button in SafariJeremy Becker Bags Massive Chip Lead in Big, Big Baller
Following 12 levels of No-Limit Hold’em action at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa,, Day 1 of the $10,200 Big Big Baller has come to a close, and its none other than Jeremy Becker who tops the charts having bagged up a whopping 317,500 chips, which is over 10 starting stacks and good for 105 big blinds when returning for Day 2 tomorrow.
Becker is far and away the chip leader, as second-placed David Stefanski will be returning, with 194,500 in the bag, earning him second place in the Day 1 standings. Rounding out the podium is Drew O'Connell. Propelled by winning a massive flip against Brandon Hamlet, he put up quite an impressive showing to bring 184,500 forward to Day 2.
End of Day 1 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremy Becker | United States | 317,500 | 105 |
| 2 | David Stefanski | United States | 194,500 | 64 |
| 3 | Drew O'Connell | United States | 184,500 | 61 |
| 4 | Nicholas Verderamo | United States | 176,500 | 58 |
| 5 | Daniel Escherich | United States | 158,500 | 52 |
| 6 | Nicholas Palma | United States | 154,000 | 51 |
| 7 | Brock Wilson | United States | 150,500 | 50 |
| 8 | Daniel Monosson | United States | 150,000 | 50 |
| 9 | Michael Gagliano | United States | 62,000 | 20 |
| 10 | Darren Elias | United States | 48,000 | 16 |
| 11 | Anthony Piacquadio | United States | 34,000 | 11 |
| 12 | Cherish Andrews | United States | 30,000 | 10 |
| 13 | Kharlin Sued | United States | 29,500 | 9 |
Further down in the standings, Nicholas Verderamo (176,500), Brock Wilson (150,000), and Daniel Monosson (150,000) all found a bag after more than eight hours of play, and it would be foolish to count any of them out, as all eyes will undoubtedly be on the sweet taste of victory.
A clear breakaway and peloton have both been formed, with Michael Gagliano directly behind Monosson in the standings, despite his 62,000 chips being less than half of his opponent's stack. Gagliano is joined by fello MGM Poker ambassador Darren Elias, and Cherish Andrews towards the bottom of the standings. The latter bought in at the very end of the day, and will be returning with a starting stack.
Daniel Escherich found himself moving up and down all day, as he added to Becker's chip lead right at the very end of play. Also returning, Kharlin Sued is down but never out, as the honour of smallest stack goes to him. He will be returning with 29,500 chips, which translates to just under big blinds when action resumes for Day 2.
Day 1 saw a total of 56 entries, creating a prize pool of $560,000. However, with late registration open until the beggining of Day 2, it’s impossible to say just how high that number will climb, as many players are expected to enter or re-enter before play begins at 12:15 p.m. local time, September 18. Blinds remain at 40 minutes throughout, and the tournament will play down to a winner.
Stay tuned as PokerNews brings the full action of the second and final day here in Atlantic City.