David Simard Leads Day 1a of Event #1: $400 Mystery Bounty
Day 1a of Event #1: $400 Mystery Bounty has ended here at the 2023 Potomac Winter Open with David Simard leading the charge after bagging 663,000 in chips. Not far behind him is Frankie Greever, who bagged up 589,000 for Day 2.
Simard managed to steadily increase his chip stack throughout the day before scooping a huge pot against Christian Taylor with a dominating flush draw. From that point, Simard held the tournament chip lead and didn't appear to give it back for the duration of Day 1a.
Potomac Winter Poker Open $400 Mystery Bounty Day 1a Top 5 Chip Counts
| Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| David Imard | Canada | 663,000 |
| Frankie Greever | United States | 589,000 |
| Charles Parrish | United States | 576,000 |
| Besnik Biberaj | United States | 572,000 |
| Brandon Frazier | United States | 443,000 |
Play began with 87 entrants and by the time late registration ended, that number had swelled to 278. Action was fast, however, and that number dwindled to 28 (the bubble) by level 16. Among the casualties who didn't make the money was the defending champion from 2020, Yaser Al-Keliddar, who busted after getting all in with pocket jacks against Chris Quintanilla's pocket aces and failing to improve.
The bubble burst after two players got eliminated at two different tables, which meant that they would split a $500 min-cash between them.
From that point on, it didn't take long for an additional five players to bust to end play for the night. Arthur Nalls bubbled Day 2 after getting all in with ace-three against Yamil Saenz's ace-ten and failing to improve.
The remaining 22 players from Day 1a will join the other survivors of the upcoming Day-1 flights for Day 2 on Sunday, January 29 at noon. Pokernews will cover Day 1b next at 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 26, so be sure to tune in for all the action as Event #1: $400 Mystery Bounty continues.
The 2023 Potomac Winter Poker Open $400 Mystery Bounty Schedule
| Day | Date | Starting Time | Late Reg | Entries | Survivors | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1a | Wednesday January 25 | 17:00 | End of Level 11 | 278 | 22 | 10% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1b | Thursday January 26 | 17:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 10% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1c | Friday January 27 | 11:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 10% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1d | Friday January 27 | 17:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 10% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1e | Saturday January 28 | 11:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 10% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 1f | Saturday January 28 | 17:00 | End of Level 11 | tba | tba | 10% of field will be in the money, play down to 8% |
| Day 2 | Sunday January 29 | 12:00 | - | - | - | Level duration increases to 45 mins, play down to a winner |
flop and he continued for 22,000. The small blind folded and Taylor then check-raised to 85,000 total. 
turn improved Simard to two pair and the 
river sealed Taylor's elimination. 
and Jin checked over to Rais, who bet 2,000. Action folded to the player in the cutoff, who raised to 7,000. Action then folded back to Rais, who called. 
fell on the turn and Rais checked to his opponent, who announced he was all in for 18,600. Rais quickly called and hands were revealed. 
river improved Rais to a straight flush for the overkill and his opponent was knocked from contention.
