2013 World Poker Tour Korea Day 1a and 1b: Zhu Ya Xi Leads
The Ramada Plaza Jeju in South Korea was buzzing with poker action over the weekend as the World Poker Tour Korea Main Event kicked off. On Saturday and Sunday, Day 1a and 1b played out with 137 entries and a prize pool of $358,803 generated.
Day a attracted 50 entries on its own, while Day 1b saw another 87 added to the mix. At the end of Day 1a, there were 26 players left and Alex Lou led that pack of survivors. Day 1b's chip leader was Zhu Ya Xi, who is fresh off a fourth-place finish in the WPT China National event. She bagged up 165,200 in chips and will be taking the overall lead into Day 2.
Day 1b finished with 49 players, and 75 total will return for Day 2.
According to the WPT live updates, Xi took the chip lead thanks to a big pot she won during Level 8 with the blinds at 300/600/75.
A player in early position raised to 1,500 and received three calls: the player in the hijack seat, Xi in the cutoff seat, and the small blind. On the J♠10♠7♥ flop, action checked to Xi. She bet 3,000, and the small blind check-raised to 8,000. The other two players folded, then Xi popped it to 13,000 with a raise of her own. The small blind then made it 27,000, Xi made it 40,000, the small blind moved all in, and Xi called.
Xi showed the J♣10♦ for top two pair and was up against the small blind's 8♦7♣ for bottom pair and a gutshot straight draw. The turn was the 5♥, and the river was the 3♣. Xi's hand held, giving her the double up and nearly 160,000 in chips.
The top prize has been set at $100,000, and the top 21 spots will pay out. Among those still alive in the event are Tony Dunst, Brittany Bell, and Lacey Jones.
Day 2 will commence at 2 p.m. local time, and you can be sure to find a day's recap right here on PokerNews.
Photo and data courtesy of the WPT Blog.
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