How Big Will the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1b Field Grow?
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We're expecting a packed field today at Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, as Day 1b of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold’em kicks off at 2 p.m. local time with the second of two opening flights.
This four-day tournament gives players 40,000 in starting chips and features 60-minute levels throughout. Players are allowed one reentry per flight. Late registration is open until the start of Level 12, at around 2:15 p.m. on Day 2.
Entrants will play ten levels with 15-minute breaks every two levels. Surviving players will combine for Day 2 on Friday, July 11, at 1 p.m., where another ten levels are scheduled. Day 3 continues at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, with ten more levels. The final day will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 13, when the remaining players return to play down to a winner.
Please note: PokerNews traditional coverage of this event begins on Day 2.
On Day 1a, Michael Wilklow, winner of Event #1: $1,000 Mystery Millions No-Limit Hold'em at the start of the series, bagged up a tournament-leading 506,500 chips. Only 367 of the 1,215 entrants progressed to Day 2.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Wilklow | United States | 506,500 | 203 |
| 2 | Andrew Yee | United States | 465,000 | 186 |
| 3 | Robert Ashelm | Germany | 436,000 | 174 |
| 4 | Adrien Amorella | France | 416,000 | 166 |
| 5 | Michael Newman | United States | 397,000 | 159 |
| 6 | Eusebiu Jalba | Bulgaria | 387,000 | 155 |
| 7 | Jamie Walden | United Kingdom | 372,500 | 149 |
| 8 | Zdenek Zizka | Czech Republic | 352,000 | 141 |
| 9 | Alfonso Timoteo | Spain | 339,000 | 136 |
| 10 | Alex Keating | United States | 338,000 | 135 |
The aptly-named Clement Richez is the reigning champion after taking down 2024's 3,177 runner event for a massive first-place prize of $1,041,989. It marked Richez's first bracelet, although he had previously cashed in the WSOP-E Main Event.
"I'm shaking all over," Richez said afterward to French media as he described the emotion of his win, "I didn't think this would give me so many emotions. I was on the verge of crying during the winner's photo, and I'll probably cry after this because I need to release all the pressure."
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