button in Safari25 Advance from Day 1c
Day 1c attracted 194 entries to the confines of Graton Casino Resort to chase a piece of the $300,000 guarantee. When the dust settled, it was 25 players who came out of the pack to advance to Day 2 of the $1,100 NorCal Poker Championship Main Event.
Antonio Ma (792,000) finished Day 1c as the flight’s chip leader. Eric Estrellado (743,000) took the honors of second in chips from the flight, while Walid Fahmy (699,000) bagged the third-biggest stack to close out the third starting flight of the main event.
Top Ten Chip Counts Day 1c
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonio Ma | United States | 792,000 | 79 |
| 2 | Eric Estrellado | United States | 743,000 | 74 |
| 3 | Walid Fahmy | United States | 699,000 | 70 |
| 4 | Angel Uriel Sanabria | United States | 680,000 | 68 |
| 5 | Ken Huynh | United States | 645,000 | 65 |
| 6 | Noah Curhan | United States | 490,000 | 49 |
| 7 | Michael Persky | United States | 296,000 | 30 |
| 8 | Chue Her | United States | 292,000 | 29 |
| 9 | Travis Keppel | United States | 286,000 | 29 |
| 10 | Steve Kujubu | United States | 264,000 | 26 |
Ma is no stranger to tournament poker with over $500,000 in career earnings, according to his The Hendon Mob profile. Ma's highest finish here at Graton came in 2024 when he took fourth place in a WSOPC Big O event, but his biggest cash came at the 2025 WSOPC when he took sixth for $27,116. Ma can top that with a strong run on Day 2.
Estrellado has just over six figures in live career earnings, per The Hendon Mob. A big score at Graton has eluded Estrellado, but his stack will certainly give him an opportunity to alter that as he heads to the final day with one of the top stacks in the room.
San Jose resident Fahmy made a splash on Day 1c and accomplished his first cash at Graton Casino Resort, according to his The Hendon Mob profile. Fahmy is still chasing a title and has positioned himself to accomplish just that with a big stack as he heads into the final day of play tomorrow.
Ken Huynh has cashes and deep runs all over Northern California. His deepest run here at Graton dates back to 2025, when he took 22nd place in the WSOPC Monster Stack event. Huynh’s career-high single-event cash is a tad over $31,000, according to his profile on The Hendon Mob. A strong performance tomorrow could change that as he pursues the first-ever NorCal Championship Main Event title.
Notable Phillip Hellmuth (211,000) qualified for Day 2. Hellmuth hovered around a starting stack before he managed to stay above water when his flop shove got the job done. Hellmuth’s stack would gain a big boost late on Day 1c when he flopped a flush to double up. This is Hellmuth’s first cash at Graton Casino Resort after bagging for Day 2.
Tournament regular Michael Persky punched his ticket to Day 2. Persky had his struggles early on Day 1c when Jixin Zhou managed to crack his aces and leave Persky looking to rebuild. Persky did just that when he scored a knockout during Level 13, but he hit a rough patch that saw him sink back down as he approached the final stages of the flight. Persky would gain some cushion when he doubled late to rise back up the chip counts. Persky boasts over $750,000 in live career earnings per his The Hendon Mob profile. Graton was the site of the biggest score of his poker career when he took down the 2023 WSOPC for slightly more than $175,000. Persky will look to add another Graton trophy to his mantle on Day 2.
Day 1d of the main event is still underway. The four opening flights will come together for a Day 2 restart on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 12 p.m., as they battle it out to play down to a winner. All times are local. Blind levels will increase to 40 minutes on Day 2.
Check back here tomorrow for complete coverage of Day 2 of the $1,100 NorCal Poker Championship Main Event held at Graton Casino Resort, as a new winner will be decided.