button in SafariRicardo Hernandez First Player Over a Million
Day 1a of the World Series of Poker Circuit Madrid Main Event ended last night with the chip leader bursting the bubble with aces. The exact same scenario played out today at Casino Gran Vía, as Ricardo Hernandez Montalvo sent Ignacio Sole to the rail to finish with 1,200,000 and become the first player to cross the million-chip mark.
Not only did he bag the chip lead among the 38 remaining players out of 248 entries, but he also finished with almost twice as many chips as his closest challenger, Jhonatan Felix Herrera, who sits second in the counts with 642,000.
Daniel Heredi (625,000) and WSOPC Paris Main Event finalist Luca Bernardi (563,000) were seated at Hernandez's table and also bagged big stacks, alongside Songming Chen (605,000), Antonio Costa Alfaia (552,000), and Benjamin Lakatos (536,000).
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricardo Hernandez Montalvo | Spain | 1,200,000 | 120 |
| 2 | Jhonatan Felix Herrera | Dominican Republic | 642,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Daniel Heredi | Hungary | 625,000 | 63 |
| 4 | Songming Chen | China | 605,000 | 61 |
| 5 | Luca Bernardi | Italy | 563,000 | 56 |
| 6 | Antonio Costa Alfaia | Portugal | 552,000 | 55 |
| 7 | Benjamin Lakatos | Hungary | 536,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Presiyan Tsvetanov | Bulgaria | 461,000 | 46 |
| 9 | Richard Broda | Hungary | 446,000 | 45 |
| 10 | David Aviles Villar | Spain | 431,000 | 43 |
Rolando Carrera Torres (395,000) and Simon Stenvik (253,000) both scored eliminations in the final minutes of the day to secure their spots in the money. They are joined in tonight's chip counts by Alvaro Murciano Fernandez (385,000), Alvaro Ballesteros Blanco (340,000), Andrija Cvetkovic (340,000), Joaquin Sanchez Garcia (313,000), and Levente Szabo (261,000).
Lois Dufouleur (205,000), Carlos Mora (200,000), Andrey Golubev (198,000), Jussi Mattila (185,000), Nicu Toderascu (139,000), Mario Sanchez Cano (111,000), and David Nus Carrizo (108,000) also bagged chips at the end of the day.
They were followed by the two shortest stacks, Vincent Bigeon (96,000) and Michael Liguccioni (67,000), who will return for Day 2 with fewer than 10 big blinds.
A total of 400 entries were recorded across the first two flights, bringing the prize pool to approximately €500,000. However, this figure is expected to keep growing and could double this Friday, October 30, with the final two flights, starting with Day 1c at 12:30 p.m. local time.
Day 1c will feature 40-minute levels, while the Day 1d Turbo, starting at 8 p.m., will have 20-minute levels. Unlimited reentries are allowed until the end of Level 12 in each flight, and play will conclude once the money bubble bursts, with 15% of the field remaining.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews to follow all the action from these final flights of the WSOP Circuit Madrid Main Event!