JOE KUETHER HEADLINES RETURNING PLAYERS IN HARRAH
On Saturday, the World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s Philadelphia Main Event closed the books on its second and final starting flight. By the end of Day 1B it was Tony Tran who bagged up the overall chip lead heading into Day 2 with 214,700. Hot on Tran’s heels, however, is Day 1A chip leader and two-time Circuit ring winner Joe Kuether with 170,000.

Tran and Kuether headline the 107 players from the combined starting flights that will return for Day 2. Day 1A saw 146 players hit the felt with 47 of those players advancing. Day 1B had 182 total entries, 60 of which advanced. Combined, these two starting flights had 328 total entries and that number will likely see a slight bump heading into Day 2, as registration remains open until cards are in the air at 2 pm.

On Day 1A, Kuether climbed to the top of the chip counts early on after he seized an early double up with a flopped set of fives that turned into a full house by the river. Fellow big stack and overall chip leader, Tran, also earned most of his chips from a full house dealt at the perfect time. In Tran’s situation, he and another player called the all in of a short-stacked player before the flop. By the hand’s end, Tran held a full house of aces full of treys against his opponent’s eights full of treys. Tran scored an elimination and a full double in the side pot to catapult himself toward the top of the chip counts.

While Tran and Kuether led their respective fields, dozens of other notable names also advanced and are still in contention to claim the latest Circuit Main Event title. Some of the players to advance from Day 1A include Sean Lippel (137,900), Kevin Saul (128,000), Alex Rocha (100,200), Dennis Phillips (70,900), Jared Jaffee (57,000), Matt Stout (51,000), and Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler (41,200).

Those who did not advance during the first starting flight were given a second chance to bag up chips during Day 1B. Players like Tim West (145,100), Andy Spears (124,700), Joe McKeehen (110,300), 2006 WSOP Player of the Year Jeff Madsen (104,900), Ralph Massey (88,300), Aaron Massey (68,600), and David “ODB” Baker (31,000) did exactly that.

Reigning champion Rex Clinkscales attempted to defend his title by firing two bullets into each respective starting flight. Clinkscales was eliminated roughly halfway through Day 1B to dash his hopes of a repeat victory. Other players who came out but failed to advance include Ryan Eriquezzo, Lee Childs, Russell Thomas, Harrison Gimbel, Ting Ho, Ari Engel, Matt Glantz, and Loni Harwood, and many more.

Day 2 kicks off from the Harrah’s Room at Harrah’s Philadelphia at 2 pm local time.
 
A full look at the Day 2 chip counts can be found here

Here are  the top ten chip counts heading into Day 2:
 
 
RANK PLAYER CITY / STATE / COUNTRY CHIP COUNT
1 Tony Tran Philadelphia, PA, US 214,700
2 Joe Kuether ELM GROVE, WI, US 170,000
3 Justin Liberto FALLSTON, MD, US 162,700
4 Timothy West Aston, PA, US 145,100
5 Sean Lippel Valley Stream, NY, US 137,900
6 Nathan Goldstein ROSEMONT, PA, US 137,200
7 Staffan Lind Vero Beach, FL, US 135,500
8 Michael Anvari Pikesville, MD, US 129,000
9 Kevin Saul Warrenville, IL, US 128,000
10 Andrew Spears Buffalo, NY, US 124,700