Day 1b In The Books
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Play continued today in the World Poker Tour's premiere event, the $15,400 World Championship Event, at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and an impressive 223 players ponied up the entry fee to take their shot at part of the $5 million guaranteed prize pool.
Combined with the 105 players that took part on Day 1a, there were a total of 328 entrants meaning they were just shy of meeting the guarantee. Despite that, the 200 players that will return tomorrow at noon have a lot to play for including a seven figure first place prize and their name etched on the WPT Champions Cup.
The chip leader for the second flight of this star-studded field was none other than Jason Koon who ended the day with an impressive chip stack of 252,800. This moves him ahead of the Day 1a chip leader Paul Volpe who ended with 215,300.
Out of the 138 players that made it through the day, some of the biggest stacks would belong to Athanasios Polychronopoulos (223,100), Keith Lehr (220,900), Lee Markholt (217,700), Kevin Rabichov (189,700), Bart Dowling (186,200), Abraham Korotki (172,300), and Justin Young (166,000).
There were numerous big names that would survive to move on to Day 2 including the likes of Jesse Sylvia (137,500), Christina Lindley (127,600), James Carroll (122,000), Joe McKeehen (114,000), Sean Jazayeri (90,100), Jeff Madsen (59,800), John Hennigan (58,600), Dan Kelly (58,500), Nick Schulman (47,900), John Racener (42,900), Allen Bari (39,700), and Lily Kiletto (79,700) who would take down a big pot against George Wong to move her stack in a positive direction.
Unfortunately for others, any dreams and aspirations they had of becoming the WPT Champion would be dashed when they were eliminated before play concluded. Those names included the likes of Aaron Massey, Jonathan Jaffe, Kara Scott, Anthony Merulla, Amanda Musumeci, Dan Smith, Eugene Katchalov, Scott Clements, Ryan Riess, Mike Matusow, and James Calderaro who would receive an unusually cruel exit when the case King came on the river to send him to the rail.
Day Two kicks off tomorrow at noon local time in the Signature Room of the Borgata. PokerNews will be there from start to finish to bring you all of the exciting poker action.
. The board ran out clean and Ahmadian notched the much-needed double to get back on track.
on the 
. Men Nguyen paid him off when he turned multiple draws with his 
, but the river bricked off to bring Ahmadian back from the brink.
and flopped an up-and-down draw on the 
. The flop contained two clubs as well, and when Maurice Hawkins bet into Snuffer, he flatted to see fourth street complete his hand with the 
. With the nuts and a check to him, Snuffer made it 6,200 to go looking for a little value, and Hawkins came along to see the 
drop on the river.
for a flush.
.
hit the felt. After flopping top-top with his suited ace, the banana man peeled one off to make a full house on fourth street, before taking Madsen on a guided tour of Valuetown on the river.
heads up against Scotty Nguyen, checking to the WPT and WSOP champion.
arrived on the turn Alabsi seized the initiative, betting 5,800 into Nguyen and staring him down. The Prince of Poker was not impressed though, and he quickly made the call to see the 
with confidence. Alabsi could only knock the felt in acknowledgement and slide his cards into the muck, properly chastened after trying to bluff a living legend.
.
for a flopped full house. She exhaled and took a much-needed breath. "That jack scared me," she said, as she stacked with chips with visibly shaking hands.
, but when the turn and river came