Schwartz And Calderaro Among The Big Stacks After 22 Levels
An incredible first day of Event #66: $1,000 Mini Main Event has ended after 22 levels of play, which saw many entries and eliminations, plus an out-of-the-ordinary bubble situation. A total of 5,833 entries were counted for this event, and 478 players managed to qualify for Day 2.
All those entries created a total prize pool of $5,191,370 with $594,189 going to the eventual winner to accompany the 2022 WSOP gold bracelet. All remaining players have secured at least $2,165 but only two players need to bust before they get a pay jump to $2,361.
Jake Bluston is leading the pack as he bagged 2,825,000. He is joined by James Dike (2,505,000) and Jaeyoung Choi (2,380,000) on the podium.
A few notable names also managed to qualify with a good stack, including Jake Schwartz (2,275,000) and James Calderaro (1,800,000), while WSOP Gold Bracelet winners Leo Soma (1,175,000), Shaun Deeb (700,000) and Joao Simao (525,000) will also return for another day of action.
Event #66: $1,000 Mini Main Event Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| RANK | PLAYER | CITY / STATE / COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake Bluston | United Kingdom | 2,825,000 | 71 |
| 2 | James Dike | United States | 2,505,000 | 63 |
| 3 | Jaeyoung Choi | South Korea | 2,380,000 | 60 |
| 4 | Vincent Li | China | 2,315,000 | 58 |
| 5 | Jake Schwartz | United States | 2,275,000 | 57 |
| 6 | Andres Vasquez | United States | 2,275,000 | 57 |
| 7 | Kyle Montgomery | United States | 2,200,000 | 55 |
| 8 | Kenneth O'Donnell | United States | 2,100,000 | 53 |
| 9 | Nektarios Vasilakis | Greece | 2,090,000 | 52 |
| 10 | Victor Choupeaux | France | 2,035,000 | 51 |
In the evening, the bubble burst with an anonymous player who decided to leave the room a little too early, thus rewarding 875 players with a min-cash worth $1,602.
On Saturday, July 2, at noon, all of these players will return with the goal of a spot on Day 3. This second day promises to be fast-paced again, as the game will not stop until only five players are left.
There will be a 15-minute break every four levels with a 75-minute dinner break after Level 34, around 6.30 p.m. The level duration will remain at 30 minutes throughout the day and play should end once there are five players left in the tournament.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage here at The 2022 WSOP at its new home at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas.