2015 ANZPT Melbourne Day 1b: Hyeong Wook Choi Leads Record-Breaking Field
What a massive day it was at Crown Casino for Day 1b of the 2015 ANZPT Melbourne Main Event.
When it all began, the tournament staff and the ANZPT team were hoping to see a field of around 300. That would mean the tournament would reach a seven-figure prize pool for the second consecutive year. By the time registration closed, 314 players had hit the felt, putting the total field at 520 players with the prize pool weighing in at AU$1,066,000 �� trumping last year's efforts and setting a new ANZPT record.
The eventual champion of this event will take home AU$261,200, and at the end of Day 1b, there were 148 players remaining. The player who finished up the night with the biggest smile was Hyeong Wook Choi, as he bagged the chip lead. It was a hand in the latter stages of the final level that would see him cement his lead at the end of the evening. Choi ultimately finished up with 131,100 in chips, ahead of Danny Boxell's 107,100 and Seyed Nasab's 103,800.
Both Choi andDay 1a chip leader Min Jae Park will now go into Day 2 with the two largest stacks.
Some of the others who finished Day 1b with plenty of chips included Sam Chuan (98,600), Mark Schmelcher (98,300), Patrick Hanrahan (95,800), and Luke Brabin (94,200) . They will be joined on Day 2 by players such as Jackie Glazier (10,100), David Gorr (30,100), James Obst (22,100), Minh Hau Nguyen (73,000), Van Marcus (30,200), Dean Blatt (43,800), and Raiden Kan (17,300).
Unlike all of those players listed above there were dozens of players eliminated on Day 1b. Some of those who couldn��t make it through the night included 2012 ANZPT Melbourne champion Paul Hockin, Team PokerStars Pro Bryan Huang, and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Jarred Graham. Also busting were Kahle Burns, Jono Bredin, and Bruno Portaro.
All of the 148 survivors from Day 1b will now join with those who advanced from Day 1a, meaning 241 players will return for Day 2. Those players will be back to it from 12:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. Being that this is a four-day event, tomorrow will see the field play to the money before coming back on Monday and working towards a final table. Be sure to return to PokerNews for continued live updates of the 2015 ANZPT Melbourne Main Event.
Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
