More Than 4,000 Players Turn Out For the Mini Main Event's Day 1a; Moneymaker Bows Out
Day 1a of Event #75: $1,000 Mini Main Event No-Limit Hold'em drew in a bumper crowd of 4,077 entrants, almost two-thirds of last year's 6,076 turnout, with another flight remaining. Of those starters, only 318 bagged and tagged their chips at the close of play, with Duane Fernandez (2,670,000) finding his name at the top of the overnight chip counts.
Israel's Liran Betito, who finished runner-up in Event #34: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em, shoveled 2,480,000 into his bag, which is enough for third place on the Day 1a leaderboard.
Pedro Madeira (2,270,000), Ari Oxman (2,185,000), and Robbie Bull (2,155,000) also bagged top ten stacks.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daune Fernandez | Canada | 2,670,000 | 67 |
| 2 | Brandon Morisson | United States | 2,500,000 | 63 |
| 3 | Liran Betito | Israel | 2,480,000 | 62 |
| 4 | Kevin Naegelen | France | 2,410,000 | 60 |
| 5 | Pedro Madeira | Brazil | 2,270,000 | 57 |
| 6 | Ari Oxman | United States | 2,185,000 | 55 |
| 7 | Robbie Bull | United Kingdom | 2,155,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Gregory Fournier | France | 2,000,000 | 50 |
| 9 | Zhen Chen | China | 1,820,000 | 46 |
| 10 | Dmitrii Tammeoia | Russia | 1,775,000 | 44 |
Also through to Day 2 are the likes of John Richards (1,440,000), Valentino Konkachiev (1,125,000), Shai Zurr (900,000), Jeremy Wien (825,000), Antonin Teisseire (655,000), Andrew Moreno (545,000), Pei Li (425,000), Tommy Nguyen (315,000), David Simon (290,000), Shawn Buchanan (280,000), and Dara O'Kearney (60,000).
Three-time bracelet winner Dutch Boyd didn't make it through to day's end, and neither did 2003 WSOP Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker, who bowed out before the overnight chip bags were distributed. They and the other players eliminated on Day 1a have the option to fire again Monday.
Day 1b shuffles up and deals at 10 a.m. local time on June 30, with players attempting to navigate through the same 22 levels. A massive crowd is expected. Will you be part of it? Remember, PokerNews traditional coverage of this event begins on Day 2.