$5,250 SHRPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed | Structure
End of Level 10: 800/1,600 with a 200 ante
Players Remaining: 124 of 407
The first of two starting flights is complete in the $5,250 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship. Today’s Day 1A session drew 407 entries by the time registration closed, setting a strong pace toward the $3 million guarantee.
It was a dead heat for the chip lead at the end of the night, with 124 players advancing.
Andy Philachack was one of the hot starters, in and out of the chip lead from the second break through the end of the day. The doctor from Texas ended the day with 290,000 chips, good for a share of the lead.
Pablo Fernandez finished with the same 290,000, though he didn’t get his big boost until the end of the night. On the first of the final four hands of Day 1A, Fernandez doubled up with pocket queens, surging to the top of the counts in the process.
Fernandez and Philachack set the high-water mark for the Day 1A field and the number to beat on Day 1B, topping a list of dangerous players.
Here’s the top 10 through Day 1A:
- Pablo Fernandez – 290,000
- Andy Philachack – 290,000
- Lahn Pham – 270,500
- Alexander Turyansky – 263,300
- Danny Schechter – 248,600
- Jonathan Jaffe – 236,000
- Oddie Dardon – 229,500
- Nick Nieto – 226,300
- Keven Stammen – 209,400
- David Sands – 204,400
The Seminole Hard Rock Poker team was well represented in the Day 1A field, too. Almost all of the home squad played Day 1A, though only one of them managed to survive the 10-level day.
Jessica Dawley ran set into set late in the evening, finishing with 27,800 chips. It’s not a ton, but it’s earned her a day off tomorrow.
Other heroes who advanced include Jonathan Jaffe (236,500), Keven Stammen (209,400), Doc Sands (204,400), Paul Volpe (180,100), John Hennigan (174,200), Ryan Riess (159,600), Ari Engel (145,900), and too many more to name.
The full list of chip counts can be found here.
Bryan Rosen (108,200) and Octavio Vega-Orozco (34,100) are both on a freeroll after winning their seats through an online drawing, and both advanced to Day 2, as well.
Speaking of Day 2, it will be held on Sunday, but there’s still another starting flight to be held first. Day 1B begins Saturday at 11 a.m.