‘Tis a busy start of the year for the World Poker Tour, as yet another WPT event got underway over the weekend. The WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event kicked off on Sunday with the first of two starting days. There were a total of 382 entries on Day 1A, with 199 players making it to Day 2. L.J. Sande is the chip leader with 245,700 chips.
It’s just a single starting flight, but it is a pretty good race at the top of the leaderboard. Next on the list is WPT television commentator Tony Dunst with 224,900 and Renata Colache with 216,100. Jeremy Joseph is close behind in fourth place with 195,600.
Registration is open until the start of Level 11 on Day 2. Players may re-enter the $3,500 tournament as many times as they would like, so expect the field to grow significantly during Day 1B today. It will have to if it has aspirations to match last year’s mark (in as much as a poker tournament can have human feelings). The event drew 1,415 entries in 2019; Viny Lima won the whole thing and $728,430.
Leonard “L.J.” Sande has recorded live tournament cashes going back more than a decade and has just over $1 million in earnings. His most sizeable cash came in this very event nine years ago, when he finished as the runner-up for $310,273. No doubt he is looking to improve ever so slightly on that performance this week.
I should correct myself: Sande will not be able to improve on that 2011 result this week. This is one of the tournaments on the WPT schedule this season that will not reach its conclusion a few days after it starts. The tournament will be paused when the six-handed final table is reached. The players will not get back together again until April 1st, when they will compete for the title at the HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The delayed final tables are reserved for televised events; this is the second televised World Poker Tour event of the season.
Day 1B is currently underway at the Borgata in Atlantic City. It will mirror yesterday’s action, naturally, with eight one-hour levels on tap. Players will get a short break after every couple levels, but there will be no dinner break, as things are expected to end before 8:00pm.
2020 World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event – Day 1A Chip Leaders
- Leonard “L.J.” Sande – 245,700
- Tony Dunst – 224,900
- Renata Colache – 216,100
- Jeremy Joseph – 195,600
- Steven Sarmiento – 179,100
- Greg Himmelbrand – 176,400
- Chris Sparks – 173,000
- John Lytle – 171,000
- Curt Kohlberg – 170,500
- Will Givens – 165,400
