The remaining 55 players have been sent on a break, with the action now on the soft bubble. The 48 players will lock up a cash.
As it stands, Leo Saiag has the biggest stack in the room with 760,000, while James Lauer is the only other player to hit the 700,000 milestone. James Lillis is not far from the leading back, and is the third biggest stack in Day 1a with 620,000.
The button limped in before Khalee Ward moved all in for 114,000 from the small blind. The big blind got out of the way, and after some thought, the button called as the bigger stack.
Khalee Ward: A♣K♥
Button: K♠J♠
Ward was in great shape when the cards were turned over, and remained ahead after the Q♠9♦2♥ flop and held out to get the pot following the 7♥ turn and Q♥ river.
Should Ward make the money, it will be his 74th recorded live cash according to The Hendon Mob.
James Lauer, the reigning Borgata Summer Poker Open $600 Deep Stack Kick Off champion, is picking up right where he left off 12 months ago.
Lauer has built one of the biggest stacks in the room and currently sits on 609,000 chips. The only player ahead of him is Leo Saiag, who has edged into the overall lead with 620,000.
Meanwhile, George Small isn't living up to his surname. He's up there in the counts with 370,000 as the tournament heads toward the money bubble.
There are 69 players remaining, with 48 spots paid. Play will continue until just 31 players remain, at which point the survivors will bag up and return for Day 2.
Peter Han is sitting on a nice stack of 183,000 thanks to downing a player with pocket fours.
Han limped in from early position, and two other players followed suit before the small blind jammed for 24,000. Han three-bet to 80,000 and folded out the remaining players.
Small Blind: A♥2♦
Peter Han: 4♠4♣
The small blind found a pair on the 9♣7♥2♣ flop for some extra outs. The turn was a no-sider, but it was the only no-sider that failed to improve the small blind, as the 3♥ came on the turn. The Q♠ river completed the runout and Han chipped up nicely.
The opening flight of the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off ($1M GTD) is officially locked in.
Late registration has now closed in Day 1a, with 378 entries recorded as players packed the Borgata for the first of six starting flights.
The field has already been trimmed to 90 players, with plenty more eliminations still to come before bags are handed out at the end of the night. Forty-eight players are guaranteed a payday, while only the final 31 survivors will secure a spot in Sunday's Day 2.
Meanwhile, the action is just getting underway in Day 1b. The evening flight has attracted 89 entries through its opening levels and is heading into its first break, with late registration remaining open until the start of Level 13.
The opening flight of the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off ($1M GTD) has drawn a strong crowd at Borgata, with the tournament entering Level 12.
So far, 369 entries have been recorded in Day 1a, and the field has already been whittled down to 108 players as eliminations have come thick and fast throughout the afternoon.
Players still looking to jump into the action have just over 20 minutes left to register before the end of the level. Following the scheduled break, late registration will officially close when Level 13 begins.
Those who miss the cutoff, or those who are eliminated, still have another opportunity to build a stack, with Day 1b, which kicked off at 5:15 p.m., currently underway.
With four more starting flights still to come after today, plenty of players are expected to take multiple shots at securing a Day 2 berth in one of the Borgata Summer Poker Open's marquee events.
The second starting flight of the day for the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off has it's cards in the air, with 32 entrants on the clock.
The day will close when 8% of the field remains, with levels shorted to 25 minutes.
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