button in SafariStars Turn Out in Force for the Final $5K of the Summer
Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em is the final $5,000 buy-in event of the summer. Day 1 saw 884 players take a shot at World Series of Poker (WSOP) glory, but only 72 of those advanced to Day 2 and remained in contention to capture the penultimate bracelet of the series.
An all-star cast bought into this tournament, and plenty of them navigated their way through 20 action-packed levels. Adam Hendrix (1,285,000), Cliff Josephy (1,100,000), Nick Guagenti (1,100,000), Joseph Cheong (1,090,000), Keith Lehr (910,000), and Leo Margets (850,000) are just a handful of names who finished Day 1 in the chip counts' top 10.
Australia's Josh Norvock (1,530,000) is the overnight chip leader, with Giorgiy Skhulukhiya (1,450,000) a close second.
Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Norvock | Australia | 1,530,000 | 61 |
| 2 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | 1,450,000 | 58 |
| 3 | Adam Hendrix | United States | 1,285,000 | 51 |
| 4 | Jimmy Guerrero | France | 1,160,000 | 46 |
| 5 | Nick Guagenti | United States | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 6 | Cliff Josephy | United States | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Joseph Cheong | United States | 1,090,000 | 44 |
| 8 | Keith Lehr | United States | 910,000 | 36 |
| 9 | Leo Margets | Spain | 850,000 | 34 |
| 10 | Vadzim Lipauka | Belarus | 830,000 | 33 |
As mentioned, there are some stellar names among the Day 1 survivors, including Artur Martirosian (815,000), Brian Rast (785,000), David Peters (765,000), Ren Lin (545,000), Brad Owen (460,000), Klemens Roiter (240,000), Cary Katz (230,000), Jennifer Harman (187,000), a certain Phil Hellmuth (165,000), Sam Soverel (155,000), and a short stacked Niall Farrell (52,000).
Players return to their seats from 1:00 p.m. local time on July 15 to bring this tournament to a thrilling conclusion. Join PokerNews then for all of the live updates from this $5,000 buy-in event at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.