The race to crown a new Main Event Champion is in full swing as everyone's focus today will be on Day 1d of the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event.
Action will start at 11 a.m. and this is the first time since 2012 that the Main Event has held more than three starting flights.
So far 1,392 players have advanced from a total field of 1,968. A hectic day is expected on Day 1d, with many expecting it to easily be the largest flight so far.
So far, Aleksandr Shevlyakov is sitting atop the chip counts with 392,600 after yesterday's Day1c. He was able to build his stack early after getting all-in with aces against Takahiro Kidokoro’s ace-queen and holding. Shevlyakov secured his chip lead near the end of the day after winning a massive pot with a straight against Susan Choi's pocket kings.
Yesterday's field contained several previous WSOP Main Event final tablists who managed to bag into Day 2cef. Among them are 2013 fifth-place finisher JC Tran, 2004 third-place finisher Josh Arieh, 2016 Champion Qui Nguyen, 2009 third-place finisher Dennis Phillips, 2019 Champion Hossein Ensan, 2018 runner-up Tony Miles, and 1988 runner-up Erik Seidel.
Jay Farber, who was the 2013 runner-up, was also in the field, but ended up busting during the last level of play following a hand that left him with crumbs.
As for the happenings on the first two starting flights, Mustapha Kanit (363,500) bagged the lead after Day 1a while Steve Foutty (287,000) grabbed the top spot after Day 1b .
Several legends made an appearance on Day 1a, and among them continuing on to Day 2 are Poker Hall of Fame members Doyle Brunson, Billy Baxter, and Tom McEvoy, while Ronnie Bardah, Stephen Chidwick, Kevin Gerhart, Mike Matusow, and Justin Bonomo were some player's able to navigate their way to a bag after Day 1b.
Today, another set of players will look to add their names to the list to a Day 2abd birth. Action will be identical to its first starting flights as cards will be in the air at 11 a.m. local and players start with 60,000 in chips.
The levels throughout the tournament are 120 minutes long, with five levels scheduled for each starting flight. After every level, players will have a 20-minute break and there will be a 75-minute dinner break after Level 3. Action for Day 1d is expected to conclude at approximately 11:15 p.m.
2021 WSOP Main Event Starting Flight's Blind Structure
| LEVEL | ESTIMATED START | DURATION | SMALL BLIND | BIG BLIND | BIG BLIND ANTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11:00 a.m. | 120 minutes | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 1:00 p.m. | 20-minute break | ||||
| 2 | 1:20 p.m. | 120 minutes | 200 | 300 | 300 |
| 3:20 p.m. | 20-minute break | ||||
| 3 | 3:40 p.m. | 120 minutes | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 5:40 p.m. | 75-minute break | ||||
| 4 | 6:55 p.m. | 120 minutes | 300 | 500 | 500 |
| 8:55 p.m. | 20-minute break | ||||
| 5 | 9:15 p.m. | 120 minutes | 300 | 600 | 600 |
*Late registration for this event is open for seven levels (two levels into November 9 and 10).
Players who survive today will return to action Tuesday, November 9, and combine with fields 1a and 1b, to play another five levels for Day 2abd. The full structure for this event can be found here (PDF).
| Flight | Entries | Advancing to Day 2abd |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1a | 524 | 348 |
| Day 1b | 845 | 611 |
| Day 1d | - | - |
| Totals | 1,369 | 959 |
Today's action starts at 11 a.m. local time and PokerNews will be there the entire day with live updates from around the tournament rooms of the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.