World Poker Tour Jacksonville BestBet Open Day 1b: Chabane in Front; Elias Leads Overall
The World Poker Tour Jacksonville BestBet Open resumed on Saturday with Day 1b, offering players who busted on Day 1a the option of re-entry for the buy-in of $5,000. On Day 1b, 195 players entered, bringing the field to a total of 320. After nine one-hour levels of play, Amine Chabane emerged at the top of the Day 1b chip counts with 193,500, good for second place overall heading into Sunday's Day 2 behind Day 1a chip leader Darren Elias.
Among those who won't be returning on Day 2 is John Dolan, fresh off his runner-up showing in the Seminole Hard Rock Showdown less than a week ago. According to the World Poker Tour Live Update Team, after Matt Juttelstad opened with a raise in middle position, Dolan three-bet from the cutoff. The player in the big blind, as well as Juttelstad, called to see the A♣6♣3♣ flop. The big blind led out with a bet, only to see Juttelstad raise all in. Dolan, with slightly less than Juttelstad, called all in for his tournament life and both players found themselves at risk when the big blind called as well.
With 9♣8♣, Juttelstad's flopped flush had Dolan's A♦K♠ and the big blind's A♠10♦ in dire straits. The 4♠ turn and A♥ officially ended Dolan's tournament, meaning consecutive WPT final tables will have to wait. Juttlestad, winner of the 2012 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open earlier in the season, ended the day with 80,000.
A few players chose to take advantage of the re-entry option and for some, it could prove beneficial. Byron Kaverman (134,800), Matt Marafioti (113,200), Brandon Hall (62,700), Matt Waxman (55,000), Brian Hawkins (44,600), and Shannon Shorr (31,600) will be back at it on Day 2 after firing their second bullet. They will be joined by Matt Giannetti (111,200), Anthony Ruberto (47,700), and Andy Frankenberger (40,700) to name a few.
In November, Ruberto topped a 393-player field tocapture the World Poker Tour Jacksonville title. Even though he isn't the defending champion of this inaugural event, he knows a thing or two about winning in Jacksonville.
For others, it was a $10,000 downswing. Jason Koon, Phil Collins, Eli Berg,, and Steven Merrifield are amongst those that went 0-for-2, while Jamie Gold, Amnon Filippi, and Lauren Kling were also eliminated on Day 1b.
Here's a look at the chip leaders after Day 1 of the WPT Jacksonville BestBet Open:
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darren Elias | 213,600 |
| 2 | Amine Chabane | 193,500 |
| 3 | David Paredes | 170,300 |
| 4 | David Jackson | 150,000 |
| 5 | Brandon Barnes | 145,600 |
| 6 | Darryll Fish | 140,800 |
| 7 | Robert Gorodetsky | 139,600 |
| 8 | Byron Kaverman | 134,800 |
| 9 | Will Failla | 132,600 |
| 10 | Alistar Melville | 128,500 |
Day 2 action commences on Sunday at 1400 EDT (1900 BST) and the remaining 160 players from both flights will play six or seven 90-minute levels. Payout and prize pool information should be announced during Day 2. Stay tuned to PokerNews.com for daily updates from the World Poker Tour.
*Hands referenced from the WPT Live Updates Team.
*Photo courtesy of BJ Nemeth at WorldPokerTour.com
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