ALEX GREENBLATT CARRIES HUGE LEAD INTO DAY 2 AT THE LODGE
The Lodge Casino in Black Hawk is the highest elevation for any tournament venue on the World Series of Poker Circuit. And just as the mountains of Colorado tower above their low-lying neighbors, the chip leaders entering Day 2 of the Main Event tower above the rest of the field.

Alex Greenblatt currently sits atop the leaderboard, having finished Day 1A with an astounding 410,500 in chips. He surged to the top of the chip counts late in the day. With only three levels remaining, he held about 100,000 in chips. This stack was among the top ten, but it didn’t really stand out. However, after a number of big hands over the next two hours, he emerged from the shadows and grabbed a firm hold of the chip lead.

Greenblatt’s closest competitor is Jonathan Haidsiak, who bagged up 286,000 at the end of Day 1B. He rose to the top of the 1B chip counts when he doubled up near the end of the night. He held    against Tyler Corbett’s   , and they got all their chips in the middle on the    . Haidsiak’s set of sixes held up, and he continued to gather chips until the day ended.

There are only two other players above the 200,000-chip mark: George Medina (244,000) and Joe Kuether (226,000).

Day 1A attracted 142 entrants, and only 27 made it through to the end of the day. There were an additional 188 entries on Day 1B, 42 of whom survived to bag up chips. The 69 remaining players will return at noon on Sunday for Day 2.

The 330 entries generated a prize pool of $495,000. The top 33 places will be paid, with a minimum cash earning $2,955. The winner will walk away with $116,325, as well as a WSOP Circuit ring and a free entry into the National Championship, held later this month in Atlantic City.

The field in this Main Event included several recognizable names and well-known poker personalities. Bernard Lee is among the survivors who will return for Day 2. He bagged up 137,500 chips on Day 1B. Lee is most famous for his deep run at the WSOP Main Event in 2005, when he eventually finished 13th. He won his first Circuit ring in Event #9 here at the Lodge, and is now looking to win back-to-back rings.

When Lee won his ring Thursday evening, the player he defeated heads up was Alex Masek, who will also return for Day 2 (37,500 in chips). Masek is the all-time leader in WSOP Circuit rings with eight. He won his record-breaking eighth ring a little over a month ago, and is now looking to extend his record by winning a ninth.

Lee headlines a group of players here at The Lodge Casino who have made deep runs in the WSOP Main Event. Dennis Phillips finished third in 2008, and Bryan Devonshire finished 12th in 2011. Both were in the field, although neither Phillips nor Devonshire were able to advance to Day 2. Other notables who were eliminated include Charles “Woody” Moore and Allen Kessler.

Here are the top ten chip counts entering Day 2. A full list of chip counts and seat assignments can be found in the Reports Section of the Live Updates.
 
1. Alex Greenblatt – 410,000
2. Jonathan Haidsiak – 286,000
3. George Medina – 244,000
4. Joe Kuether – 226,000
5. Matt Greenwald – 184,500
6. Corey Zedo – 166,000
7. Brian Hartner – 163,500
8. Eric Blair 162,000
9. Jesse Capps – 161,500
10. Tim West – 161,000