button in SafariMatthew Kreeger Among Top Stacks After Day 1a
After nearly 17 levels of play, Day 1a is in the books. The opening flight of the $1,100 Nor-Cal Poker Championship Main Event at Graton Casino Resort hosted 172 entries as players looked to qualify for Day 2 and secure a piece of the $300,000 guaranteed prize pool. When it was all said and done, a total of 22 players can say they are still in the hunt for the title as they advance to the final day.
Kelly Mayhugh (700,000) was at the top of the chip leaderboard after Day 1a. Mayhugh was followed by Jason Beahm (665,000) and Matthew Kreeger (609,000) in the standings to round out the top three chip stacks to bag from the opening flight.
Top Ten Chip Count
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly Mayhugh | United States | 700 | 0.1 |
| 2 | Jason Beahm | United States | 665 | 0.1 |
| 3 | Matthew Kreeger | United States | 609 | 0.1 |
| 4 | Henri Perez Lopez | United States | 495 | 0 |
| 5 | Jeff Hoffman | United States | 483 | 0 |
| 6 | Andrew Ling | United States | 483 | 0 |
| 7 | Jaime Haletky | United States | 470 | 0 |
| 8 | Ron Fetsch | United States | 383 | 0 |
| 9 | Jose Cruz Castillo | 310 | 0 | |
| 10 | Rifki Yazid | United States | 290 | 0 |
Mayhugh is no stranger toGraton Casino Resort with three cashes at various tournaments in just the last month at this venue. Despite a track record of cashes, Mayhugh is still in search of their first title run at a Graton-hosted event. Mayhugh will have the opportunity to add a first-place finish to their resume after bagging the most chips on Day 1a.
Beahm does not have an extensive The Hendon Mob profile, but they’ve been active this year with four live career cashes in Northern California. This is Beahm’s fourth cash at Graton as they look to add a big number to their career earnings on Sunday.
Just one month removed from his The Hendon Mob Championship title, Henri Perez Lopez (495,000) is in the hunt for another title here at the NorCal Poker Championship Main Event. Lopez cracked aces to get his foot in the door on Day 1a and never looked back, bagging a healthy stack as he advanced to Day 2. Lopez can continue his dream run of poker championship glory should he be able to become the first-ever NorCal Poker Championship Main Event champion on Day 2.
Jaime Haletky (485,000) will enter Day 2 with plenty of experience as he boasts a live career tally of nearly $850,000, according to his The Hendon Mob profile. Despite Haletky’s career success, he has yet to take down a title at Graton, as the veteran player will have something to shoot for in addition to the title and trophy.
Victor Paredes (277,000) was among the notables to qualify. His last cash at Graton was just earlier this year when he placed 56th in the RunGood Poker Series Main Event in March. Paredes has two first-place finishes at Graton in his career, according to his The Hendon Mob profile, as he will look to add a third on Sunday.
Santa Rosa native Charles Himes (162,000) has one title to his name at Graton Casino Resort. Himes boasts a smidge over $250,000 in career live earnings, according to his The Hendon Mob. Himes nearly grew his stack to almost 300,000, but some late setbacks dropped Himes back down the chip counts. Himes will look to correct the ship on Day 2.
NorCal Poker Championship Schedule
| Flight | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1c | Sat. Aug. 29 | 10 a.m. |
| Day 1d | Sat. Aug. 29 | 5 p.m. |
| Day 2 | Sun. Aug. 30 | 12 p.m. |
Day 1b is currently underway. Tomorrow will host a slate of two more starting flights, with Day 1c beginning at 10 a.m. and Day 1d scheduled for 5 p.m. The Day 2 restart is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. and continue until a winner is crowned. All times are local.
Players start with 40,000 in chips. Starting flights are scheduled for 30-minute blind levels, with the levels bumping up to 40 minutes on Day 2. 15-minute breaks are scheduled after every four levels of play on Day 1.
Players are entitled to an unlimited number of entries. Registration for each flight will close at the start of Level 9. Should a player qualify more than once for Day 2, they will advance with the largest stack and forfeit their other stack(s) for a Day 2 minimum payout.
This concludes the PokerNews coverage for Day 1a. Check back here tomorrow for results from Day 1b and continued coverage of the final two starting flights at the $1,100 Nor-Cal Poker Championship Main Event at Graton Casino Resort.