After winning an enormous pot at the end of Day 1A, 15-time WSOP ring winner Josh Reichard is the far and away chip leader, bagging an incredible 487,000 chips (195 bbs).
Reichard will head the final 124 survivors from the field of 361 entries, who created a total prize pool of $1,642,550. 46 players will earn at least a min-cash of $9,100, with $347,850 going to the champion; a prize which includes a $10,400 entry into the season-ending WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
Reichard took down the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship in May.Tony Dunst also bagged huge on Day 1A, bagging 280,000 to finish 3rd in the flight.
Other players who bagged on Day 1A include Joe McKeehan (232,500), 2024 WPT Prime Slovakia champion Fabian Gumz (227,500), Francis Anderson (185,000), Brian Altman (101,000), Farid Jattin (100,500), newly-minted WPT champion Michael Wang (88,000), Brad Owen (40,000), and defending WPT bestbet Scramble champion Frederic Normand (62,000).
Meanwhile, Day 1B belonged to Jacksonville local Thad McNulty, who bagged 369,500 to top the flight and go into Day 2 second overall behind Reichard.
Local hero: Thad McNulty.Talented field fighting for $347K top prize
Nick Funaro (286,000), Chris Conrad (245,500), WPT Season XVII Player of the Year Erkut Yilmaz (206,000), Nick Palma (187,500), Raj Vohra (156,500), Eric Afriat (121,000), Jeremy Becker (120,500, pictured below), and Frank Funaro (79,500) were among the notables who made it through from Saturday’s second flight.
Unfortunately, none of the three ClubWPT qualifiers (Raymond Harper, James Ferreira, and Michael Goldsworthy) were able to progress to Day 2, though they’ll still have a few more days to enjoy Jacksonville.
Players such as Maurice Hawkins, Kitty Kuo, James Carroll, Jerry Wong, and Nabil Hirezi also failed to make the cut and won’t join the remaining field of 124 players for Sunday’s second day, which will begin at noon Eastern.
Jeremy Becker has a little under 50 big blinds to start Day 2.Players will begin play in Level 11 with the blinds at 1,500/2,500 with a 2,500 big blind ante.
Payouts:
1st: $347,850*
2nd: $220,000
3rd: $165,000
4th: $123,000
5th: $93,000
6th: $71,000
7th: $55,000
8th: $42,500
9th-10th: $33,500
11th-12th: $25,500
13th-15th: $20,500
16th-19th: $16,800
20th-23rd: $13,700
24th-31st: $10,900
32nd-46th: $9,100
*Includes entry into the $10,400 WPT Championship Main Event in Las Vegas
Images courtesy of WPT/Katerina Lukina/Enrique Malfavon
