Christian Rico Leads After Day 1a of $770 Main Event
It was a spectacular opening for the SiGMA Poker Tour in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the $770 Main Event being hosted at the Monte Carlo Poker Club. A total of 61 entries were recorded for the opening flight and it was Christian Rico who pulled into the lead in the dying moments of the night with a healthy stack of 483,000 chips for Day 2.
Just seven players survived the bloodbath, each of whom will be in the money when they return to the felt for Day 2 on Sunday, April 13. Rico was unfortunate to burn through his first bullet early on in the day but turned things around after quickly re-entering the field. Rico earned the majority of his chips in the last few levels of the night on the heels of some aggressive play as the bubble approached.
Final Chip Counts for Day 1a
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Rico | Brazil | 483,000 |
| 2 | Joao Vitor | Brazil | 404,000 |
| 3 | Drea Karlsen | Norway | 335,000 |
| 4 | Samara Alexandre | Brazil | 302,000 |
| 5 | Alberto Murilo | Brazil | 150,000 |
| 6 | Deniz Anselmo | Brazil | 136,000 |
| 7 | Sebastiao Realino | Brazil | 59,000 |
It was a delayed start to the evening but it wasn't for a lack of entertainment. Along with a dancing hip-hop band, a saxophonist and violinist got things started with some hit music and lights. That was followed by a couple of speeches before the cards finally got in the air. The bar was open as most players sat down with a drink in their hand which led to an influx of action on the felt.
Within the first 20 minutes of the day, Daryosh Rossookh was on the sideline after running top pair and a flush draw into his opponent's full house. Late registration remained open for the first 10 levels and each player was granted two reentries per flight which some players took advantage of. There were 45 unique players who walked through the door for Day 1a along with 16 reentries which resulted in a field of 61 total entries.
Many of the SiGMA Poker Tour ambassadors were also in attendance and they made their mark on the tournament in the early going. Former Liverpool footballer John Arne Riise was at the top of the leaderboard for many of the opening levels after a cooler that saw him set over set one of his opponents. Riise held a big stack for the majority of the day but unfortunately bowed out in the final two tables before the money.
Lukas Robinson was also on the short end after burning through two bullets in the opening flight without being able to get much going in his direction. However, Drea Karlsen pulled the weight for the ambassador team as she continually climbed the ranks throughout the evening. Karlsen held the lead when the last table was formed and still managed to bag a stack of 335,000 chips, good enough for third place on the day.
It will be a short turnaround for the poker action as the cards go back in the air for Day 1b at 2 p.m. local time. There will also be a turbo flight later in the evening at 8 p.m. where the levels will be reduced to just 20 minutes.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be back at the Monte Carlo Poker Club to bring you all of the action from Day 1b during the day as the action continues on the SiGMA Poker Tour.