Day 1 has come to a close at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, and the first day of play saw a massive total of 430 entries. The chip leader at the end of play is Bruce Kramer with 148,625.
Other top stacks were bagged up by Igor Hot (119,100), Robert Zlatkiss (114,250), Champions Club member JC Tran (109,875), Cliff Josephy (109,675), Champions Club member Chris Moorman (108,625), Ian O’Hara (106,800) and Champions Club member Griffin Paul (105,200). This is one of the most star-studded fields of the year, so it is tough to mention everyone here (there were at least 40 WPT Champions Club members that advanced), but some of the familiar faces to advance were Freddy Deeb, Ryan Riess, Darren Elias, Erik Seidel, Joe Hachem, Phil Laak, Billy Baxter, Erica Lindgren, Carlos Mortensen, WPT Commentator Mike Sexton, reigning WPT Player of the Year Anthony Zinno, ClubWPT Qualifier Eric Tossman, and defending WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic champion Mohsin Charania.
The notables that didn’t advance were Vanessa Rousso, Calvin Anderson, Hans Winzeler, Jennifer Tilly, Brian Green, and Joe McKeehen. They still have a chance to re-enter the tournament anytime before the start of Level 9 on Day 2 (approximately 5:15 pm).
In addition to the lion’s share of the prize pool. the winner of the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic will earn a pair of Monster 24K Headphones, a luxurious Hublot Oceanographic 4000 watch, and an Aurae Solid Gold MasterCard with $10,000 funded on it.
Tune back in on Tuesday at noon PT to follow along with Day 2 at Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip. The WPT live reporting team will bring you live updates, photos, and chip counts throughout the day.
Photos by Joe Giron