Not one to rest on their laurels, the World Poker Tour quickly swung back into action after the conclusion of the Borgata Poker Open. In fact, while David Paredes was wrapping up the championship of that event, the first of two Day Ones took place at the newest venue for the WPT, Maryland Live! in, of course, Hanover, MD.
There was a bit of trepidation on the part of WPT officials when Day 1A started on Friday. Although notable pros such as Brock Parker, Christian Harder, Allen Kessler and Darren Elias (who must have caught the train straight from his 17th place finish at the Borgata on Thursday), the numbers just weren’t rushing the doors of the Maryland Live! Casino. With one reentry for each day in this $3500 tournament until the close of Level 7 (after the dinner break), however, it was sure to draw in some players with cash to spare.
Harder got off to a nice start, cracking Aces on one of his first hands when he caught a flush, and Elias used Kings against an opponent’s Jacks to get above the 30K starting chip stack. Jake Schwartz and Anthony Zinno were seated at the same table and didn’t waste any time in knocking heads with each other. Esther Taylor-Brady would have a cooler of a hand, her pocket Jacks getting knocked off by pocket Kings after the chips went in pre-flop, but she coolly stepped to the cage, rebought, and came right back to the same seat at the same table.
By the time Day 1A came to a close, 108 entries had been registered for the tournament as Joel Micka sat atop the table for the day:
1. Joel Micka, 251,200
2. Amir Babakhani, 228,200
3. Corey Hochman, 194,200
4. Travis Greenawalt, 146,300
5. Kent Goulding, 144,900
6. Jake Schwartz, 130,600
7. Fred Goldberg, 126,500
8. Riley Fuller, 125,400
9. Anthony Zinno, 119,200
After the small numbers on Friday, WPT officials were glad to see the players flock to the tournament floor for Day 1B of the event on Saturday. 229 entries were received during the Saturday action and there were a few faces from Day 1A that made a reappearance. Harder, who couldn’t make it out of the Day 1A fracas, was joined by such new players as WPT Champions’ Cup holders Elias (also couldn’t get out of Day 1A), Cornel Cimpan and Andy Frankenberger. A couple of players came down from the festivities in New Jersey, Maurice Hawkins (fresh off his fourth place finish at the Borgata) and Dave Stefanski, as the tournament room bustled.
In the early going, one of the “local talents” was able to get the better of World Series of Poker bracelet winner Tyler Patterson. With the flop and turn showing A-K-10-A Patterson would three bet the action and, after his opponent called, an innocent five came up on the river. After getting checked to, Patterson fired again but this time was met with a check-raise that completely boggled Patterson’s mind. “You don’t have two Kings, do you?” Patterson queried his opponent as he reviewed the hand in his mind. After pondering the situation, Patterson released his A-9 (trip Aces) but would have to live with wondering whether his move was correct as his opponent mucked his cards and scooped the chips.
Following the dinner break, the official prize pool was announced. The top 36 players will walk away with a minimum of $7228, but the big prize would be the goal of all the players. That person will walk off with a $250,222 payday but perhaps more importantly a seat at the Season XIV WPT World Championship next spring at the Borgata in Atlantic City.
By the time Day 1B action had concluded, 86 players had made it through the minefield, meaning Sunday’s Day 2 field will feature 124 players left to vie for the championship. Xin Wang was able to fly under the radar for most of the day, something that he won’t be able to do on Sunday as the overall chip leader:
1. Xin Wang, 286,900
2. Paul Bereford, 239,300
3. Joseph Chasen, 228,600
4. Igor Borukhov, 205,100
5. Aaron Mermelstein, 170,800
6. Blake Napierala, 162,000
7. Andy Spears, 155,600
8. Tim Bishop, 150,200
9. Lee Childs, 150,000
Wang will lead an overall Top Ten that looks like this:
1. Xin Wang, 286,900
2. Joel Micka, 251,200
3. Paul Bereford, 239,300
4. Joseph Chasen, 228,600
5. Amir Babakhani, 228,200
6. Igor Borukhov, 205,100
7. Corey Hochman, 194,200
8. Aaron Mermelstein, 170,800
9. Blake Napierala, 162,000
10. Andy Spears, 155,600
