Nadya Magnus Has a Dream End to Day 2 of the $3,500 Wynn Millions Championship
The day started out with 230 players returning to their seats for Day 2 of the $3,500 Wynn Millions Championship. After eight levels of intense poker action, the field was dwindled to just 44 players who advanced to Day 3. They will be left fighting for the lion's share of the $2,203,450 prize pool up for grabs over the coming days.
The largest pot of the tournament thus far was settled in the last level of the night, and it was Nadya Magnus who found herself in a dream spot. In a three-way all-in with two other big stacks, Magnus turned over two red aces and had both of her opponents drawing slim with ace-king. A sweat-free runout left Magnus collecting the largest stack of chips in the room as she cruised to the Day 2 chip lead with 2,590,000 chips.
One of the most successful women in poker today, Magnus has accumulated over $2.3 million in tournament winnings over her career, but is still looking to lay claim to a prestigious title such as the Wynn Millions. A podium finish in just a few short days would already outdo her career-best score, but she has her sights set solely on the title.
Hot on her heels when the action resumes will be Ernest Bush (2,330,000) and Chahnhoon Jung (2,105,000) as the only other two players with over two million chips. Also with seven-figure stacks are Peter Cross (1,475,000), Jesse Lonis (1,470,000), and Qing Liu (1,185,000), who all have established poker resumes as well.
Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 2 of $3,500 Wynn Millions Championship
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nadya Magnus | United States | 2,590,000 | 216 |
| 2 | Ernest Bush | United States | 2,330,000 | 194 |
| 3 | Chahnhoon Jung | United States | 2,105,000 | 175 |
| 4 | Austin Apicella | United States | 1,960,000 | 163 |
| 5 | Quang Vu | United States | 1,815,000 | 151 |
| 6 | Gregory Rankich | United States | 1,805,000 | 150 |
| 7 | Peter Cross | Japan | 1,475,000 | 123 |
| 8 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 1,470,000 | 123 |
| 9 | Ignacio Sole Aparicio | Spain | 1,320,000 | 110 |
| 10 | Qing Liu | United States | 1,185,000 | 99 |
Day 2 Action
After three starting flights and 694 recorded entries, there were just 230 players returning for the start of Day 2. Things kicked off at 12 p.m. PST and there was no time wasted as players started building stacks or hitting the rail right from the first hand. With only eight levels on the schedule, it was up in the air as to whether or not the field would reach the money bubble of just 87 places.
That was left without a doubt in the early going based on the pace of play. The tournament went hand-for-hand on the money bubble just before the last break of the night. It only took four hands for two players at two different tables to get all of their chips in the middle. It was a tale of two stories as Anthony Lewis doubled up with pocket queens against pocket nines. However, the same pocket queens spelled disaster for Adam Durbin, who was up against flopped trips from Adam Walton. Durbin was left on the outside looking in as the final 87 players all got a piece of the pie.
The action didn't seem to slow down in the money either as another 40-plus players were eliminated in the last two levels, leaving just 44 players to return for Day 3. Some of the notables eliminated in the money included Matthew Wantman, Calvin Anderson, Jeremy Becker, and Scott Ball.
The cards will be back in the air at 12 p.m. PST on Monday, March 2nd with another eight levels on the schedule. With three days left for this tournament to be completed, that could be up in the air as staff attempt to stretch it out over the coming days. The action will resume on level 19, with blinds at 10,000/15,000 and a 15,000 big blind ante. The levels will continue to be 60 minutes in length with a 15-minute break after every two levels.
Keep it locked here for all of the up-to-date action as the PokerNews team brings you all of the exciting updates straight from the tournament floor.