With 326 entries on the clock, Day 1a has already surpassed the number of last year's Day 1a, when 324 entries were made.
Late registration is still open for four more levels, so this number is only expected to grow larger and larger.
Sven Stok open-jammed for 9,200 from the button and was called by Richard Weeks in the small blind.
Sven Stok: K♣9♣ 
Richard Weeks: 8♠8♦
Stok flopped more outs on 3♣5♣2♥, but the J♥ turn was of no help. However, the K♠ river gave him the best hand and he doubled up to over 30 big blinds.
Aneliya Kechagias checked to Fintan Hand on a board of 6♣9♠3♠4♣. Hand fired a bet of 8,000 into the pot of 18,500 from the button, forcing a fold from Kechagias, who was under the gun.
Upon request, Hand showed one card, the 9♣, giving him at least top pair.
Edouardos Stavrakis and Moya Murphy were heads up on a board of J♣K♥10♦7♥, with a gigantic amount of 45,000 chips already in the middle. Stavrakis checked out of the small blind and called the subsequent 21,000-chip bet of Murphy.
On the 2♥ river, Murphy sized up to 30,000 chips. Stavrakis instantly called and Murphy mucked her cards, signaling that she had been caught bluffing. Stavrakis took in the huge pot and ended up with over 300 big blinds in his stack, leading the field.
Level: 7
Blinds: 300/600
Ante: 600
In the 822nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by WPT Global, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz & Kyna England come to you from Level 9 Studios in Las Vegas to discuss the latest poker news, stories, and gossip.
That includes Nik Airball's 20-minute tank in a big hand on The Lodge Poker Live Stream, which prompted Doug Polk to take action. That led to a discussion on pet peeves at the table, and in Mike's case, the pet part is quite literal.
The crew also plays the first edition of PokerNews Plinko, discusses Chad's poker thrift store "Tweet of the Week," and talks about the current state of poker given Bitcoin is at an all-time high. From there, they dive into the wild journey of poker vlogger Corey Eyring, who is risking his entire net worth in an attempt to win $500,000 by the end of the year. Whatever amount he ends up with, the plan is to place it all on a single roulette bet of either red or black. Chad chatted with Eyring about his crazy quest and highlighted various clips throughout the episode.
Finally, the crew once again touches on Kevin Martin's 24/7 stream while attempting to win $5,000 playing online, which came to an unceremonius end.
Click here to listen to the new PN Podcast!
Did you know the PokerNews Podcast is no longer just audio? That's right, we've added a video show as well that you can view on the PokerNews YouTube Channel.
The total entry count stands at 304, and the 216 players who remain have been sent on a 20-minute break.
Tero Laurila checked out of the big blind on a flop of A♦5♣8♠, after which button Samm Wiggins made a bet of 1,500. Laurila then jammed all in for 7,300 and Wiggins looked him up with a call.
Tero Laurila: A♠5♥
Samm Wiggins: A♣7♥
Wiggins turned some extra outs against Laurila's two pair with the 4♠, but the 9♥ river sealed the deal as Laurila booked his double-up, leaving Wiggins with just ten big blinds.
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