The prize pool nears $2 million at WPT Choctaw and close to 210 total players from 559 registered remain heading into Day 2 at Choctaw Casino & Resort. Gary Sixkiller leads the pack with 465,000, topping the 414,000 bagged by Dave Alfa on Day 1a.
The Texas Foosball Hall of Famer put on a show in Durant, Oklahoma and is looking to top his 59th place finish from the first WPT Choctaw event in Season XVII.
According to Sixkiller, he hasn’t slept since Wednesday. The lack of sleep made Sixkiller more able to concentrate at the table and the results confirm his mindset.
“The Choctaw Casino is my favorite place to play,” Sixkiller said. “They have the best dealers in the country.”
The closest player to Sixkiller is Christopher Staats, who put 301,000 in the bag. Clint Tolbert (290,000), Ian O’Hara (279,500), and John Richards (256,500) round out the top part leaderboard.
A few paces down is Faded Spade CEO Tom Wheaton (175,500). Founder of the preferred playing card of the World Poker Tour, Wheaton brought his family with him to Choctaw for a business and poker trip. So far, Wheaton is on pace to make the money like he did last season in the WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic and give some return to his investors.
Defending WPT Choctaw champion Brady Holiman made it through the day with 95,500 and keeps his hopes of becoming the first player to win the same event twice alive.
Hublot WPT Player of the Year points leader Erkut Yilmaz collected 62,000 chips and is looking to add more points to his lead with Ping Liu (214,000) and Dylan Linde (46,500) both in town to catch him before the end of the season.
Other WPT champions to advance include Lee Markholt (53,500), Aaron Mermelstein (38,000), and Allen Carter (30,000). A full list of chip counts can be found here.
Gardens Casino Satellite Spectacular qualifiers K.K. Junior and Sao Khiev both busted on Day 1b but six of the 12 $20 satellite winners return for Day 2 play. Read more about the amazing group who traveled from California to Oklahoma for the event.
ClubWPT members Don Stocz and Len Geiger made a run at Day 2 but fell shy of the finish line. Both players spoke with Sean Chaffin about their experience playing on ClubWPT and how they turned a $24.95 monthly membership into a $3,700 seat at WPT Choctaw.
Day 2 play starts at 12 p.m. local time and the registration period will officially conclude once cards are in the air. The final prize pool will be known shortly after then with about 30 more entries needed to get the total number over $2 million.
Play will hit the money tomorrow and once it does, the Action Clock will be in play. There are some new rules for the Action Clock to adjust for varying field sizes. Those rules can be found here.
Tomorrow’s action is scheduled to play down to the final 32 players in as many 60-minute levels as is required. Make sure to stay tuned to WPT.com for another busy day of poker at WPT Choctaw with the final table to be played on May 31 at HyperX Esports Arena.
Photography by Jamie Thomson / PokerPhotoArchive.com
Looking to win your way to a World Poker Tour event for your shot at becoming a WPT champion? Play for your chance on ClubWPT.com, where eligible VIP Members can play for over $100,000 in cash and prizes each month, including seats to WPT events, no purchase necessary.