Dong Grabs Oriental Poker Championship Lead After Dominant Performance
As is often the case in tournaments, the Day 1b field of the Oriental Poker Championship 2018 Main Event absolutely smashed Day 1a's turnout. A total of 257 entries turned out to play - a big increase on the 142 we saw yesterday. After 11 40-minute levels, approximately 129 of them have made it through to tomorrow’s Day 2.
Everyone is chasing the big stack of Kimi Dong, who ended the day as chip leader with a massive 218,200 (topping the 186,300 that Day 1a leader Shun Yan Feng bagged up). That includes all of those still currently grinding in the turbo Day 1c flight, the results of which we’ll be able to bring you in the morning. Only then will we know how many runners in total will return at 1 pm for Day 2, and where they’ll all be seated.
Joining Dong at the top of today’s counts are Xiao Shizi (189,100), Tony Liang (169,300), Zhao Lin (165,200), Jeho Lee (159,200), and Yuefeng Pan (156,400). As for notable names, we’ve got the likes of High Roller final table members Albert Paik, Wenling Gao, and Victor Chong, who ended the day with 90,100, 63,100, and 42,000 respectively.
Then there’s Carson Wong, who spent much of today with the biggest stack, ultimately finishing with 128,600. He took the chip lead early on when his pocket kings busted a player holding pocket queens. Alvan Zhang (32,900),Wayne Zhang (74,400), and Ben Hammett (80,200) also made it through.
Of course, where there are survivors, there must be casualties. The likes of Danny Tang, Xixiang Luo, Jay Tan, Tian Tang, Raiden Kan, and Shiaqing Lin failed to reach the end of proceedings. However, don’t be surprised to see them back in the tournament tomorrow, as they may enter Day 1c.
On Day 2, the players will return to blinds 800/1,600 with a 200 ante. The blind levels will increase to 60 minutes, and the plan is to play seven levels. PokerNews will be here every step of the way, so make sure you join us for all the Oriental Poker Championship live updates.
