$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Players Remaining:  450 of 893

The players return from dinner to begin Level 9, with increased blinds of 1,000-1,500 and a big blind ante of 1,500.

With about 450 players remaining from an unofficial Day 1A field of 893, the average chip stack is about 79,500 (53 big blinds). The total prizepool is already worth more than $2.85 million (smashing the $2 million guarantee), plus whatever tomorrow’s field brings on Day 1B.

A scan of the field during the break turned up three players with at least 300K, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

1.  Alberto Destrade  –  400,000  (267 bb)
2.  Bin Weng  –  388,000  (259 bb)
3.  Patrick White  –  359,000  (239 bb)

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8:  600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1 Entries:  872

After unknown action, Scott “The Pharaoh” Smile reraised from middle position to 10,500, and the player in the big blind moved all in for 31,100.

Smile called with , and the big blind turned over .

The board came , and Smile paired his queen on the flop and won the pot with a full house, kings full of queens, to eliminate his opponent.

Scott Smile  –  220,000  (183 bb)

The tournament clock shows 872 entries so far here on Day 1A, and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. The total prizepool is already worth more than $2.79 million, with another starting flight tomorrow.

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7:  500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1 Entries:  841

A player raised UTG+1 to 2,200, another player reraised from middle position to 5,000, and the player in the hijack moved all in for 18,500.

Cherish Andrews five-bet it from the button to 40,000, and the first two players folded.

The hijack turned over , but he was dominated by the of Andrews.

The board came , and Andrews won the pot with her king to eliminate her opponent.

Cherish Andrews  –  255,000  (255 bb)

The tournament clock shows 841 entries so far here on Day 1A, and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. The total prizepool is already worth more than $2.69 million, with another starting flight tomorrow.

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7:  500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1 Entries:  820

The player in the hijack moved all in for 12,100, and Tyler Hirschfeld called from the small blind with .

The hijack turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and the pocket nines held up for Hirschfeld to win the pot and eliminate his opponent.

Tyler Hirschfeld  –  100,000  (100 bb)

The tournament clock shows 820 entries so far here on Day 1A, and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. The total prizepool is already worth more than $2.62 million, with another starting flight tomorrow.

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7:  500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1 Entries:  803

The players returned from dinner to begin Level 7, with increased blinds of 500-1,000 and a big blind ante of 1,000.

The tournament clock shows 803 entries so far here on Day 1A, and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. The total prizepool is already worth more than $2.56 million, with another starting flight tomorrow.

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7:  500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1 Entries:  803

Level 6 comes to an end, and the players take their 90-minute dinner break. Action is scheduled to resume around 7:04 pm EST.

The tournament clock shows 803 entries so far here on Day 1A, and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. The total prizepool is already worth more than $2.56 million, with another starting flight tomorrow.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6:  400/800 with a 800 ante
Day 1 Entries:  803

A player moved all in UTG+1 for 12,900, and Sam Taylor called from middle position with . The UTG+1 player turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and the pocket nines held up for Taylor to win the pot and eliminate his opponent shortly before the dinner break.

Sam Taylor  –  77,000  (96 bb)

The tournament clock shows 803 entries so far here on Day 1A, and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. The total prizepool is already worth more than $2.56 million, with another starting flight tomorrow.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after this level, around 5:30 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6:  400/800 with a 800 ante
Day 1 Entries:  797

Chance Kornuth moved all in from the cutoff for 1,800, the player on the button reraised to 4,000, and David Mock four-bet it from the small blind to 18,500. The player on the button folded, and Mock took the side pot.

Kornuth turned over , and needed it to hold to stay alive against Mock’s .

The board came , and Mock paired his ten on the turn to win the pot and eliminate Kornuth, who would have been counterfeited by the two pair on the board anyway.

David Mock  –  139,000  (174 bb)
Chance Kornuth  –  Eliminated

The tournament clock shows 797 entries so far here on Day 1A, and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. The total prizepool is already worth more than $2.55 million, with another starting flight tomorrow.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after this level, around 5:30 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6:  400/800 with a 800 ante
Day 1 Entries:  792

Chance Kornuth raised from the button to 1,800, David Mock reraised from the big blind to 7,000, and Kornuth called.

The flop came , Mock checked, Kornuth bet 3,500, and Mock called.

The turn card was the , Mock checked, Kornuth bet 9,000, and Mock called.

The river card paired the board with the , Mock checked, Kornuth bet 25,000 (leaving himself just 1,800 behind), and Mock tanked for a while before he called.

Kornuth showed for a king-high bluff, and Mock turned over to win the pot with two pair, nines and sixes.

David Mock  –  132,000  (165 bb)
Chance Kornuth  –  1,800  (2 bb)

The tournament clock shows 792 entries so far here on Day 1A, and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm. The total prizepool is already worth more than $2.53 million, with another starting flight tomorrow.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after this level, around 5:30 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5:  300/600 with a 600 ante
Day 1 Entries:  750

Ryan Van Sanford got it all in from the button for 16,000 with , but he needed to improve to stay alive against the of Fernando Diaz, who was UTG+1.

The board came , and Diaz won the pot with a pair of aces and his king kicker to eliminate Van Sanford.

Fernando Diaz  –  92,000  (153 bb)
Ryan Van Sanford  –  Eliminated

The tournament clock shows 750 entries so far here on Day 1A, and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 6, around 5:30 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.