$3,500 Main Event Day 1 | 2022 BetMGM Poker Championship

$3,500 Main Event

Day 1 Completed

06-23-2022 22:25 UTC-7

Qualifer Michael McNicholas Among Chip Leaders at End of Day 1 in BetMGM Poker Championship

Connor Richards

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Day 1 of the 2022 BetMGM Poker Championship $3,500 Main Event at the beautiful ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas has concluded with 90 players left after nine hours of play. Michael McNicholas is among the chip leaders with a healthy stack of 346,000 as he looks to take home his latest tournament score.

McNicholas, a one-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner with $116,746 in live earnings, will be joined on Day 2 by fellow big stacks Graham Mathews (380,000), Linus Richter (296,000), fellow qualifier Edward Leonard (287,500) and Albert Nguyen (262,000).

Day 1 of the Main Event atttracted 210 runners and many of the biggest names in poker. Some of the notables who made it to bagging time include 2015 WSOP Main Event champion Joe McKeehen, Anton Wigg, Nick Schulman, Isaac Kempton, Jake Daniels, Kevin Rabichow, Dejuante "DJ" Alexander, Matthew Wantman and James Romero.

A total of 68 players qualified into the Main Event by playing online on BetMGM Poker, among them Vincent Lestingi, Larry Lucci, Connor Boyle, Vineet "Vinny" Pahuja, Kevin Allebach, Corey Paggeot, John Goodin and Yuriy Garifoulline.

BetMGM Poker Ambassadors Matt Berkey and Darren Elias both fired multiple bullets across Day 1, but only Elias found a bag as the night wound down.

Some of the players who didn't survive to bag include Nate Silver, Ryan Laplante, Connor Drinan, Thomas Muehloecker and Ryan Hagerty.

Day 2 of the BetMGM Poker Championship will kick off on Friday, June 24 at noon PST on Level 10 with blinds at 1,000/2,000/2,000. Like the previous day, Day 2 will play for nine 60-minute levels with players taking a 15-minute break every two levels. Late registration will remain open until the completion of Level 11.

The PokerNews live reporting team will be back on-site tomorrow for continued coverage of the BetMGM Poker Championship at ARIA. Stay tuned.

06-23-2022 22:24 UTC-7

Seat Draw For Day 2

Matthew Pitt

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Table	Seat	Player	Chips	Big Blinds
24	1	William	McCracken	50,500
24	3	Bob	Shao	61,500
24	4	Nick	Schulman	18,000
24	6	Yuriy	Garifoulline	35,000
24	7	Kevin	Allebach	62,000

25	1	Duff	Chapette	140,500
25	3	Keegan	Smith	46,500
25	4	Vincent	Lestingi	127,000
25	6	Timothy	Carey	38,000
25	7	Graham	Matthews	380,000

26	1	Albert	Nguyen	262,000
26	3	Jonathan	Lessin	131,500
26	4	Benji	Felson	117,500
26	6	Daniel	Buzgon	67,500
26	7	Sylvian	Loosli	54,000

27	1	David	Botcowsky	250,000
27	3	Santiago	Planie	12,000
27	4	Scott	Szurek	99,000
27	6	Cliff	Hodgman	57,000
27	7	Linus	Richter	296,000

28	1	Angel	Lopez	51,500
28	3	Steven	Filipovic	102,500
28	4	Matt	Wantman	107,000
28	6	Michael	McNichols	346,000
28	7	Craig	Mason	136,000

29	1	Anton	Wigg	95,500
29	3	Barry	Hutter	4,500
29	4	Upeshka	De Silva	64,500
29	6	Brian	Frasca	145,500
29	7	Tse	Shing	95,500

30	1	Juris	Kaps	60,000
30	3	Nicholas	Dennis	118,500
30	4	Jacob	Ferro	84,500
30	6	James	Romero	62,500
30	7	Edward	Leonard	287,500

31	1	Hal	Rotholz	214,000
31	3	Markus	Gonsalves	60,500
31	4	John	Goodin	172,000
31	6	Larry	Lucci	122,000

31	7	Noel	Rodriguez	70,000
32	1	Tony	Bruscia	306,000
32	3	Lander	Lijo	80,000
32	4	Oleg	Bondar	115,500
32	6	Mark	Dube	63,000
32	7	Jeremy	Saderne	263,000

33	1	Steve	Bayyouk	44,000
33	3	Jennifer	Tesch	132,500
33	4	Charlton	Lin	135,000
33	6	Matthew	Lefey	130,500
33	7	Tim	McDermott	108,500

34	1	Val	Arzunian	62,000
34	3	Raul	Martinez	170,500
34	4	Gediminas	Uselis	233,500
34	6	Vladimir	Alexandrov	99,000
34	7	Ludovic	Geilich	208,000

35	1	Alexandre	Vuleomier	59,000
35	3	Mark	Dicksten	223,000
35	4	Javier	Gomez	106,500
35	6	Jake	Daniels	207,500
35	7	Kevin	Rabichow	73,000

36	1	Austin	Bursavich	135,500
36	3	DeJuante	Alexander	138,500
36	4	Iakov	Onuchin	265,000
36	6	Tony	Valiente	82,000
36	7	Joey	Weissman	50,000

37	1	Ian	Ivers	185,000
37	3	Randall	Brooks	220,000
37	4	Shankar	Pillai	40,500
37	6	Millard	Hale	103,500
37	7	Gregory	Hadden	68,500

38	1	Ryan	Shinevare	53,500
38	3	Mario	Navarro	23,000
38	4	Josh	Koetje	93,000
38	6	Anuj	Sethi	47,500
38	7	Jonan	Schultz-Pedersen	64,000

39	1	Salim	Khouiy	160,000
39	3	Darren	Elias	37,000
39	4	Daniel	Sewnig	117,000
39	6	Jared	Koppel	101,500
39	7	Joseph	McKeehen	202,500

40	1	Tim	Gilberti	32,000
40	3	Connor	Boyle	11,500
40	4	Sam	Panzica	51,000
40	6	Clemen	Deng	83,000
40	7	Isaac	Kempton	46,500

41	1	Maxwell	Young	208,500
41	3	Edgar	Varas	52,000
41	4	Arthur	Gulbinowicz	54,500
41	6	George	Rakitzis	73,000
41	7	Michael	Cannon	194,000

06-23-2022 22:23 UTC-7

Official End of Day Chip Counts (full)

Matthew Pitt

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Graham Matthews	380,000	380,000
Michael McNicholas	346,000	-14,000
Anthony Bruscia	306,000	-20,000
Linus Richter	296,000	-4,000
Edward Leonard	287,500	11,500
Iakov Onuchin	265,000	265,000
Jeremy Saderne	263,000	3,000
Albert Nguyen	262,000	262,000
David Botcowsky	250,000	-30,000
Gediminas Uselis	233,500	233,500
Mark Dickstein	223,000	223,000
Randall Brooks	220,000	220,000
Hal Rotholz	214,000	214,000
Maxwell Young	208,500	208,500
Ludovic Geilich	208,000	76,000
Jake Daniels	207,500	7,500
Joe McKeehen	202,500	-27,500
Michael Cannon	194,000	117,000
Ian Ivers	185,000	185,000
John Goodin	172,000	132,000
Raul Martinez	170,500	50,500
Salim Khoury	160,000
Brian Frasca	145,500	145,500
Duff Charette	140,500	500
Dejuante Alexander	138,500	37,500

Read full

06-23-2022 22:07 UTC-7

Day 1 Closes

Calum Grant

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Day 1 of the inaugural BetMGM Poker Championship has come to a close. The tournament has seen 210 entries and just 99 players have survived the first day of action.

Late registration is open until the start of Level 11 on Day 2, which will be around 1:15 p.m. on Friday, June 24.

Chip counts and recap of the day to follow.

06-23-2022 21:58 UTC-7

Final Three Hands Called

Calum Grant

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

The tournament clock has stopped and the final three hands of Day 1 have been called.

06-23-2022 21:50 UTC-7

Biggest Stacks in the Room; Farrell Gone

Calum Grant

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael McNicholas	360,000	360,000
Anthony Bruscia	326,000	61,000
Linus Richter	300,000	300,000
Austin Bursavich	300,000	20,000
Edward Leonard	276,000	-17,000
Jeremy Saderne	260,000	260,000
Niall Farrell	Busted

06-23-2022 21:28 UTC-7

Bruscia Sends Elias to Rail; Elias Hops Back In

Connor Richards

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Darren Elias was in the big blind in a heads-up pot against Anthony Bruscia on the button on a board of .

Elias checked on the flop and Bruscia bet 7,500. Elias check-raised to 23,000 and Bruscia called. Elias then moved all-in on the turn and Bruscia quickly called.

Darren Elias:
Anthony Bruscia:

Bruscia was ahead with a better two pair and he improved to a full house on the river the send the BetMGM Poker ambassador to the rail as the night winds down.

Elias was seen taking a seat at a nearby table shortly after on another bullet.

Player	Chips	Progress
Anthony Bruscia	265,000	265,000
Darren Elias	Busted

06-23-2022 21:26 UTC-7

Valiente Comes Back From Dregs

Calum Grant

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Anthony Valiente, who was down to just 4,000 at one point in the last level, has made quite the comeback. He was also seen dragging in another pot after he doubled up through an opponent.

With 9,000 in the middle on the flop, Valiente checked in the big blind before the middle position player bet 6,000. Valiente moved all in for 29,600 and his opponent went into the tank. Eventually he called.