$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event
Day 1A Complete; Day 2 Blinds 600/1,200/200 ante
~175 Players Remaining, 82k avg (68 bb)

Justin Young (Las Vegas, NV) is the Day 1A chip leader with 313k (261 bb) which earned him a $5,000 bonus at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event.

“No real big hands,” said Young, the Colorado native. “I had two pair when they didn’t believe I had two pair. It was like that the whole day.”

Young finished ahead of Ryan D’Angelo (Brooklyn, NY) who bagged 271k and the $2,500 bonus for having the second biggest stack.

“I messed up a raise at the end,” said D’Angelo who was a big stack since before the dinner break. “I had quad Jacks and should’ve made a smaller raise,” he said when his opponent folded after being raised from 15k to 55k. “Other than that, I played perfect.”

Day 1A featured 479 entries in this first of three flights. The field included well known poker pros Scotty Nguyen, Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly and a host of other players.

Nguyen bagged chips for Day 2 along with WPT Champions Jonathan Little and Matt Salsberg as did WPT broadcaster Tony Dunst and 2013 WSOP Main Event Champion Ryan Riess to name a few players.

Tilly and Laak busted 1A, but will be back again for Day 1B with play resuming noon Friday.

Meanwhile, players who advanced to Day 2 are off until Sunday.

“The the main thing is ‘A’ I’m in Day 2,” said Young. “‘B’ I have a couple of days to enjoy this beautiful Sunshine state weather. Maybe I can find something to spend the $5,000 on over the next two days.”

After day 1A of the #shrpo #wpt I ended up chip leader with 312k for prolly my hottest day 1 ever. I get two days off before day 2. Weee!!!

— Justin young (@Justinyoung07) April 11, 2014

271k to end the day.. Somehow @Justinyoung07 has 310k (boss!!) so he gets the $5k chip lead bonus but I should be good for 2nd place $2500.

— Ryan D’Angelo (@g0lfa) April 11, 2014