LIVE EVENTS

Action opened under the gun when Rami Hammoud made it 4,500 to go. Rudy Cadenas called, as did Natalia N., Bryan Robitaille Fuquet on the button. Gabe Smith in the small blind and Mathieu Daigneault in the big made the call as well.

Six way to the flop the dealer fanned out and both of the blinds checked, followed by a continuation bet by Hammoud of 10,000. Cadenas folded and Natalia N., raised it to 32,000. That was enough for Robitaille Fuquet to get out of the way, however, Gabe Smith picked up a full stack of chips and announced “all in”. Everypone else folded and Natlia N. made the call.

Smith:
Natalia N.:

Natalia N. had flopped top two pair with the big slick, and Smith had flopped a set of deuces. The turn and river didn’t help her out, and she sent 81,100 chips over to Smith.

Day 1A of the WSOP-C Playground Main Event brought out a field of 274 entries that battled it out for ten hour-long levels. Of those entries, 117 players survived to the end of the flight and bagged chips for Day 2.

This flight kept up a steady pace, both in terms of the speed of the action and the flow of new players, throughout the day until the very late stages. When play began at noon there were roughly a hundred players ready and waiting, but they were soon joined by a continuous influx of new players right up until the last break of the day. Following the final break, the action slowed and the flow of new entries stopped as everyone was anticipating the end of the flight.

When the dust settled after the tenth level of play, Armand King, a highly experienced tournament grinder better known as the “Oyster King,” emerged as the chip leader with 389,000 in chips in the bag.

To see the combined Day 1 results, click here.

Less than 30 minutes of play remain on Day 1A. The field is down to 129 players, less than half of the total entries for the flight. The field has been stable for quite some time, as those remaining clearly intend on bagging chips for Day 2 and are content to cruise to the finish line in this flight.

Here are some photos from level 10:

The players have just returned to their seats following the last break in this flight. The field is down to 145 runners from the 272 entries gathered so far. The stacks are still very deep, as the player-friendly structure of the Main Event assures players lots of room to maneuver throughout each starting flight. The current chip average provides nearly 94 big blinds.

The leaderboard has been shaken up since the last update. It is now a two-horse race for the chip lead. Jake Labonte controls the largest stack in play while Armand King, better known to many as the “Oyster King,” is only a few blinds behind.

We are reaching the late stages of Day 1A, and only 156 players remain in contention.

At this stage, the stacks are still very deep. Even an average stack provides over 100 big blinds, and the chip leaders have hundreds more at their disposal. Although registration is still available for Day 1A, it seems that many players have opted to save their bullets for another flight, as the new entries have been few and far between since the dinner break.

Here is another look at the field from level 7.

The players have just returned from their dinner break, re-fueled and ready to close out this starting flight. A few more players found their way in to the field during the dinner break to bring the number of entries up to 262, and 163 players remain in contention.

There is a widening gap between the big and small stacks in the field. The chip leaders are sitting comfortably with hundreds of blinds at their disposal while many others find themselves in the danger zone with less than 20 big blinds. Two players – Francois Sauve and Wilson Todd Budgell – are neck-and-neck for the chip lead, and former chip leader Tzu Sheng Huang is not far behind them.

Here are the complete chip counts for the remaining players on Day 1A:

There are now six levels of play in the books on Day 1A. The action will be on hold for the next hour as the players enjoy the bountiful buffet during the 60-minute dinner break. Late registration and re-entries are available for the entirety of this flight so we are likely to see a few more players get in on the action before play resumes in level seven.

As the timer ticks past the midway point in level six there are 175 players still in the running on Day 1A. With the help of 33 re-entries, there are lots – over 12 million – in chips in play for a relatively small number of players. Recently, we have seen the caution of the early levels give way to a much more loose and aggressive approach.

There will be a 60-minute dinner break at the end of this level that will give the players a chance to fuel up and re-charge for the push to the end of the flight.

Here is an updated look at the field:

Although the influx of new players slowed down during the last level, the action has only picked up pace. And Tzu Sheng Huang was one of the players to benefit, as he ran up a stack of more than triple the current chip average. Now playing a stack of more than 400 big blinds, Huang will likely be in cruise control for much of this flight.

There are many players in the field who are also well ahead of the blinds with stacks of more than double the current average, which opens the door to any kind of line they might want to take in the levels ahead. There seems to be very few short stacks in the field, as the number of re-entries suggests, it looks like players are quick to risk a short stack in order to re-enter in this starting flight.

Here are the current chip leaders:

Slowly but surely, players continue to enter the fray on Day 1A.

This flight has gathered 229 entries so far, a figure that has been helped along by 20 re-entries. Many players who made an early exit from Day 2 of the Monster Stack, which is running at the opposite end of the tournament hall, opted to jump straight into the Main Event. And this influx of new players has had an impact on the play dynamics. Although play on many tables has been relatively cautious, things are starting to open up as the gap between the big and small stacks begins to emerge and new players try to establish their footing.

Here is a look at the field from level four:

Although most players got off to a slow start out of the gate, several players will found ways to more than double their starting stacks during the first two levels of play. But everyone trails James Pillon, who has a significant chip lead over his nearest rival and a dominating chip lead over the rest of the players at his table. Time will tell if he will be able to take advantage of his lead to pressure his opponents.

Here are the current chip leaders:

As the timer winds down on the second level of play, the number of entries continues to climb slowly but surely. Although most players have started cautiously out of the gate, four players have already exercised their re-entry option for the day. Players can enter or re-enter the Main Event at any point on each Day 1 and before the end of the late registration period on each Day 2 so most players are approaching this event like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Here’s an updated look at the field: