Day 1a of the Inaugural Women's Winter Festival ￡400 Main Event draw a total of 42 entrants. Just 8 players advanced to Day 2 with Mary-Rose McCann bagging the biggest stack of the first Day 1a flight. She will be looking to keep the lead heading into Day 2 and will be keeping a close eye on the two remaining flights which will both be starting tomorrow.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary-Rose McCann | United Kingdom | 351,000 | 44 |
| 2 | Lisa Roberts | USA | 256,000 | 32 |
| 3 | Kim Kilroy | Canada | 210,000 | 26 |
| 4 | Louisa Plint | United Kingdom | 150,000 | 19 |
| 5 | Svetlana Lebedeva | Russia | 118,000 | 15 |
| 6 | Cheryl Simmons | United Kingdom | 65,000 | 8 |
| 7 | Ilze Zolte | United Kingdom | 63,000 | 8 |
| 8 | Neena Patel | United Kingdom | 62,000 | 8 |
Poker Stars ambassador Jen Shahade and Pokerstars Team Online Pro Georgina James also jumped into the field just before late registration ended. Shahade built a quick stack, and after just 30 minutes of play, had over tripled her stack. James wasn’t far behind and climbed in chips shortly into her day but fell short of Day 2 after busting just before the final table of Day 1a. Jen Shahade also took a fall and was the last to bust after a long 3-hour bubble battle of all-in's and doubles.
Cheryl Simmons saw a number of doubles throughout her tournament today to help her make it through and secured her place. Kim Kilroy also made it to Day 2, taking through an impressive stack. She made good progress throughout the day and secured a number of big pots, including knocking out Faye Young halfway through the day.
The remaining players who successfully bag from all starting flights will restart on Saturday at 12:00 a.m. local time to play until approximately 16:00 to allow all remaining players the opportunity to play the 50/50 event.
The PokerNews will be providing coverage from the tournament floor until a winner is crowned on Sunday, so stay tuned for all the updates.
