Main Event
Day 1b Started
2019 The Star Sydney Champs
Main Event
Day: 1b
Day 1b of The Star Sydney Champs Main Event Set to Start at 12:30 PM
At 12:30 p.m. local time, the second and final starting day will kick off in The Star Sydney Champs Main Event which is expected to be a busy one. As this is the final chance for players to make it through to Day 2, more than 300 players are expected to show up and buy in for A$3,000 for their shot at claiming the lion-share of the A$1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Day 1a attracted 280 players and only another 256 entries are needed to surpass the guarantee. Currently heading the pack into Day 2 is Jo Snell with 335,000 in chips which equals 112 big blinds when they return to battle it out to get into the money on Sunday, August 4th. Snell is followed by Carlos Gonzalez and Jason Pritchard.
The Star Sydney has held several satellites for the Main Event and yesterday’s Super Satellite was among the biggest ones with 25 tickets awarded to the top finishers in the 253-strong field. The 2018 edition of this tournament attracted 522 entries and this year’s numbers throughout the festival have all been breaking records. The expectation is that it will be no different for the Main Event as another record will be broken today.
Day 1b will play the same eleven levels of an hour each as on Day 1a. A 10-minute break will take place after every two levels with a 30-minute dinner break after the sixth level of play. The players will start with 30,000 in chips and the first level features a small blind of 100, big blind of 200 and no ante. The traditional antes will come into play from the third level onwards. The registration period will close at the start of the fifth level which should be at approximately 4:50 p.m. local time.
The Run It Up Twitch channel will once again be hosting the live stream with a dynamic security delay from 2:25 p.m. local time with Joe Stapleton, Jamie Kerstetter, and Ricky Guan behinds the mics. But the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor in Sydney to bring you all the action live as it happens. So, keep following the updates right here until the final players have bagged and tagged their chips for Day 2.
Day 1 Structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | 100 | 200 | 0 |
| 2 | 60 | 150 | 300 | 0 |
| Break | 10 | |||
| 3 | 60 | 150 | 300 | 25 |
| 4 | 60 | 200 | 400 | 50 |
| Break | 10 | |||
| 5 | 60 | 300 | 600 | 50 |
| 6 | 60 | 400 | 800 | 100 |
| Break | 30 | |||
| 7 | 60 | 500 | 1,000 | 100 |
| 8 | 60 | 600 | 1,200 | 200 |
| Break | 10 | |||
| 9 | 60 | 800 | 1,600 | 200 |
| 10 | 60 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 300 |
| Break | 10 | |||
| 11 | 60 | 1,200 | 2,400 | 400 |
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal
Level 1
: 100/200, 0 ante
The dealers have been instructed to load up their shoes and shuffle up and deal.
There are currently 265 entries showing on the tournament clock which means the A$1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool has already been smashed at the start of the day and all records of attendance for the Main Event in the history of the Sydney Champs have been broken.
A First List of Notables on Day 1b
Level 1
: 100/200, 0 ante
Defending champion Nebojsa Blanusa will take another shot at a repeat victory in Sydney after busting on Day 1a and below are further notables that shared the same fate. Sarah Bilney is a new entry and can be found on the upper stage near the feature table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
Siddell Takes From Blanusa
Level 1
: 100/200, 0 ante
Graeme Putt and Nebojsa Blanusa limped in and Phillip Siddell raised to 800, which Hun Wei Lee in the hijack, Putt and Blanusa called. The 
flop was checked and Blanusa bet the 
turn for 2,000, only Siddell called.
After the 
river, Blanusa bet 2,000 again and Siddell called to get shown 
, Siddell had that beat with 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
35,500 | 35,500 |
|
|
29,000 | -1,000 |
|
|
29,000 | -1,000 |
|
|
25,500 | -4,500 |
First Players at the Feature Table
Level 1
: 100/200, 0 ante
Sam Capra, Eshan Chedid, Jamal Ishac, Chester Swords, Jefferey Tran, and Adam Kharman are the first players to have taken their seats at the feature table while Gautam Dhingra has also been drawn onto the table but hasn't shown up yet.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
Arrilucea Takes From Bilney
Level 1
: 100/200, 0 ante
On a four-way flop of 
, Sarah Bilney made it 1,400 to go and picked up a single caller in Luis Arrilucea. Bilney also bet the 
turn for 2,500 and Arrilucea made the call to see the 
on the river. Bilney now checked and folded when facing a bet of 7,300 by Arrilucea.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
34,000 | 34,000 |
|
|
26,500 | -3,500 |
More Day 1b Entries
Level 1
: 100/200, 0 ante
The Day 1b field has already reached 277 entries and the tendency is growing. Below are further notables that are now in contention for a share of the seven-figure prize pool.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
Yazbeck Chops A Pot
Level 1
: 100/200, 0 ante
More than 5,000 were in the middle and the board showed 
. Alex Yazbeck could all but grin when his 
had to settle for a split pot as Ray Badaoui tabled 
only. Some table banter emerged after that and plenty of action is expected with Amir Abbas and Akshay Kapoor also seated there.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,500 | 30,500 |
|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |