Monday, December 10, 2018 12:14 AM Local Time
Nick Phoenix
Day 1A of the Main Event is complete, and after 15 levels of poker, the chip leader is Nick Phoenix with 343,000 in chips. He’s followed closely by Craig Varnell (335,000), who won his first WSOP bracelet earlier this year. They’re the only two players above the 300,000-chip mark.
Day 1A attracted 224 entries, and 43 survived the night. After Day 1B on Monday, the remaining field will combine for Day 2 on Tuesday.
Other advancing players include Sandeep Pulusani (202,500), Viet Vo (183,500), Tuan Le (171,000), and Ian Steinman (136,000).
Players who entered Day 1A but didn’t advance include Daniel Strelitz, Chris DeMaci, Kristy Arnett, Dejuante Alexander, Kelly Minkin, Brett Murray, Wendy Freedman, Sohale Khalili, bracelet winners Phil Laak, David “ODB” Baker, Nipun Java, and 2006 WSOP Main Event champion Jamie Gold.
Day 1B begins at noon on Monday. Late registration is open until the start of Level 13, at roughly 9:30 p.m.
Here are the top 10 chip counts after Day 1A. For full chip counts, click the REPORTS tab, above.
1 – Nick Phoenix – 343,000
2 – Craig Varnell – 335,000
3 – Shane Raikes – 288,000
4 – Matt Schultz – 284,500
5 – Dipak Bhakta – 270,500
6 – Yonas Abate – 263,000
7 – Luke Nguyen – 245,000
8 – Jorge Leiva – 243,000
9 –Dann Turner – 221,000
10 – Michael Giardina – 202,500
Sunday, December 9, 2018 11:34 PM Local Time
All tables have finished their final hands and players are now bagging up their chips.
A full recap will be posted shortly.
Sunday, December 9, 2018 11:29 PM Local Time
With 10 minutes left in the level, the clock is paused and the players will play three more hands before bagging and tagging chips for the night.
Sunday, December 9, 2018 11:28 PM Local Time
Brian Snell raises to 10,000 from the cutoff and Tuan Le three-bets to 25,000 on the button. Snell calls and they are heads-up to a flop of .
Snell moves all in for 20,100 and Le thinks for a few moments before calling. Le shows and needs runners against Snell's . The turn is the and the river is the . Snell doubles up with a set of sevens and doubles up just before the end of the night.
Brian Snell - 94,500
Tuan Le - 160,000
Sunday, December 9, 2018 11:22 PM Local Time
Said El-Harrak moves all in for 38,300 from under the gun, Luke Graham calls from the small blind and a player in the small blind moves all in for 40,300. Graham calls and all three players turn over their hands.
Luke Graham:
Said El-Harrak:
Opponent:
The board runs out , Graham takes the side pot and splits the main with El-Harrak. Both players split the chips of the opponent that was eliminated.
Luke Graham - 191,000
Said El-Harrak - 60,900
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:54 PM Local Time
Level: 15
Blinds: 1,500/3,000
Ante: 500
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:53 PM Local Time
Wendy Freedman raises to 5,500 from early position and Marcos Exterkotter moves all in from middle position for about 45,000. Action folds back to Freedman, who gets a count from the dealer and then calls.
It's a race with Freedman's against Exterkotter's . The board runs out and Exterkotter makes trips to double up.
Marcos Exterkotter - 90,000
Wendy Freedman - 65,000
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:50 PM Local Time
Craig Varnell
A player opens to 4,500 from the hijack, Craig Varnell three-bets to 16,500 from the button and a player moves all in for 44,800 from the big blind. The initial raiser folds, Varnell makes the call and the players turn their hands over.
Craig Varnell:
Opponent:
The flop comes down and Varnell is still behind against his opponents pair of ladies. The comes on the turn and Varnell still needs to connect. An on the river does just that as Varnell spikes two pair, eliminating his opponent and scooping in the pot.
Craig Varnell - 234,000
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:50 PM Local Time
Boris Kasabov
Boris Kasabov gets all in for about 60,000 out of the big blind against Dipak Bhakta under the gun. Bhakta shows and is most likely going to chop against Kasabov's .
The flop, however, comes , and the likely chop went to a victory for Bhakta, who flops the nut flush. Kasabov is drawing dead on the flop. The turn and river are the meaningless and the . Kasabov is eliminated just before the end of the level.
Dipakd Bhakta - 135,000
Boris Kasabov - Eliminated
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:44 PM Local Time
Tuan Le
The board is showing , and there is around 35,000 in the pot. Tuan Le checks to a player in early position who bets 14,500 and Le quickly calls.
The falls on the river, both players check and Le tables for aces over kings. His opponent mucks and Le scoops in the pot, adding to his already healthy stack.
Tuan Le - 214,000
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:37 PM Local Time
Grant Foster raises on the button and Joe Nalbandyan moves all in out of the big blind. Foster quickly calls. Nalbandyan shows and is in trouble against Foster's .
The board runs out and Foster wins the pot with a pair of aces. They counted down the stacks after the hand. Foster had 49,500 and Nalbandyan was barely covered. Foster wins the pot and Nalbandyan is eliminated.
Grant Foster - 90,000
Joe Nalbandyan - Eliminated
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:29 PM Local Time
Scott Stewart
Thomas Zanot raises to 5,000 from middle position. Craig Varnell three-bets to 15,000 from the small blind. Scott Stewart then moves all in from the big blind for 22,900. Zanot folds and Varnell calls.
Stewart:
Varnell:
Stewart is ahead with his ace queen, and he keeps the lead as the board rolls out to double up.
Scott Stewart - 54,000
Craig Varnell - 165,000
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:28 PM Local Time
The button player limps, Truyen Nguyen calls from the small blind and the big blind player makes it 5,000. The button calls, Nguyen moves all in and the big blind raiser folds. The button opponent calls and the players turn their hands over.
Truyen Nguyen:
Opponent:
The board runs out and Nguyen's fives takes down the pot, eliminating his opponent and scooping in the chips.
Truyen Nguyen - 144,000
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:14 PM Local Time
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,200/2,400
Ante: 400
Sunday, December 9, 2018 10:11 PM Local Time
A player in the hijack opens to 4,500, a button opponent calls, Wendy Freedman three-bets to 18,000 and both of her opponents quickly fold.
Freedman is on a heater as of late in the day and shows no sign of slowing down.
Wendy Freedman - 169,000
Sunday, December 9, 2018 9:47 PM Local Time
With level 13 underway, registration is closed for the first of two starting flights in the main event. There are 224 entries in the Day 1A field, which generates a prizepool of $339,360. There are 80 players remaining and they will bag up chips for the night at the end of level 15.
Sunday, December 9, 2018 9:34 PM Local Time
Level: 13
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 300
Sunday, December 9, 2018 9:28 PM Local Time
The players are taking their final 10-minute break of the night. They will return and play three more levels before bagging up for the night. Registration will close at the start of level 13.
Sunday, December 9, 2018 9:26 PM Local Time
The board is showing , and the pot has around 15,000 in it. Matu Lessa bets 5,200 from the hijack position, Nick Phoenix raises to 14,000 and Lessa calls.
The comes on the turn and both players check to the on the river. Lessa pushes out 35,100, Phoenix snap-calls and Lessa tables for quads. Phoenix mucks aces face up as Lessa takes down the pot with his quads.
Matu Lessa - 151,000
Nick Phoenix - 72,000
Sunday, December 9, 2018 9:11 PM Local Time
There is about 25,000 in the pot on the turn with the board reading . Shane Raikes checks from early position and Tuan Le bets 15,000. Raikes check-raises all in and Le quickly calls.
Le is the player at risk and all in for 27,800. He showed and is in great shape against Raikes' . The river is the and Le's bigger two pair secures him the double up.
Tuan Le - 81,000
Shane Raikes - 165,000