Day 1b Concludes
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Today saw a field of 142 entrants vying for their seats in Day 2, and just one third of them have succeeded in that effort. Play was fast and furious at times, and slow and measured at other times. The tournament is only half over, but it has already been a huge success. It is officially the largest tournament ever held in New Zealand, eclipsing the previous largest prize pool by more than three times over. Throughout the day, there was a strong contingent of railbirds -- both local and foreign -- along the perimeter of the room, jockeying for position to sweat their family, friends, and favorite players.
When the dust settled at the end of the day, it was Amant Nauhria who emerged on top of the heap, sitting with 94,000 in chips. Bryan Huang is hot on his heels though -- his stack of 93,500 just barely overshadowed by the chip leader. Those will be good enough for the top two chip positions as today's players join the left-overs from Day 1a for tomorrow's action. Full chip counts will be available later tonight when all the bags are counted and verified.
Day 2 kicks off at high noon tomorrow, and we hope you'll join us then as we whittle the field down to our final table. Until then, goodnight from Auckland!