Hagenlocher takes the pole position
Two flights down, two to go in the 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event as tournament officials brace for a deluge of entrants the next couple days. 880 more players joined on Monday’s Day 1B, bringing the two-flight total to 1,780. That’s nothing amazing, but it’s pretty good for the first to flights (and is larger than most Main Events in WSOP history) and the next two are expected to turn Paris and Bally’s Las Vegas into veritable poker zoos.
Holding the chip lead after Day 1B is Patrick Hagenlocher with 332,800 chips. He also takes over the overall chip lead as one of just three players (including Cedrric Trevino and Wesley Fei from Day 1A) with at least 300,000 chips.
There is still a very long way to go in the $10,000 Main Event, but Hagenlocher is certainly happen to be in the pole position right now. “I feel like it could be (destiny),” he told WSOP.com. “This is my third time playing the main event. The furthest I went was deep in Day 3.”
Hagenlocher has a wife and daughter back in Queens, New York, but also dedicated his Main Event to his other daughter Izzy, who he lost a few years ago.
The biggest flights are yet to come
Today’s Day 1C is when things will really get cooking at the Main Event, as well as the day when we will start to see more of the “big names” get involved. Everyone in any of the Day 1 flights starts with 60,000 chips and will play five two-hour levels. The schedule includes a 20-minute break after Level 1, Level 2, and Level 4, with a 75-minute dinner break after Level 3.
As we discussed in a previous piece, the World Series of Poker announced yesterday that because of the possible record-breaking turnout and expected massive field on Wednesday’s Day 1D, it has changed the schedule for Day 2. Previously, the survivors from Day 1A and 1B were going to play in Day 2A and 2B on Thursday, while the those who made it out of Day 1C and 1D would play on Friday’s Day 2C and 2D. But now, because of what tournament officials think will be an overwhelming crowd tomorrow, Day 2A, 2B, and 2C will all be on Thursday and Day 2D will be all by its lonesome on Friday.
The WSOP also heavily encouraged players via social media yesterday to play in Day 1B or 1C, rather than 1D to try to ease congestion. Organizers warned that alternate list could get extremely long and tables will likely have to be ten-handed.
There are a number of reasons why the final flight is always the largest. The top reason is probably that players would prefer to have as little time between Day 1 and Day 2 as possible, not only to stay in the flow of the tournament, but also to avoid spending more money on hotel rooms and time off of work (if they aren’t pro poker players). Playing on Day 1D also gives players a chance to wait up until the last minute to decide if they are going to participate, plus allows for more attempts to gain entry via satellite.
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