button in SafariJohn Holley Bags Best in Opening Flight of $1,500 Big O
The first of two starting flights in Event #22: $1,500 Big O drew 995 entries to Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, with 133 players advancing to Day 2 after a full day of split-pot action.
Leading the way is John Holley, who bagged 694,000, putting him well clear of the field heading into Day 2. Michael Estes (564,000), Dion Kaba (563,000), Stanley Krimerman (562,000), and Stanislav Ivanov (450,000) round out the top five chip counts.
Among the 133 players to advance from Day 1a were several familiar faces with WSOP hardware already on their resumes. Anson Tsang leads the bracelet-winning contingent after bagging 347,000 chips, while fellow bracelet winners Sean Troha (337,000), Scott Abrams (258,000), Michael Simhai (214,000), Benjamin Yu (210,000), Phillip Hui (164,000), Max Neugebauer (146,000), James Chen (144,000), David Shmuel (142,000), John Racener (139,000), Ari Engel (127,000), Peter Park (116,000), Owais Ahmed (69,000), and Aaron Kupin (57,000) also secured their spots for Day 2.
Other notable survivors include Mike Matusow (300,000), Michael Christ (291,000), and Braxton Dunaway (247,000), all of whom remain in contention as the hunt for the bracelet continues.
$1,500 Big O Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Holley | United States | 694,000 |
| 2 | Michael Estes | United States | 564,000 |
| 3 | Dion Kaba | United States | 563,000 |
| 4 | Stanley Krimerman | United States | 562,000 |
| 5 | Stanislav Ivanov | Bulgaria | 450,000 |
| 6 | Kristy Adams | United States | 424,000 |
| 7 | Ryan Thoresen | United States | 396,000 |
| 8 | Viktor Blom | Sweden | 393,000 |
| 9 | Marcus Laffen | United States | 385,000 |
| 10 | Joshua Cummings | United States | 376,000 |
Attention now turns to Day 1b, which gets underway at 2 p.m. local time on June 6. Players will once again start with 25,000 chips and battle through 40-minute levels, with late registration remaining open through Level 9.
The second starting flight will play down to approximately 10% of the field, with survivors joining the 133 Day 1a qualifiers for Day 2 on June 7. From there, the field will continue to shrink until a champion is crowned on Day 3, with a WSOP gold bracelet awaiting the winner.