button in SafariJoyner Tops the Counts for Day 1c
Day 1c was the biggest opening flight yet as a total of 127 entries took their shot at qualifying for Day 2 in the inaugural edition of the Mississippi State Poker Championship held at the banks of the Mississippi River at the Horseshoe Casino Tunica. The third flight thus permitted 15 players to advance to Day 2 and continue their pursuit of the first-ever Mississippi State Poker Championship title and the biggest slice of the $50,000 guarantee prize pool.
William Joyner (607,000) topped the charts on Day 1c, finishing as the chip leader for the third flight of the main event. Bill Onley (515,000) finished the day second in chips, and Andrea Hizer rallied late to bag third in chips.
Top Ten Chip Counts Day 1c
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Joyner | United States | 607,000 | 61 |
| 2 | Bill Onley | United States | 515,000 | 52 |
| 3 | Andrea Hizer | United States | 414,000 | 41 |
| 4 | Parker Williams | United States | 331,000 | 33 |
| 5 | Paul Smith | United States | 309,000 | 31 |
| 6 | Lenn Branscun | United States | 277,000 | 28 |
| 7 | Brandon Robinson | United States | 242,000 | 24 |
| 8 | Jeff Manley | United States | 214,000 | 21 |
| 9 | Kyle Brown | United States | 204,000 | 20 |
| 10 | William Latta | United States | 202,000 | 20 |
Joyner began his ascent up the chip count when he delivered a brutal beat on Colin Heaton after he spiked a runner-runner flush to reach the quarter-million-chip mark. Joyner never looked back as he peaked at the right time to top the chip counts during Day 1c. Joyner has plenty of experience and success on the felt with over $450,000 in live career earnings, per his The Hendon Mob page. Joyner will have the opportunity to top his biggest cash at Horseshoe Tunica on Day 2 that was set when he cashed in the 2019 RunGood Poker Series $575 Main Event for $5,056.
Onley’s story on Day 1c is one of endurance. Onley was down to as low as 9,500 before he doubled up during Level 9. That would prove to be the low point, as Onley’s stack would only grow from there; by the time he reached the later stages of the flight, he was one of the biggest stacks in the room. This enabled Onley to battle it out with Roger Foley and continue his ascension up the chip counts.
Hizer also floated around the average stack for the majority of Day 1c, but her fortune began to change for the better as the flight went on. Hizer got near a six-figure stack when she took a pot with a bet on the turn, but her moment in the sun would come during her battles against Roger Foley. Hizer took a big pot with a check-raise on the flop before she emptied the clip against Foley just moments later to approach nearly 400,000 in chips. Hizer has tallied over $30,000 in live career earnings, according to her The Hendon Mob page, but she has never won a major title. Her work on Day 1c will give her an opportunity to change that on Day 2.
Day 1d, the final opening flight, is currently underway. Day 2 restart is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 20. Day 2 will play down until a winner is crowned.
Blind levels are slotted for 35 minutes at the beginning of Day 2 before bumping up to 40 minutes at the final table.
Check back here at PokerNews for continued coverage tomorrow as an inaugural champion will be crowned in the first Mississippi State Poker Championship $400 Main Event held at Horseshoe Casino Tunica.