Who Will Walk Away with $686,242 and the Gold WSOP Bracelet Tonight?
An eventful Day 1 saw the field in Event #55: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha dwindle from 788 entries to just 72 contenders. They all have already locked up a profitable campaign worth a minimum of $10,013, but all have their eyes on the $686,242 sitting at the top along with the prestigious bracelet.
The two most popular poker disciplines brought many notable players to the Paris and Bally's Las Vegas, and it is Joao Simao who will be back in action with a sizeable lead, with 1,705,000 in chips and his sights set on his second bracelet.
Second in the chip counts is Frank Lagodich (1,530,000) who recently had a deep run Event #21: $1,500 MONSTER STACK No-Limit Hold'em for 25th place and will look to reach the second WSOP final table of his career. Closing out the top three is Vasil Medarov (1,495,000) who reached two final tables in Pot Limit Omaha WSOP events last year.
Other notable players to keep an eye on include Joni Jouhkimainen (1,015,000), Craig Mason( 875,000), Bryce Yockey (820,000, Michael Rocco (770,000), and three-time WSOP champion David Pham (695,000), who have all bagged an above average stack.
Players like Justin Saliba (200,000), Ben Diebold (220,000), Brandon Cantu (315,000), Dylan Weisman (330,000), and Leif Force (330,000) will have some work to do as they were left with a below average stack at the end of last night.
The pack of 72 players will come back at 2 p.m. to continue showcasing their NLH and PLO prowess. Blinds will be 10,000/25,000 with a 25,000 big blind ante when the cards get back in the air and the levels will be increased to 40 minutes, with a 15-minute break after every three.
The aim is that play will continue until a winner is crowned, so follow the PokerNews live updates to find out who will make it all the way to the end!