Yousef Saleh Leads, BJ McBrayer Looking to Go Back-To-Back at HPT Ameristar Vicksburg as Nine Advance to Final Day
A whirlwind Day 2 here at the HPT Ameristar Vicksburg $1,100 Main Event saw a starting field of twenty-one players, from the original 146 entrants that began the tournament, zip down to the final table of nine in just under three hours time.
Yousef Saleh will return for Monday's Day 3 as the chip leader, bagging up 1.02 million. Saleh, who started the day fifth in chips, began by busting inaugural HPT Ameristar Vicksburg champ Jay Bishop in a flip.
However, the pot that helped catapult him to the top of the counts came when he flopped a jack-high flush on Jimbo Hughes, who had flopped an eight-high flush of his own. Hughes couldn't escape, and Saleh took over as chip leader from that point all the way through the end of the day.
Second in chips is Jaron Bailey (806,000), who managed to hit quads twice in a three-hour period to help propel him up the counts in a hurry. Start-of-Day 2 chip leader Sley Sanchez (604,000) held steady throughout to secure third-place going into the final table.
Joining them there are CT Hoffecker (546,000), Kip Jones (322,000), Shomari Williams (309,000), Judge Leo Boothe (281,000), and JW Carter (255,000), while defending champ BJ McBrayer (234,000) also managed to make it to the final day, but he'll have his work cut out for him as he sits on the short stack.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Name | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kip Jones | 322,000 |
| 2 | Shomari Williams | 309,000 |
| 3 | BJ McBrayer | 234,000 |
| 4 | Jaron Bailey | 806,000 |
| 5 | Yousef Saleh | 1,020,000 |
| 6 | CT Hoffecker | 546,000 |
| 7 | Judge Leo Boothe | 281,000 |
| 8 | Sley Sanchez | 604,000 |
| 9 | JW Carter | 255,000 |
Three players were unfortunate enough to walk away short of a cash after making it to Day 2 - Chad Chisolm, Joseph Imarata, and bubble boy Doug Segers were the trio to leave without a payday. Once the bubble burst, a flurry of eliminations followed including Sam Ho (10th - $3,280), Nolan Burton (11th - $3,280), Wyatt Boothe (12th - $3,280), Hannah Guthrie (13th - $2,579), Jimbo Hughes (14th - $2,579), Morgan McBrayer (15th - $2,597), Jason Riesenberg (16th - $2,187), Corey Harrison (17th - $2,187), and Jay Bishop (18th - $2,187).
Play will resume Monday at Noon local time with 28:00 remaining in Level 19 (5,000/10,000/10,000) and the final table will be live-streamed and televised.
Come back to PokerNews for live updates and be sure to visit HPT’s Twitch channel to watch all the action unfold in real-time as a champion is crowned and presented with the HPT trophy along with a first-place prize of $36,895 and a $3,500 Championship package.
flop, and after the 
turn, Ho needed a king or queen to avoid bubbling the televised Final Table. The 
instead improved Bailey to aces-up, and Ho exits in tenth.
flop, but McBrayer found the 
on the turn to jump in the lead.
bricked off on the river to secure the double up for McBrayer.
, Burton still had four outs to survive, as he turned two pair. The 
river bricked off, and the final ten players are now at one table. Stay tuned for a seat draw, as well as updated chip counts.
flop, and he bet 45,000. Saleh check-raised to 420,000, enough to commit both of his opponents. Burton quickly folded, and Hughes instantly called for his last 140,000.
turn and 
river to hit the rail.
failing to improve against the 
board, Morgan McBrayer had her last 20,000 at risk from the big blind against Yousef Saleh, who had opened to 21,000 from early position.
fell, and he quickly made his way to the payout desk after the 
river.
river earned McBrayer a triple-up, while Harrison hit the rail.
