With the two starting flights in the books, the WSOP Circuit $1,675 no-limit hold’em main event at the Hard Rock Tulsa is nearing the money and Ben Armstrong is leading the field as they head to Day 2.
The first-ever Circuit stop at the Tulsa Hard Rock drew 225 entries on Friday for Day 1A and another 349 entries on Saturday afternoon for Day 1B, making the main event a 574-entry field. There were 44 players that survived Day 1A with Ben Armstrong finishing atop the heap with 287,000. Armstrong finished Day 1A with the biggest stack and will also start Day 2 with the overall chip lead.
Day 1B added another 349 entries to the field and by the day’s end, there were only 67 remaining. The survivors of Day 1B will merge with the Day 1A survivors on Sunday for Day 2 with 111 players still vying for a Circuit title.
Roger Franco bagged the Day 1B chip lead and comes into the penultimate day of the event 257,500 in chips. Hoan Nguyen (254,000), Rodney Spriggs (239,500) and Steve Bierman (236,000) round out the top five counts and are in good shape to secure a cash on Sunday. Franco, Nguyen, Spriggs and Bierman all played Day 1B of the event.
Here is a look at the top 10 chip counts:
- Ben Armstrong – 287,000
- Roger Franco – 257,500
- Hoan Nguyen – 254,000
- Rodney Spriggs – 239,500
- Steve Bierman – 236,000
- Josh Mammon – 233,500
- Jose Anaya – 230,000
- Thad McNulty – 228,500
- Martin Ryan – 225,500
- Jason Strasser – 220,000
Complete chip counts for Day 2 can be found here.
When play resumes on Sunday, the money bubble will be on the forefront of everybody’s minds, with the top 63 players finishing in the money. The 574-entry field generated an $861,000 prizepool with a min-cash worth $2,815, but first place is worth $180,806. The bubble is expected to burst sometime early in the day and the field should near a final table by the night’s end.
Other notables who are still alive and looking to cash on Sunday include eight-time ring winner Ari Engel (160,500), nine-time ring winner Maurice Hawkins (150,00), bracelet winner David ‘ODB’ Baker, five-time ring winner Josh Turner (141,500), Henry Tran (127,000), Dan Lowery (115,500), Dean Baranowski (110,500), Tavish Margers (107,500), four-time ring winner Ray Henson (101,500), Brian Green (72,000), two-time ring winner Sal DiCarlo (56,500), Matt Affleck (54,500), and four-time ring winner Cody Pack.
While there is a plethora of poker talent coming back on Sunday, there was just as much that didn’t survive. Five-time bracelet winner Scotty Nguyen, Six-time bracelet winner TJ Cloutier, Nine-time ring winner Valentin Vornicu, six-time ring winner Robert Hankins, Russ Head, James Mackey, bracelet winner Andy Philachack, bracelet winner Blair Hinkle, Allen Kessler and Neil Scott were among the countless pros who were unable to put chips in a bag and survive a starting flight.
Cards get back in the air on Sunday at noon and will play 10, one-hour levels before they bag up chips for the night and come back on Monday to play down to a winner. Blinds will start at 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante and there will be one-hour levels for the duration of the tournament.