The first of two flights of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship took place today. It saw 1,215 players enter but only 367 bag chips after ten levels of play. Michael Wilklow topped the counts with 506,500 chips.
If Wilklow's name rings a bell, it's because he won the $1,000 Mystery Millions event that opened the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $1 million. Wilklow evidently has a knack for large-field tournaments and is certainly one to watch as this tournament progresses.
Also finishing in the flight's top ten chip counts was Zdenek Zizka (352,000), the backgammon Grandmaster who recently won the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event for his first bracelet and $232,498.
Alex Keating (338,000) also bagged a top ten stack as he chases down his fourth cash of the summer and his second career bracelet. Keating captured his bracelet two years ago in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em event.
Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Day 1a 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 |
Dozens of elite-level players chose Day 1a of this event to start their quest for yet more glory. Upeshka De Silva (200,000), Nicholas Palma (188,500), Davidi Kitai (185,500), Mike Matusow (175,000), and Robert Wells (175,000) all finished in the top third of the chip counts.
Also through are the likes of Jake Schwartz (154,000), five-time bracelet winner Adrian Mateos (150,500), Czech chatterbox Martin Kabrhel (126,500), former Main Event champions Martin Jacobson (99,500), Huck Seed (93,000), Jonathan Tamayo (85,000), and Stoyan Madanzhiev (58,000), along with Patrick Leonard (87,000), Faraz Jaka (40,000), and Eric Baldwin (29,000).
Day 1b is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. local time on July 10. The flight follows the same structure as Day 1a, except the field is expected to be even larger. PokerNews' traditional coverage starts on Day 2 on July 11.
