button in SafariSorel Mizzi Leads Day 1a of the $10,400 Premiere After Bursting Bubble
The summer's Onyx High Roller Series got underway today inside the luxurious Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, and the opening flight of the $10,400 Premiere certainly didn't disappoint. A total of 178 entries were recorded during Day 1a, and after play stopped in Level 16 with 20 minutes remaining on the clock, just 27 players remained with chips in front of them.
Coming out at the top of the counts was Canada's Sorel Mizzi, who turned his starting stack of into 1,720,000. Mizzi received a huge boost at the end of the night when his pocket aces held against the pocket kings of Anze Smajd in the hand that burst the bubble and propelled the Canadian to the top of the leaderboard.
Trailing Mizzi in second was Timur Margolin, who bagged 1,265,000, while four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Artur Martirosian rounded out the top three with 1,105,000. Sitting just a fifth of a big blind behind Martirosian are Damir Gabdullin and Fahredin Mustafov, both of whom finished on 1,100,000 chips.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sorel Mizzi | Canada | 1,720,000 | 69 |
| 2 | Timur Margolin | Israel | 1,265,000 | 51 |
| 3 | Artur Martirosian | Russian Federation | 1,105,000 | 44 |
| 4 | Damir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 5 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 6 | Daniel Ghionoiu | Canada | 1,005,000 | 40 |
| 7 | Yilu Yuan | China | 945,000 | 38 |
| 8 | Caner Gunes | Turkey | 880,000 | 35 |
| 9 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 855,000 | 34 |
| 10 | Julian Pineda Lozano | Colombia | 845,000 | 34 |
Martirosian's first attempt didn't go according to plan after his flopped set fell to the runner-runner Broadway straight of Hadi Khordbin. However, the high-roller took it on the chin and was quick to reenter, a decision that proved worthwhile as he finished the night third in chips. Part of Martirosian's rise up the leaderboard came after he rivered a straight and squeezed value from Atilla Saracoglu.
Once late registration closed and everyone saw that only 27 spots were available on Day 2, it didn't take long for the chips to fly. Those unable to make it through included Jamie Dwan and Sergio Aido, whose bluff shove was picked off by ace-high. Also hitting the rail were Oliver Weis, Simone Andrian, Manig Loeser, Boris Kolev, Jessica Teusl, Dietrich Fast, and Fabian Gumz.
When the event reached the bubble, hand-for-hand play produced no shortage of entertainment as the short stacks desperately tried to book a place in Day 2. On the very first hand of the bubble, Yilu Yuan survived with big slick against the pocket queens of Gabdullin after finding an ace on the river, much to the joy of his supporters.
Shortly afterward, Mustafov found the perfect spot to triple up when he got in pocket aces against the pocket queens of both Margolin and Aren Bezhanyan. Mustafov had the hand wrapped up before the river, propelling his stack up to over seven figures and meaning he will start Day 2 with a healthy stack.
Margolin was then involved in one of the more unusual hands of the night when he mistakenly believed Bezhanyan was all-in on the turn, showing his hand only to discover that his opponent still had a chip remaining. Bezhanyan committed it on the river and Margolin knew he was beat, but couldn't resist the almost 200:1 odds he was being offered. He was behind, as Bezhanyan tabled trips on the river to double.
Eventually, the bubble burst when Daniel Ghionoiu opened from under the gun before Smajd jammed from the next seat. Mizzi woke up with a monster in the blinds, moving in over the top. Smajd saw he was on the wrong end of a cooler with kings versus aces, and earned the unwanted title of bubble boy in the opening event of the series.
Now all eyes turn to Day 1b, which gets underway at 1 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 8. Following the same structure as today's opening flight, players will once again start with 100,000 chips and play ten levels, while newcomers and those wishing to try again will have another opportunity to progress to Day 2 and secure a share of the $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Remaining $10,400 Premiere Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 8 | Day 1b | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| August 9 | Day 1c | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| August 10 | Day 2 | 1 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| August 11 | Final Day | 1 p.m. | 60 minutes/Hands per level |
Stay tuned to PokerNews as live coverage of the $10,400 Premiere continues with Day 1b, bringing you all of the chip counts and action directly from the tournament floor.