$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
End of Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 149 of 417

At the completion of the scheduled 10 levels of play, the 417-entry field for Day 1A of the $3,500 Rock N’ Roll Poker Open WPT Championship was trimmed down to 149 players, with Ajay Gnanasambanthan leading the pack.

He finished the day with 364,500 and was one of three players to bag more than 300,000. Tony Sinishtaj (318,500) and Lucas Braga (312,500) were the other two. Ryan Hughhes (278,500) and Erkut Yilmaz (266,000) rounded out the top five stacks for the day.

Other notables to finish the day with plenty of chips include Marc MacDonnell (215,500), Aaron Massey (206,500), Josh Kay (192,500), Ruslan Dykshteyn (176,000), Joe McKeehen (169,500), Joey Weissman (158,000), Jonathan Jaffe (147,000), Adam Hendrix (138,500), Michael Tureniec (136,500), Sorel Mizzi (131,500) and Ben Yu (123,000).

Ray Qartomy, Eric Afriat, Ronnie Bardah, Neil Blumenfield, Derek Bowers, Randall Emmett, Ari Engel, Chad Eveslage, Kevin Eyster, Jean Gaspard and Darryll Fish were among the notables that didn’t have lady luck on their side and busted before the final hand of the day.

Those that made it through the day will have Saturday off before Day 2 on Sunday. For the unlucky players that didn’t make it through the day’s action, they will have another chance at the event on Saturday’s Day 1B. Cards will get back in the air at noon and SHRPO.com will have complete coverage of the day’s action.

Complete chip counts will be posted shortly.

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 162 of 417

With 10 minutes remaining in the level, the staff paused the clock and they will play five more hands before bagging chips for the night. A recap and chip counts will be posted ASAP.

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 162 of 417

Matthew Yorra found himself all in for about 30,000 from middle position against Viet Vo in the small blind.

Vo showed and had Yorra’s needing to hit a two-outer. Yorra was already up and out of his chair, expecting to head to the exits.

He saw the flop of and and started walking towards the doors. The turn was the and the river was the . Yorra was eliminated and Vo neared a six-figure chip count with just a couple minutes left in the day.

Viet Vo – 93,000
Matthew Yorra – Eliminated 

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 171 of 417

After a couple raises preflop, the player in the small blind got all in for about 40,000 against Joey Weissman from under the gun. Weissman showed and was in great shape against the small blind’s .

The board ran out and Weissman’s aces held up to scoop the pot and eliminate the small blind.

Joey Weissman – 158,000

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 189 of 417

Nipun Java got all in out of the small blind for about 25,000 against a player from early position.

It was a classic race situation with Java’s up against his opponent’s .

The flop was , putting Java in the lead with a pair of queens. The turn was the and the river was the . Running hearts gave the early position player a flush, and he eliminated Java near the end of the level.

Nipun Java – Eliminated 

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 205 of 417

Ray Qartomy raised to 3,000 from middle position and was called by Paul Domb on the button and Ajay Gnanasambantham called out of the big blind.

All three players checked a flop of and the came on the turn. Gnanasambantham bet 7,500, Qartomy called and Domb folded.

The river was the and Gnanasambantham bet 20,000. Qartomy thought for about a minute before calling.

Gnanasambantham tabled , good for the straight, and Qartomy mucked his hand. Gnanasambantham takes the pot and is one of the bigger stacks in the field.

Ajay Gnanasambantham – 228,000
Ray Qartomy – 57,000

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8: 400/800 with a 800 ante
Flight A Entries: 406

Brock Wilson raised to 1,800 from under the gun and the player on his direct left moved all in for about 17,000.

“He folded tens the last time he raised,” said the all in player. “I got to shove on him now.”

Action folded back to Wilson, who snap-called. Wilson showed and was in great shape against his opponent’s .

The board ran out and Wilson won the pot with a better ace-high.

Brock Wilson – 47,000

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8: 400/800 with a 800 ante
Flight A Entries: 400

On a flop of , the player in the big blind checked and Matthew Wantman bet 1,300 from the cutoff.

The big blind called and the turn was the . The big blind led out for 3,600 and Wantman called. The river was the and The big blind led out for 11,000.

Wantman called and the big blind immediately sent his hand into the muck, indicating he was bluffing and had no showdown value. Wantman collected the pot and mucked his hand as well.

“I had a set of queens,” said Wantman. “Would you believe that?”

Matthew Wantman – 80,000

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7: 300/600 with a 600 ante
Flight A Entries: 395

There was about 30,000 in the middle on the river with a board reading with Eric Afriat heads-up against Kevin Eyster.

Afriat bet 10,000 from early position and Eyster called from the cutoff.

Afriat showed , good for two pair, and Eyster mucked his hand.

Eric Afriat – 64,000
Kevin Eyster – 61,000

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7: 300/600 with a 600 ante
Flight A Entries: 378

There was 8,500 in the pot on the turn with the board reading .

Loni Harwood checked from under the gun and Natalya Panchenko bet 4,100 from the cutoff. Harwood check-raised to 15,500 and Panchenko moved all in for 62,300. Harwood snap-called.

Harwood was on the wrong end of a cold deck with her against Panchenko’s .

The river bricked off for Harwood and they broke down the stacks to verify that Panchenko had her just barely covered. Harwood was out and Panchenko dragged the huge pot.

Natalya Panchenko – 115,000
Loni Harwood – Eliminated