Taylor Paur Cracks Aces and Kings to Bag Day 1a Chip Lead
Slow and steady was the theme of the day at the 2025 LA Poker Classic, as players took aim at building a stack on Day 1a of the $10,000 LAPC Main Event.
The opening flight saw a total of 47 entries taking their seats at The Commerce Casino & Hotel, with 26 surviving the first six levels of action to bag for Monday’s Day 2. The prize pool currently stands at $437,100, with Day 1b and Day 2 late registration still ahead.
Leading with is Taylor Paur, who bagged up 326,800 chips good for 327 big blinds to begin Level 7. Paur knocked out Martin Carnero late in the last level when he caught a set on the river to beat pocket kings and vault into the dominant chip lead.
Earlier in the day, Paur flopped two pair to crack Bill Klein’s pocket aces for and score the knockout.
Sitting in second spot is Evgeniy Tsyrenov, who amassed 251,500 chips to finish just ahead of George Archer (245,000).
After holding the chip lead for the better part of two levels, Amir Mirrasouli was overtaken in the final level and settled for fourth spot with 233,300, while Mexico's Francisco Fragoso rounds out the top five with 176,700.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor Paur | United States | 326,800 | 327 |
| 2 | Evgeniy Tsyrenov | United States | 251,500 | 252 |
| 3 | George Archer | United Kingdom | 245,000 | 245 |
| 4 | Amir Mirrasouli | United States | 233,300 | 233 |
| 5 | Francisco Fragoso | Mexico | 176,700 | 177 |
| 6 | Nick Pupillo | United States | 136,600 | 137 |
| 7 | Victoria Livschitz | United States | 127,500 | 128 |
| 8 | Ark Onikul | United States | 107,700 | 108 |
| 9 | Pedro Bromfman | Brazil | 106,000 | 106 |
| 10 | Xuejun Huang | United States | 104,200 | 104 |
Many notable names joined the field and found a bag, including WSOP bracelet winners Nick Pupillo (136,600), Pedro Bromfman (106,000), Faraz Jaka (83,900), and Brian Hastings (57,900).
Victoria Livschitz (127,500) collected chips on Level 5, finding pocket kings against queens to send Anthony Hu out. Billy Baxter scored a double with Broadway against a set of queens and finished the day with 58,300.
$10,000 LAPC Main Event Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1b | Feb. 23 | 11:00 a.m. |
| 2 | Feb. 24 | 12:00 p.m. |
| 3 | Feb. 25 | 12:00 p.m. |
| 4 | Feb. 26 | 12:00 p.m. |
The second flight runs Sunday, February 23, as Day 1b gets underway at 11:00 a.m. local time. Players will once again play six levels of 90 minutes each, starting with 60,000 chips. Blinds will start at 100/200, along with a 200 big blind ante
Late registration remains open until the start of Level 8 on Day 2, or approximately 1:45 p.m. on Monday.
Don’t miss any of the action, as the PokerNews live reporting team continues to follow the LAPC Main Event until the conclusion of the final table here in Los Angeles.