£1,100 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2023 UKIPT Blackpool
£1,100 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2023 UKIPT Blackpool
Buy-in
£1,100
Prize Pool
£258,990
Entries
262
Level
23
Blinds
10,000 / 25,000
Ante
25,000
Entries
80
Players Left
12
Sam Grafton Leads After Day 1a of UKIPT Blackpool Main Event
Level 15
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Day 1a of the PokerStars UKIPT Blackpool Main Event, running at The Sandcastle Grosvenor Casino, has now concluded. A total of 80 entries were made to the flight. Of those, 12 players made it through to Day 2 and into the money.
PokerStars Team Pro player Sam Grafton finished the flight as the chip leader with 342,000. Grafton was close to busting early on before accumulating a large stack midway through the day and building from there. He also eliminated Feridun Genyman on the bubble to wrap up the day.
Dale Hancock finished the day in second place with 269,000 chips. Hancock got his big break earlier in the year when he won £60,000 at the WPT at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham. Hancock will be well positioned for a run at his next major cash come Day 2.
In third place, and not far behind Hancock was Jessica Pilkington with 249,500 chips. Pilkington is a regular on the circuit with $322,539 in recorded live tournament earnings.
Steven Mckeown and Ali Zia round out the top five. Two PokerStars qualifiers, Joshua Musson and Bradley King, also made it through to Day 2.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Grafton | UK | 342,000 |
| 2 | Dale Hancock | UK | 269,000 |
| 3 | Jessica Pilkington | UK | 249,500 |
| 4 | Steven McKeown | UK | 238,500 |
| 5 | Ali Zia | UK | 219,500 |
| 6 | Bradley Rawson | UK | 205,500 |
| 7 | Beihao Wang | China | 195,000 |
| 8 | Joshua Musson | UK | 173,000 |
| 9 | Bradley King | UK | 173,000 |
| 10 | John Farrell | Ireland | 129,000 |
| 11 | Neil May | UK | 116,000 |
| 12 | Maz Bako | UK | 91,000 |
At the end of Day 1a, the prize pool in the UKIPT Blackpool Main Event stands at £89,240.
The Main Event will continue with Day 1b, the second of three starting flights, which commences Friday at 12 p.m. local time. Day 1c will also be running later on, starting at 6 p.m. local time.
PokerNews will be bringing you live updates of Day 1b straight from the tournament floor.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts (full)
Level 15
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
342,000
172,000
|
172,000 |
|
||
|
269,000
79,000
|
79,000 |
|
249,500
69,500
|
69,500 |
|
238,500
73,500
|
73,500 |
|
219,500
-60,500
|
-60,500 |
|
205,500
30,500
|
30,500 |
|
195,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
173,000
56,000
|
56,000 |
|
173,000 | |
|
129,000
-7,000
|
-7,000 |
|
116,000
28,000
|
28,000 |
|
91,000
36,000
|
36,000 |
Grafton Eliminates Genyman on the Bubble
Level 15
: Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Action folded around to Sam Grafton, who raised from the small blind. Feridun Genyman called in the big blind.
The flop ran out 10♣K♦9♠ and Genyman overshoved all in for 66,500.
"Are you feeling good about this?", asked Grafton before making the call.
Feridun Genyman: 8♦7♦
Sam Grafton: J♠J♣
Genyman had a straight draw and backdoor flush draw. Grafton had pocket jacks.
The turn came the 4♥ and the river was the K♠. Grafton held up with his jacks and added to his stack. Genyman was eliminated from the tournament on the bubble. All other players will return for Day 2 in the money.
Standby for the Day 1a recap on PokerNews.
Level: 15
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 4,000
Play Is Hand For Hand
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Play in the UKIPT Blackpool Main Event is now hand for hand. Just one more player will bust before the flight finishes. The 18 players remaining will make it through to Day 2 and into the money.
Zia Wins Three Way All In, Grafton Takes Hit, Player Eliminated
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Sam Grafton raised to 7,000 from early position and was called by Richard Garbutt. Seat 1 then moved all in for 56,000 and Ali Zia moved all in over the top from the big blind for 116,500. Grafton put his head in his hoody and then made the call.
Seat 1: Q♥Q♦
Ali Zia: A♥K♥
Sam Grafton: Q♣Q♠
Both Seat 1 and Grafton both had pocket queens. The board ran out 7♦K♠A♦2♣7♥. The flop brought Zia a pair of aces and Seat 1 and Grafton had each other's outs. Seat 1 was eliminated, Grafton took a hit to his stack, and Zia claimed a huge pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
280,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
|
170,000
-50,000
|
-50,000 |
|
|
||
James Gets Kings Cracked and Busts Close to Bubble
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Dale Hancock opened the action with a raise and Georgina James jammed all in from the small blind for 93,500. Hancock made the call and players flipped their cards, with James at risk.
Georgina James: K♣K♥
Dale Hancock: A♣Q♣
James was well ahead with pocket kings, until the board ran out J♣5♠9♣2♣6♥. Hancock made his flush on the turn to win the pot and James was eliminated from the tournament close to the bubble.
"That's just the way it is sometimes," said James as she stood up to exit.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
190,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,500/3,000
Ante: 3,000
Players Heading on 15-Minute Break
Level 13
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Players in the PokerStars UKIPT Blackpool Main Event are heading for a 15-minute break. There are now just 20 players remaining and the flight will play down to 12 players.