Cards Are In The Air on Day 1b of the $600 Ultra Stack at 10 a.m. Vegas Time
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We're expecting thousands of entries today with Event #85: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold’em, a popular mid-summer fixture returning to the schedule for a third consecutive year.
Flight B gets underway at 10 a.m. on July 7. Each player is allowed two reentries, and late registration is open through Level 12 (approximately 6:15 p.m.).
Day 1 plays 22 levels, featuring 30-minute levels, 20-minute breaks every four levels, and a 75-minute break following Level 12. Surviving players from both flights will merge for Day 2 on Tuesday, July 8 at 1 p.m. and play either 17 levels or down to five players (whichever comes first). Day 3 resumes on Wednesday, July 9, to crown 2025's champion.
PokerNews traditional coverage of this event begins on Day 2.
Day 1a took place on July 6. It saw 2,718 players enter, but only 213 progressed to Day 2. Phillip Pope (2,210,000) is the man to catch, closely followed by Venkatara Ganne and then Robert Laird (1,870,000).
Everything points toward Day 1b being even busier than the opening flight.
Event 85: $600 Ultra Stack Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillip Pope | United States | 2,210,000 | 55 |
| 2 | Venkatara Ganne | United States | 2,190,000 | 55 |
| 3 | Robert Laird | United States | 1,870,000 | 47 |
| 4 | Steven Stanton | United States | 1,860,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Eric Schutz | United States | 1,800,000 | 45 |
| 6 | Brandon Elmore | United States | 1,700,000 | 43 |
| 7 | Brian Phillis | United States | 1,685,000 | 42 |
| 8 | Deborah Balderas | United States | 1,600,000 | 40 |
| 9 | James Pixton | United States | 1,580,000 | 40 |
| 10 | Jordan Dorigny | United States | 1,560,000 | 39 |
We saw a fairy tale story in last year’s Ultra Stack as Germany’s Carsten Heidemann topped a massive field of 6,628 entries to win his first WSOP bracelet and a career-best $343,010.
Heidemann, a recreational player, had traveled to Las Vegas to fulfill his dream of playing the Main Event. After his tournament ended on Day 1, he decided to enter the $600 Ultra Stack.
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