Three players crossed the 700,000-chip milestone on Day 1a. Now the question today is who can join them when Day 1b of the Merit Poker Western Series Main Event begins at noon local time.
Frenchman Samy Barka ended the opening flight as the chip leader over the surviving 71 players with 783,000. He was followed close behind by Michel Habib (753,000) and Merit Poker Gangster Series Main Event champion Dmitry Yurasov (736,000). Candido Cappiello (476,500), Benjamin Hamnett (427,000), Andrew Hedley (402,000), and Dean Hutchison (380,000) also finished as top stacks.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|
| 1 | Samy Barka | France | 783,000 | 313 |
| 2 | Michel Habib | Lebanon | 753,000 | 301 |
| 3 | Dmitry Yurasov | Russia | 736,000 | 294 |
| 4 | Jianwei Lin | Australia | 619,000 | 248 |
| 5 | Basem Abudavas | Jordan | 600,000 | 240 |
| 6 | Mustafa Ercan | Turkey | 596,500 | 239 |
| 7 | Xiang Lian | China | 496,000 | 198 |
| 8 | Candido Cappiello | Italy | 476,500 | 191 |
| 9 | Benjamin Hamnett | United States | 427,000 | 171 |
| 10 | Ilia Korliakov | Russia | 421,000 | 168 |
Today it’s the chance of a new crop of players to try to book their ticket for Day 2. Players begin with 100,000 and will play nine 60-minute levels, with a 15-minute break every two levels. Unlimited reentries are allowed during the registration period, which remains open until the end of Level 14 on Day 2. Already 188 players entered the starting flight as the Main Event is well on its way to surpassing the $1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
This is the second of four opening flights. Day 1c begins tomorrow at noon local time with 40-minute levels, while Day 1d at 7 p.m. features 25-minute levels. The surviving players from the four starting flights then combine for Day 2 on January 23 at noon.
Stay tuned as PokerNews provides all the action as new hopefuls take their shot at the title today.
Tags:
Andrew HedleyBasem AbudavasBenjamin HamnettCandido CappielloDean HutchisonDmitry YurasovIlia KorliakovJianwei LinMichel HabibMustafa ErcanSamy BarkaXiang Lian
