Lily Lotfy Leads 60 Players From Day 1c of the NAPT Main Event; Hellmuth in the Hunt
Day 1c of the $1,650 Main Event has come to an end at PokerStars North American Poker Tour Las Vegas and Lily Lotfy is the chip leader after 14 levels of play.
The third of six flights in the Main Event drew 273 entries, from which 60 players will return for Day 2 on Thursday.
Lotfy is followed in second by Bachman Boen, who bagged 363,000 for Day 2. They are followed in third by Kyna England, the 2023 NAPT Womens Event champion. England went on a run late in the day to finish with 316,000. Ira Friedman bagged the fourth largest stack with 246,000 and Ping Liu rounded out the top five with 245,000.
Also returning is the 17-time champion Phil Hellmuth, who shared a table with the chip leader in the late stages of the day.
NAPT Main Event Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lily Lotfy | United States | 420,500 | 140 |
| 2 | Bachman Boen | Brazil | 363,000 | 121 |
| 3 | Kyna England | United States | 316,000 | 105 |
| 4 | Ira Friedman | United States | 246,000 | 82 |
| 5 | Ping Liu | United States | 245,000 | 82 |
| 6 | Dean Morrow | United States | 238,000 | 79 |
| 7 | David Jackson | United States | 233,000 | 78 |
| 8 | Dan Stavila | United States | 230,500 | 77 |
| 9 | Jared Jaffee | United States | 224,000 | 75 |
| 10 | Anthony Marquez | United States | 223,500 | 75 |
Day 1c Highlights
The day started with 50 entries on the tournament clock, among them Lori Persinger, Michael Liang, and Conrad Simpson. Rudy Cervantes also sat down in the opening level — and he was the first to bust when the small shove of his dwindling stack did not yield dividends. Persinger, still showing the afterglow from her six-figure score at the 2022 WPT World Championship, was unable to find a bag for Day 2 after an early exit. Simpson also failed to bag, but Liang will return with 102,500.
Other familiar faces jumped in during the opening level, including PokerGO personalities Donnie Peters and Tim Duckworth. Neither found a bag for Day 2 in this flight. Andrew Moreno and David Jackson also joined the fray — Moreno was unable to qualify for Day 2 but Jackson chipped up early and he will return with 233,000.
PokerStars Ambassador Maria Konnikova also found a bag for Day 2, along with David “ODB” Baker, Jared Jaffee, Faraz Jaka, and Shannon Shorr. Shorr has already cashed at the NAPT after running to seventh in the $10,300 Super High Roller and he will return with 161,500. Jaka recovered from an early bad beat and he bagged 133,000.
The day gave way to Lotfy — the presumptive chip leader throughout the late levels of the night. Lotfy is a regular finisher in tournaments at Encore Boston Harbor and she will return with 420,500 and the opportunity to cross the $100,000 mark in lifetime earnings. Lotfy currently sits at $93,082, according to the Hendon Mob, and her largest score was an eighth-place finish for $42,233 in the 2023 Wynn Summer Classic.
Lotfy was joined at her table by fellow Day 2 qualifier Hellmuth, who registered for the tournament just before the dinner break. Hellmuth, who hasn’t played much tournament poker since the summer, will return with 109,000.
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Surviving players from all six flights will meet again on Thursday for Day 2 at 12:00 p.m. in Level 15 with blinds at 1,500/3,000/3,000. Live stream coverage will start for the final two days of the event on Friday and Saturday.
Be sure to keep it with the PokerNews team for live updates from the floor of your favorite tournaments at NAPT Las Vegas at Resorts World Las Vegas.