Tyler Nichols started out hot in the early flight today, then fizzled late.
He's back at it again this evening and has a new plan.
"I want to get a lot of chips going into the later levels," he said. "I don't care how I get there."
So far it's all systems go, as Nichols has used an uber-aggressive style to chip up and essentially double up in the middle of the flight's fourth level.
Leon Martin has worked his way up to double the starting stack without the benefit of any big all in confrontations.
"Just working hard," he told PokerNews.
Some of that hard work included defending his big blind against a 600-chip open. Then joining the raiser in checking a flop.
Martin led on the turn, however, making it 600, but failing to shake his heads-up opponent. He fired away again on the river, making it 1,200, and this time he got a fold to book the hard working win.
John Stempien called a preflop raise from the bigger stack at his table with , then jammed in on an flop.
His opponent snapped him off with , but Stempien has an uncanny ability to get it in bad and get there, doing so on the run out to make two pair, crack kings and double up.
John Stempien's loose image appears to be paying huge dividends here as he just became the massive chip leader in a series of two hands.
First he made made top pair with and got one player to stack off with . Then, he got one player with middle pair and another with bottom pair to give him their stacks after he flopped the top pair again, holding .
No one has had this many chips this early in any of the three previous starting flights for this event and it will be interesting to see if Stempien will hang on to the stack or spew the chips off.
![[user127999]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop. 
turn, however, making it 600, but failing to shake his heads-up opponent. He fired away again on the 
river, making it 1,200, and this time he got a fold to book the hard working win.
, then jammed in on an 
flop.
, but Stempien has an uncanny ability to get it in bad and get there, doing so on the 
run out to make two pair, crack kings and double up.
flop and it turned out that opponent had 
. Jacks held as the mason-like dealer put out nothing but bricks on the turn and river.
and got one player to stack off with 
. Then, he got one player with middle pair and another with bottom pair to give him their stacks after he flopped the top pair again, holding 
.