Cosmin Joldis Bags Event #26: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Day 1 Chip Lead
After 22 levels of play, Day 1 of Event #26: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas has come to an end. A total of 4,747 joined the field throughout the action-packed day to create a massive prize pool of $3,341,888, beating last year's number by close to $500,000. Last year’s tournament saw a total of 4,062 entries and that record was broken by more than 700 players. The winner of this event will take home $402,588 and the prestigious WSOP gold bracelet.
After the dust settled, it was Romania's Cosmin Joldis who bagged the chip lead with a staggering 2,040,000 in chips. Joldis has more than $1.1 million in live tournament earnings, an impressive sum aided by a runner-up finish in the 2022 WSOP Mini Main Event worth $367,233.
End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cosmin Joldis | Romania | 2,040,000 | 68 |
| 2 | William Pappas | United States | 1,680,000 | 56 |
| 3 | Stefan Rolfe | Canada | 1,655,000 | 55 |
| 4 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | 1,655,000 | 55 |
| 5 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | 1,575,000 | 53 |
| 6 | Wade Fink | United States | 1,520,000 | 51 |
| 7 | Nanhua Jin | United States | 1,450,000 | 48 |
| 8 | Christopher Battenfield | United States | 1,410,000 | 47 |
| 9 | Sriharsha Doddapaneni | United States | 1,380,000 | 46 |
| 10 | Tamas Lendvai | Hungary | 1,365,000 | 46 |
Close on his heels are Thomas Boivin, who bagged 1,575,000, and Wade Fink with 1,520,000, who both bagged top ten stacks.
Many recreational and big names jumped into the action, including Shaun Deeb, James Romero, Mikki Mase, and popular YouTuber Ryan Depaulo, all of whom busted throughout the day. Also sween were poker enthusiasts Mike Smith, Jonas Conlan, Eddie Valladares, Alice Isidro, and unfortunate “almost bubble boy” Eduardo Montoya, who was on a comeback from only one chip until his ace-king ran into the queens of his opponent to send him out a few places before the money.
The final 713 players locked up a min-cash of $1,280, and the bust-outs were fast and furious. In the last two levels of the day, the field went from 712 remaining to only 339, who will return at 10:00 a.m. on June 12 for Day 2.
Some of those fortunate enough to find a bag for Day 2 included, Ryan Riess (1,025,000), Nate Silver (290,000), Loni Harwood (370,000), and Bryn Kenney (575,000), who will all look to add to their already lengthy poker resumes.
The blinds will resume at Level 23 with 15,000/30,000 and a 30,000 big blind ante. The blinds will remain 30 minutes in length with a 20-minute break every four levels. The plan is to play down to a winner, but depending on the speed of play, could see another day added to the schedule.
As always, be sure to stick with PokerNews for all your up-to-date coverage of this event and the rest of the 2023 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
