H: $10,300 8-Max PKO Sunday Slam $1.5 Million Guarantee
The first day of WCOOP-02-H: $10,300 [8-Max, Progressive KO, Sunday Slam] has come to an end after reaching the money here on level 19. Day 1 saw a total of 136 entries, creating a prize pool that came up short of the $1.5 million guarantee with a $140,000 overlay headed into the direction of all who cash. When the last chance saloon had closed for business on the first day it was well-known Dimitar "KuuL" Danchev leading the final 17 runners with an overwhelming chip lead.
Danchev is a poker pro that has over $4.6 million in live cashes, along with just under $7 million in earnings on PokerStars alone. He is a well-known high roller who is in an optimal position to add another feat to his incredible resume. The Bulgarian will be starting the final day with an immense chip lead, sitting on a stack of 7,383,474 to start the day which is about 4.5 million more than that of second place.
Danchev found himself sitting near the top for the latter stages of the day and really started to steamroll after taking down a monster pot versus Samuel "€urop€an" Vousden. Danchev opened, finding two callers and the action fell on Vousden in the big blind who over-shoved from the big blind and Danchev quickly moved in over the top. Vousden tabled ace-five against the ace-king of Danchev and failed to hit, sending a chip lead pot to Danchev who held onto it throughout the remainder of the night.
Closest behind Danchev on the leaderboard is Scott "Aggro Santos" Margereson with a chip stack of 2,891,908. Margereson had a rollercoaster of a day but managed to bounce back at the end with a well-timed heater. The day ended on a high note for Margereson when he called the all-in of Alexandru "steakaddict." Papazian and found himself in an optimal position to send him out on the bubble. Papazian had a pair of dimes and Margereson held a pair of johnnies. The board ran out dry, sending Papazian out on the bubble as well as ending the day after the money had been reached.
Top 10 Stacks Headed into Day 2
| Place | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dimitar "KuuL" Danchev | Bulgaria | 7,383,474 | 211 |
| 2 | Scott "Aggro Santos" Margereson | United Kingdom | 2,898,908 | 83 |
| 3 | Patrick "pads1161" Leonard | United Kingdom | 2,801,000 | 80 |
| 4 | Mike "SirWatts" Watson | Canada | 2,606,598 | 74 |
| 5 | Pieter "XMorphineX" Aerts | Belgium | 2,489,995 | 71 |
| 6 | Jans "Graftekkel" Arends | Netherlands | 2,169,928 | 62 |
| 7 | Ryhor "Grisha813" Karapanau | Belarus | 2,069,888 | 59 |
| 8 | Javier "que_te_crio" Fernandez | Spain | 1,744,544 | 50 |
| 9 | 663Daur | Kazakhstan | 1,392,445 | 40 |
| 10 | serggorelyi7 | Russia | 1,333,056 | 38 |
Many notable players showed up to take a shot at a WCOOP title with many failing to find the run good needed for a Day 2 birth. Some of which included Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo, Matthias "iambest2" Eibinger, Stephen "stevie444" Chidwick, Anatoly "NL_Profit" Filatov, and Michael "imluckbox" Addamo.
The remaining 17 players will all be finding a payday of at least $13,170 with the eventual champion taking down a WCOOP title, along with a six-figure payday worth $152,682. The eventual winner will also be retaining their own bounty, adding onto that massive payday.
Day 2 will start Monday, August 31 at 1:05 ET and will have a live stream following all of the action. The blinds will remain at 20 minutes in length, with all players getting a five-minute break 55 minutes past every hour. The day will not end until a winner has been crowned, taking down the title and all of that cold hard cash.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be bringing you all of the action as the remainder of the tournament unfolds, so tune in tomorrow!