Day 1B of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Borgata Poker Open Main is in the books and, as expected, the field for the second starting flight dwarfed that of the first. A total of 707 entries were booked on Monday; added to the 271 on Sunday brings the entire field to 978 so far. Registration is still open through the first two levels of Day 2 and there are unlimited re-entries, so the Borgata Poker Open Main event should certainly see yet another four-figure field.
Shiraz Hasan bagged the most chips on Day 1B, just edging out Marcos Exterkotter, 227,500 to 222,200.
Like Sunday’s chip leader, Mukharji Uppalapati, Shiraz Hasan is a regional player. He has ten recorded cashes for a total of about $33,000. They came mostly in Atlantic City, with some scores in Delaware (his home state), Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
A number of former WPT winners are still alive in the tournament, including Brian Altman and Daniel Weinman, who both sit in the top ten on the chip count leaderboard. Other Champions Club members who will play today include Darren Elias, Andy Frankenberger, Jared Jaffee, and Will “The Thrill” Failla.
All told, 518 players will be sitting down shortly for Day 2 at the WPT Borgata Poker Open Main Event. As mentioned, they will be joined by anyone who wants to give it a shot early on Tuesday. Once registration closes after the second level of the day, we will know the total field and final prize pool. There is a guaranteed prize pool of $3 million, but that has already been eclipsed. The structure will continue with 60-minute levels until registration closes. After that, levels will be 75-minutes.
The record for the WPT Borgata Poker Open Main Event is 1,313 entrants, set in Season X. While this year’s edition will certainly hit 1,000, breaking the all-time mark might be a stretch. It’s not out of the question though, so it will be interesting to see if it can be done.
Mukharji Uppalapati’s Day 1A chip lead was good enough to make him the overall leader going into Day 2. In fact, the top three players came from Day 1A.
2019 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open Main Event – Day 1B Chip Leaders
- Shiraz Hasan – 227,500
- Marcos Exterkotter – 222,200
- Brian Altman – 187,500
- Daniel Weinman – 186,700
- Felix Ma – 185,000
- Peter Campo – 184,700
- Tyler Phillips – 183,600
- Ryan Van Sanford – 178,000
- Kevin Garosshen – 176,700
- Ami Alibay – 175,000
2019 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open Main Event – Combined Day 1 Chip Leaders
- Mukharji Uppalapati – 252,400
- Asher Conniff – 247,800
- Ryan Olisar – 229,700
- Shiraz Hasan – 227,500
- Marcos Exterkotter – 222,200
- Bruce Kramer – 211,600
- Larry Ormson – 204,600
- Lucas Drolet – 199,100
- Brian Altman – 187,500
- Daniel Weinman – 186,700
