button in SafariSevag Shirinian Chip Leads as Saturday is Set to Host Two More Starting Flights
Day 1b closed the book on the first day of play, hosting 87 players, which permitted a crop of 11 players to claim their seat on Day 2 of the $1,100 NorCal Poker Championship. This has set the stage for Saturday, which will host two final chances for players to punch their ticket to Day 2 at Graton Casino Resort, as Day 1c and Day 1d await to decide the final cut for Day 2 of the $300,000 guaranteed main event, as players will look to keep the dream alive of winning the inaugural NorCal Poker Championship trophy.
Day 1b came to a close last evening with Sevag Shirinian (1,032,000) topping the Day 1b chip standings. David Carey (685,000) and Thien Tran (641,000) finished as the second and third biggest stacks, respectively.
Shirinian finished as not only the top count from Day 1b, but is the overall chip leader after two flights of play of any player thus far in the NorCal Poker Championship Main Event. According to his The Hendon Mob profile, Shirinian’s biggest cash of his career came earlier this summer at the World Series of Poker with a cash of just over $13,000. Shirinian will have the opportunity to top that with a deep run here at Graton Casino Resort.
Carey, a Rohnert Park resident, has plenty of cashes in his career, but has yet to capture a title at Graton Casino Resort. His closest attempt came back in 2022 when he took third in the RunGood Poker Series $200 No Limit Hold’em Turbo Closer event, according to his The Hendon Mob page.
Tran is also searching for his first title at Graton. Tran’s most recent cash came at the RunGood Poker Series Series Finale when he took 13th in the Million Dollar Main Event.
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. |
Saturday is set to host two more starting flights, with Day 1c scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Day 1d, the final starting flight, will begin at 5 p.m. local time. Day 2 will restart on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 12 p.m. All times are local.
Starting stack is 40,000 chips. Opening flights are scheduled for 30-minute blind levels, with the levels increasing to 40 minutes on Day 2. A series of 15-minute breaks are scheduled after every four levels of play. A total of 12.5% of players from each starting flight will be permitted to advance to Day 2.
Players are entitled to an unlimited number of entries. Registration for each flight will close at the start of Level 9. Players who qualify more than once for Day 2 will be permitted to advance with the largest stack and forfeit their other stack(s) for a Day 2 minimum payout.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for live coverage of Day 1c at the $1,100 NorCal Poker Championship Main Event at Graton Casino Resort.