Michael Moncek Claims Chip Lead on Day 1 of Event: #69: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship
A total of 126 players took their shot on Day 1 of Event: #69: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship at the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, surpassing last year's mark of 121. What is more, with late registration open until the start of Day 2, there is every chance that that number will grow.
After ten 60-minute levels of play on Day 1, Michael Moncek emerged as the chip leader by quite some margin after bagging an impressive 452,000.
Other big stacks include today's winner of the low buy-in version of this event, Jason Mercier (255,000), surpassed only slightly by 2013 WSOP Main Event champion Ryan Riess (256,500). Jon Turner, one of the best mixed game players without a WSOP bracelet, also had a productive start to the tournament, amassing 270,000.
End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Moncek | United States | 452,000 |
| 2 | Galen Hall | United States | 298,000 |
| 3 | Jon Turner | United States | 270,000 |
| 4 | Yingui Li | China | 260,000 |
| 5 | Ryan Riess | United States | 256,500 |
| 6 | Jason Mercier | United States | 255,500 |
| 7 | Pedro Bromfman | Brazil | 240,000 |
| 8 | Paul Volpe | United States | 233,500 |
| 9 | Robert Wells | United Kingdom | 232,000 |
| 10 | Cary Katz | United States | 221,000 |
Other notables fared less well but will still return tomorrow to try and turn around their fortune. They include 2021 WSOP Main Event champion Koray Aldemir (70,000) as well as Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel (80,000).
Chance Kornuth was another player to suffer mixed luck on the first day. Coming in as a self-described -EV individual in this event, it was perhaps surprising to see him run up a big stack in the first few levels. That high did not last, however, and in the latter stages of the evening, Mike Matusow dealt Kornuth's first bullet a fatal blow. He did re-enter and will have close to starting stack going into Day 2.
The tournament resumes June 30th at 1:00 p.m. local time in the Paris Purple section at which point play will continue until five players remain (that is subject to change due to the large field size). Levels from the start of Day 2 onwards will be 90 minutes in length, and late registration will be closed once cards are in the air.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews as its live reporting team provides coverage of this event through to its conclusion.