Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2023 bestbet Winter Open
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2023 bestbet Winter Open
Prize Pool
$580,425
Entries
327
Level
25
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
50,000
Entries
131
Players Left
17
Feder Bags Big Chip Lead in Day 1a of bestbet Winter Open Main Event
Level 14
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
After a fast-paced day of action that actually ended early, it’s Brett Feder of Jacksonville, FL leading the final 17 players from Day 1a of the $2,000 bestbet Winter Open Main Event with 650,000 chips, almost 200,000 more than his closest competition, Rodney Turvin.
Feder had a middling stack for a good portion of the day until a big hand in level 10 where he flopped a set of threes against Steven Ruighaver who held top pair, to double-up to over 200,000 chips.
From there, Feder would ascend to the chip lead, while Ruighaver would end up being the final elimination of the night with 13:12 left in level 14, leaving the final 17 players (12.5%) advancing to Day 2 on Sunday.
Maxwell Young also bagged a big stack of 444,000, thanks in part to a huge hand in level 13 that saw him hit a one-outer on the turn with pocket kings to eliminate a pair of players.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Name | Hometown | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Feder | Jacksonville, FL | 650,000 |
| 2 | Rodney Turvin | Cairo, GA | 457,000 |
| 3 | Maxwell Young | Portland, OR | 444,000 |
| 4 | David Tuthill | St. Petersberg FL | 324,000 |
| 5 | Toby Boas | Slyva, NC | 316,000 |
| 6 | Matthew Johnson | Smyrna, TN | 285,000 |
| 7 | Talesh Patel | St. Augustine, FL | 213,000 |
| 8 | Russell Quick | Jacksonville, FL | 197,000 |
| 9 | Dane Cass | Booneville, NC | 191,000 |
| 10 | William Davis | Jacksonville, FL | 149,000 |
In total, 131 entries filled seats in the bestbet Jacksonville poker room throughout the day to start the prize pool with $232,525, with a big Day 1b field expected Saturday to boost that number significantly.
Among those that busted Friday and will have to return Saturday in hopes of finding a bag for Day 2 included two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner David Dibernardi, Michael Jagroo, who won the Lodge Spring Mayhem Main Event for over $250,000 last year, and local husband and wife duo of Kelley Slay and Kelly Slay.
Day 1b will start Saturday at noon local time with players starting with 30,000 chips for another 14 levels of play or again until 12.5% of the field remains.
PokerNews will be on site for that and all the action from the Winter Open Main Event until a champion is crowned Monday on the bestbet Jacksonville live stream.
End of Day 1 Chip Counts (full)
Level 14
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
650,000 | 60,000 |
|
457,000 | 73,000 |
|
444,000 | -91,000 |
|
324,000 | -70,000 |
|
316,000 | 98,000 |
|
285,000 | 209,500 |
|
213,000 | |
|
197,000 | |
|
191,000 | -54,000 |
|
149,000 | 64,000 |
|
115,000 | 11,000 |
|
111,000 | -139,000 |
|
104,000 | -101,000 |
|
102,000 | -98,000 |
|
84,000 | -66,000 |
|
|
62,000 | -33,000 |
|
|
37,000 |
Tuthill Eliminates Ruighaver to End Play
Level 14
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Steven Ruighaver got his last 13,000 chips in the middle preflop and was called by both David Tuthill and Russell Quick.
The duo checked down the 
board, with Ruighaver saying after the flop and turn that he was still all-in. On the river however, he dropped an "aw f***" as Tuthill bet 20,000. Quick folded and tuthill showed 
for a rivered pair of aces.
Ruighaver showed 
as he was indeed rivered and quick mucked his hand.
With the elimination of Ruighaver, play has stopped for the night with 13:12 remaining in level 14 and 17 players remaining.
Stay tuned for complete chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
394,000 | |
|
|
197,000 | -10,000 |
|
Busted |
Battle for the Chip Lead
Level 14
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
With just one more elimination needed to end the night, Brett Feder and Maxwell Young have each been earning smallish pots preflop with three-bets and aggression, with each showing quality hands like premium pairs and ace-king.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
590,000 | 60,000 |
|
|
535,000 | 50,000 |
Last Level of the Night
Level 14
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Two more eliminations or 40 minutes of play.
That's all that's left in today's action on Day 1a of the bestbet Winter Open Main Event.
Level: 14
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 4,000
Young Drills One-Outer to Bust Two and Approach Chip Lead
Level 13
: 2,000/3,000, 3,000 ante
A wild hand at table 38 has brought the field two players closer to night's end and send Maxwell Young toward the chip lead.
Young opened to 7,000 in middle position and was met with a jam to 45,000 by a player in the cutoff. Johnny Landreth then four-bet to 100,000 on the button.
Back on Young, he jammed for over 200,000 with Landreth covered and Landreth happily called off his last 70,000, creating a massive three-way pot.
Cutoff player: 
Johnny Landreth: 
Maxwell Young:
Landreth was in prime position to win a huge pot, but the board still had to be dealt.
The flop came 
, leaving the cutoff needing running jacks, or for Young, the final king in the deck.
Sure enough, the dealer dropped the 
on the turn, bringing Young his one-outer for the ultimate suckout.
The 
on the river didn't bring Landreth one of the two outs he needed for the ultimate re-suckout, and a massive pot was pushed to Young, who now has the second biggest stack in the room with just two more eliminations needed to end play for the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
485,000 | 300,000 |
|
Busted |
Cass Slows Down Feder
Level 13
: 2,000/3,000, 3,000 ante
Brett Feder has been growing his chip lead steadily through the last couple of levels, but a preflop battle has slowed his momentum briefly.
Dane Cass opened to 7,000 in the hijack and was met with a three-bet from Feder to 23,000 from the big blind.
Cass then came back with a four-bet to 63,000. Feder thought for a while and said "nobody folds this" before tossing 
face up into the muck.
Cass flashed him the and later claimed that he had .
"Nice hand" complimented Feder who still has the chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
530,000 | 63,000 |
|
|
245,000 | 109,000 |
McNulty Busts Burns
Level 13
: 2,000/3,000, 3,000 ante
After John McNulty raised in middle position, David Burns moved all in from the cutoff for 23,000. Action folded back to McNulty who called.
David Burns: 
John McNulty:
McNulty had Burns dominated and the 
runout brought Burns no help, bringing the field 5 eliminations away from the end of play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
140,000 | 140,000 |
|
Busted |