Hollywood, Fla. (1 October, 2017) – Asher Conniff barely even made it to the second day of this tournament. He started Day 2 ranked 159 out of 162 players. He started the day with only 19,000 in chips, just over six big blinds. For most players, even being able to stay alive long enough to sneak into the money would be considered a victory coming from that point. But Conniff completely reversed his fortunes, accumulated a mountain of chips throughout Day 2, and he’s now the chip leader heading into the final day.
The inaugural World Series of Poker Circuit stop at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino is nearly complete. The Main Event started Friday afternoon, and it attracted 904 entries. Now, there is only one day remaining and 14 players still in contention. Conniff leads the pack by an impressive margin. He has 3,230,000 in chips. His nearest competitor is three-time WSOP bracelet winner Brian Hastings, who has 2,010,000.
Day 2 began with 162 players who had advanced from Days 1A and 1B. At the start of the day, Andre Rakusa held the chip lead with 442,000. He ended up finishing in 41st place. The player in second place to start the day, however, fared much better. Brad Ruben entered Day 2 with 402,000 in chips, and he is among the 14 players still in contention. When he returns for Day 3, he’ll have 635,000 in chips (currently in 12th place out of the last 14).
The day got off to a fast and furious start. The 162 players who started the day were whittled down to under 130 in about 20 minutes. Only the top 99 finishers made the money, and they reached the money bubble late in the second level of Day 2. Hand-for-hand play lasted only one hand, and after Barry Hutter eliminated John Idarraga, everyone still in the tournament was guaranteed a payout of at least $2,780.
Hutter is one of several WSOP bracelet winners to cash in this event. He finished in 36th place ($5,316). Other bracelets to cash include Erik Cajelais (29th place), Keven Stammen (32nd), James Calderaro (45th), and Loni Harwood (71st).
Day 3 will begin Monday at noon, and will continue until a winner has been determined. The eventual winner will earn $257,638, a WSOP Circuit ring, a free entry into the 2018 WSOP Global Casino Championship, and bragging rights as the first ever Circuit Main Event champion at the Seminole Hard Rock.
Here are the full chip counts heading into Day 3. Click here for Results so far or for Live Updates from the tournament.
1 – Asher Conniff – 3,230,000
2 – Brian Hastings – 2,010,000
3 – Mauricio Ameller – 1,690,000
4 – Chad Eveslage – 1,635,000
5 – Daniel Genachte – 1,410,000
6 – Israel de la Cerda – 1,400,000
7 – Joe Gotlieb – 1,340,000
8 – Juan Martinez – 1,105,000
9 – Jack Shea – 1,025,000
10 – Michael Amato – 950,000
11 – Brett Bader – 905,000
12 – Brad Ruben – 635,000
13 – Jason Appel – 443,000
14 – Steven McKoy – 380,000