The two Day Ones for the 2016 WPT bestbet Jacksonville Bounty Scramble are in the books and, as the tournament comes together for Day 2 on Sunday, California pro Jean “Prince” Gaspard is at the top of the leaderboard of the 142 players left.
The tournament structure was such that it was going to be easy to crack the $1 million guarantee. The tournament features unlimited re-entries (at $5000 a pop) up until the dinner break on each of the two Day Ones for the tournament. That meant that, needing only 200 entries to break the guarantee, it was highly likely that the WPT bestbet Jacksonville Bounty Scramble would be smashed. Toss in the addition of 25 bounties on certain players (at $2500 a pop) and the action was hectic over the first two days.
163 players came out for Day 1A on Friday, nearly reaching the $1 million guarantee on the first day of action alone. By the end of the night, Gaspard had built a monstrous stack of more than 300,000 in chips, but he would have a bit of a misstep in doubling up an opponent before the close of action for the night. Still, he was far and away the leader of the Day 1A field (earning him a $5000 bonus), joined by a top-notch leaderboard arranged behind him:
1. Jean Gaspard, 245,800
2. Justin Zaki, 221,200
3. Matt Stout, 181,800
4. Kunal Patel, 177,100
5. Kory Kilpatrick, 175,000
6. Maxx Coleman, 160,100
7. Roston Stukes, 159,600
8. Joe McKeehen, 132,300
9. Seth Davies, 132,000
10. Garrett Greer, 124,900
While those 59 players who made it through Day 1A took a break, the Day 1B grinders hit the tables on Saturday. From the start of the day alone, the 117 entries – along with the 163 Day 1A entries – saw 280 entries on the tournament clock and the crushing of the $1 million guarantee. By the time the dinner break came, along with the closure of the re-entry period, 216 entries were received for Day 1B to bring the entire field total to 379 entries for the tournament.
After the number-crunchers got their work done, the 2016 WPT bestbet Jacksonville Bounty Scramble proved to be a bonanza. From the 379-entry field, 48 players will earn a minimum payday of $7905. The final four players will all earn a six-figure payday, with the eventual champion of the tournament walking off with a $354,335 payday and a seat at the Season XV WPT Tournament of Champions.
There wasn’t a firm chip leader established until late in the evening. First Ray Erapalli seized the top slot then, in a stunner of a hand, Chris Limo picked up the baton as the chip leader. Limo outflopped an opponent when, on a J-7-6 board, Limo hit a set with his pocket sevens and saw his opponent move all-in in front of him. Limo happily called and, once his opponent showed pocket tens, was well in the lead. A five on the turn and a second six on the river kept Limo in the lead in the hand and, after the chips were pushed his way, in the lead in the tournament. It would be a lead Limo would hold onto until the close of action Saturday night.
1. Chris Limo, 220,000
2. Jermaine Gerlin, 199,700
3. Tyler Patterson, 183,000
4. Sam Soverel, 169,900
5. Ray Erapalli, 161,400
6. Nick Yunis, 156,600
7. Dean Baranowski, 149,200
8. David Jackson, 149,000
9. Ryan D’Angelo, 148,300
10. Ryan Dunn, 145,100
Day 2 action in the 2016 WPT bestbet Jacksonville Bounty Scramble will kick off at noon today with the plan for the remaining 142 players to play down through the money bubble (48 players). Monday’s action will determine the six-handed WPT final table and the champion will be crowned on Tuesday night.
