Main Event
Day 1a Started
2018 WinStar River Poker Series
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 WinStar River Poker Series
Buy-in
$2,500
Prize Pool
$2,000,000
Entries
807
Level
30
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
20,000
The $2,500 WinStar River Poker Series Main Event Kicks Off Today
After nearly three weeks of tournament action at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, the $2,500 Main Event has finally arrived to bring an end to the 2018 River Poker Series. Hundreds of players will gather in the world's largest casino with a newly renovated poker room to take part in the exclusive event that offers a whopping $2,000,000 guaranteed prizepool.
In last years rendition of the Main Event, Ben Zamani added to his already impressive resume by capturing the title and $347,134 to go with it. Other notables that made the final table included Maxx Coleman and Mike Dentale who are expected to be making a return to the felt this year. Other familiar faces to keep an eye out for include Maria Ho, Rainer Kempe, and Dan Heimiller.
The action will get underway at 12:00 noon for the first of two starting flights. Day 1b will take place on Sunday, September 2nd with Day 2 on Monday, September 3rd and the winner being crowned on Tuesday, September 4th. Late registration will remain open through the first nine levels of play with an unlimited number of entries permitted. Players may also play on Day 1b should they fail to bag chips on Day 1a.
Upon taking their seat at the table, players will be given an initial starting stack of 25,000 chips and the blinds will kick off at 50/100. The blind levels will be 40-minutes in length on the opening days and will be increased to 60-minutes on Day 2 and 3. There will be a 15-minute break at the end of every three levels and a 60-minute dinner break after level nine.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on site to bring you all of the live updates throughout the Main Event over the course of the next four days.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Cards Are in the Air
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The tournament clock has begun and the cards are in the air on the opening day of the $2,500 WinStar River Poker Series Main Event.
Pengelly Flops an Early Boat
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Most tables are currently sitting at six-handed as players continue to file into the poker room for registration. In the back corner of the room, Will Pengelly found himself an ideal flop. After a couple of limpers, the button raised to 600 and Pengelly called from the big blind while the limpers folded.
The flop fell 
and Pengelly check-called a bet of 600 from his opponent. The turn was the 
and both players checked to the 
on the river. Pengelly led out for 1,200 and his opponent quickly called. Pengelly tabled 
for a flopped full house while his opponent flashed 
before sending his cards to the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
28,500 |
Vise Continues with Aggression
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
After a limp from under the gun, Brandon Vise raised to 400 from the hijack. The big blind and the limper both called to see a flop of 
. The action checked to Vise who continued for 700 and the big blind folded. The under-the-gun player called and the 
landed on the turn.
She led out for 700 and Vise thought for a moment before raising to 2,500. With the action back on his opponent, she mulled it over before sliding her cards to the muck and sending the pot to Vise.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
28,000 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 75/150
Ante: 0
MyStack App
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
PokerNews has activated the MyStack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.
Blum Chips Up Early On
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
Three players went to the flop of 
and Gregory Blum was first to act from the big blind. He checked and Kelli Herd tossed in a bet of 800 on his left. The player in the hijack raised to 2,200 but Blum still called while Herd folded.
The turn was the 
and both players quickly checked to the 
on the river. Blum splashed in a bet of 5,000 and his opponent went into the tank for over a minute before releasing his cards to the muck. Blum dragged in the pot and has climbed to over 33,000 in the early going.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
33,100 |
Notables Taking Their Seats
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
As players continue to fill the seats in the room, more notables have been noticed making their way into the tournament. Some familiar faces include Kelly Minkin, Dan Heimiller, David Pham, and Alex Greenblatt.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
25,000 | |
|
25,000 | |
|
25,000 | |
|
25,000 |