button in SafariBlaz Zerjav Claims an Early Lead in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Event
The stars turned out in force for Day 1 of Event #62: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em. By the time late registration ended, 1,736 players had bought in. Fifteen levels later, only 312 of those starters had chips requiring bagging up.
Slovenian superstar Blaz Zerjav (893,000) is, according to the WSOP LIVE app, the overnight chip leader. Zerjav is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, having captured two bracelets last summer. He came out on top in the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed event for $1,734,717 and followed that up by winning the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event.
Event #62: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blaz Zerjav | Slovenia | 893,000 | 149 |
| 2 | Gonzalo Lopez | Argentina | 873,000 | 146 |
| 3 | Leonidas Arpino | Argentina | 787,000 | 131 |
| 4 | Rachid Amamou | Switzerland | 723,000 | 121 |
| 5 | Koki Koyanagi | Japan | 716,000 | 119 |
| 6 | Agharazi Babayev | Azerbaijan | 675,000 | 113 |
| 7 | Ozgur Arda | Turkey | 660,000 | 110 |
| 8 | Mauro Ferreira | Portugal | 641,000 | 107 |
| 9 | Henry Ihrig | United States | 588,000 | 98 |
| 10 | Zachary Donovan | United States | 549,000 | 92 |
Dozens of top-tier players will join Zerjav when Day 2 shuffles up and deals on June 23. Roman Hrabec (346,000), Josh Reichard (344,000), Artur Martirosian (285,000), Martin Jacobson (244,000), Damian Salas (224,000), Martin Kabrhel (217,000), Leo Margets (166,000), Matthew Wantman (147,000), Calvin Anderson (119,000), Chad Eveslage (108,000), and Aleksejs Ponakovs (92,000) are just a selection of those to look out for live reporting updates on Day 2.
Speaking of which, Day 2 shuffles up and deals at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 23. Players return to Level 16, meaning blinds are 3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 big blind ante. Ten levels are planned, and PokerNews will be on hand to bring you all of the action.