Patrik Antonius takes the lead on Day 1b of WSOPE Main Event
Day 1b of the World Series of Poker Europe L10,000 Main Event added even more star power to a tournament that featured the likes of Phil Hellmuth and Jennifer Harman on Day 1a. Joining the fray in London on Day 1b were Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Chan, Andy Black, Jamie Gold, Patrik Antonius and Doyle ‘Texas Dolly' Brunson.No two paths could be more widely divergent than those of Antonius and Brunson on Day 1b. As the younger stud Antonius chipped up all day to find himself at the top of the leaderboard, Brunson was among the first eliminated when he tangled with Justin ‘ZeeJustin' Bonomo, who hit a straight on the turn to crack Brunson's flopped set and send the living legend to the rail very early in the day.
A total of 362 players signed up for the first ever Main Event to be held outside of Las Vegas, and several players still have a shot to be the first man to win a Main Event on two continents. Johnny Chan and Jamie Gold finished Day 1b with big chip stacks, but Scotty Nguyen's chances of becoming an intercontinental bracelet holder were dashed late in the day.
For the second day, players were spread across three London casinos for the competition - the Fifty, the Sportsman, and the Empire Casino. Tournament Director Jack Effel made the decision early in the day to expand Day 2 into another two-day affair, allowing all the remaining players to converge on the Empire Casino for the rest of the Main Event.
Among other players heading to the rail on Day 1b were Brandon Schaefer, Joe Sebok, Phil Gordon, and Vanessa Rousso. Young Mike Macdonald got a nasty birthday surprise from Jamie Gold when the 2006 world champion sucked out on the turn to make a set against Macdonald's over pair, sending the 18-year-old to the rail early in his first ever live tourney. Macdonald was trying to become by far the youngest player to win a WSOP bracelet, as he turned 18 on the day he began play. It will be three years before he can play the WSOP in Las Vegas.
Andy Black and Betrand ‘ElkY' Grospellier got a bust-out for dessert, heading to the rail shortly after dinner, and Jeff Madsen pushed his short stack into Shaun Deeb's flopped straight for an after-dinner mint. Madsen's top pair didn't improve, and the two-time WSOP bracelet winner went to the rail early in the evening.
As play drew to a close, the top ten chip stacks from each casino looked like this -
The individual leaders from each of three sites were as follows:
From The Empire:
Adam Junglen - 69,275
Kenny Tran - 67,025
Jon Turner - 60,975
Daniel Negreanu - 60,900
Julain Bertazzon - 60,700
Jamie Gold - 53,400
Aleksander Vathne - 51,175
Daniel Zink - 47,625
Nikolag Losev - 47,550
Johnny Lodden - 46,125
From The Fifty:
Patrik Antonius - 76,150
Tino Lechich - 71,725
David Lionel - 65,825
Jesse Jones - 64,950
Bob Willis - 58,975
Andreas Berggren - 58,975
Theo Jorgensen - 50,825
Johnny Chan - 47,250
Lee Nelson - 46,450
Tony G - 44,750
From The Sportsman:
Shaun Deeb - 71,825
Gerry Kane - 66,675
Matthew McCullough - 57,500
Stephen McNamara - 55,425
Roland Israelashvici - 53,450
Patrick Jouven - 50,975
Matt Larsh - 46,750
Owen Lock - 43,325
Bruce Stubbs - 40,875
Marigliano Marcello - 40,250
Other notable players surviving into Day 2b included Barny Boatman, Jimmy ‘Gobboboy' Fricke, Isabelle Mercier, Howard Lederer and Steve Billrakis, who is hoping that none of the young guns in the field (like Gobboboy) manage to break his record of the youngest bracelet holder. Players from Day 1a will play Day 2a today, and players from Day 1b will play Day 2b tomorrow. After Day 2b, the fields will combine.
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