$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5:  300/600 with a 600 ante
Day 1 Entries:  667

The players return from their second break to begin Level 5, with increased blinds of 300-600 and a big blind ante of 600.

The tournament clock shows 667 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.

A scan of the field during the break turned up four players with at least 150K in chips, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

1.  Trung Pham  –  195,800  (326 bb)
2.  Arkan Batu  –  170,700  (285 bb)
3.  Elliott Kampen  –  166,100  (277 bb)
4.  Nir Cohen  –  162,900  (272 bb)

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.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Day 1 Entries:  649

With the final board showing on the river and about 22,000 already in the pot, reigning WPT Player of the Year Jake Ferro bet 6,400 from the big blind, and Jeremy Becker raised from the button to 19,300.

Ferro went into the tank for a long time before he folded face up — two pair, aces and kings.

Becker showed for a lower two pair, kings and jacks, as he took the pot.

Jeremy Becker  –  112,000  (224 bb)
Jake Ferro  –  29,500  (59 bb)

The tournament clock shows 649 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.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Day 1 Entries:  625

Vanessa Kade raised under the gun to 1,100, and the player in the cutoff called.

The flop came , Kade bet 1,500, and her opponent called.

The turn card was the , Kade bet 5,000, and her opponent tanked for a while before he called.

The river card was the , Kade bet 12,000, and her opponent moved all in. Kade tanked for a while before she folded, and her opponent took the pot.

Vanessa Kade  –  14,400  (29 bb)

The tournament clock shows 625 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.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Day 1 Entries:  625

Halfway through the fourth level of the day, we had enough entries in the 2022 WPT LHPO Championship to officially hit the $2,000,000 guarantee with a ton of time to run it up.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Day 1 Entries:  598

Table 27 is building quite the lineup.

Vanessa Kade, the 15th Anniversary PokerStars Sunday Millions champ, grabbed a seat in the middle of the table with reigning WPT Player of the Year Jake Ferro and former WPT POY Anthony Zinno on her right and Filipp Khavin and Jeremy Becker on her right.

We’re going to keep an eye on this gang.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Day 1 Entries:  598

With the board showing on the turn and roughly 30,000 already in the pot, the big blind checks, and Robert Constable moves all in for about 25,000.

The big blind thinks for a while before he calls all in for 18,000 with for two pair, tens and fours, with a heart flush draw.

But Constable turns over for a higher two pair. The big blind needed to improve to stay alive.

The river card was the , and Constable won the pot with two pair, jacks and fours, to eliminate the player in the big blind.

Robert Constable  –  75,000  (150 bb)

The tournament clock shows 598 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.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Day 1 Entries:  564

We have more locals climbing the counts of the Championship, the latest is Shawn Lucas up to 116,800. He tells us that he made most of his stack when he flopped a wheel in a three-way pot to join the leaders at the top of the chip counts.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Day 1 Entries:  540

A player got it all in from the hijack with , and needed it to hold to stay alive against the of Mark “Bud” Wiser in the small blind.

The board came , and Wiser paired his king on the flop to win the pot and eliminate his opponent.

Mark “Bud” Wiser  –  41,000  (103 bb)

The tournament clock shows 540 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.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Day 1 Entries:  540

For the last few years, the WPT Player of the Year came through Seminole Championships to take that top honor. Jake Ferro was crowned the new WPT POY at the start of 2022 thanks in large part to his second-place finish in our WPT RRPO Championship in November. Add a deep run at the Bellagio, he cemented his spot at the top.

Before that, Brian Altman picked up his second WPT LHPO title in 2020 and followed that up with another win in the WPT Tampa Main Event to claim the Player of the Year after the lockdown.

$3,500 WPT LHPO Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Day 1 Entries:  525

The players return from their first break to begin Level 3, with increased blinds of 200-400 and a big blind ante of 400.

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9, around 9:15 pm, and action will continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

A scan of the field during the break turned up five players with at least 100K in chips, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

1.  Jake Ripnick  –  127,300  (318 bb)
2.  Michael Roy  –  107,900  (270 bb)
3.  Trung Pham  –  107,000  (268 bb)
4.  Raffaello Locatelli  –  102,800  (257 bb)
5.  Farhad Jamasi  –  101,900  (255 bb)