Gerald McKinney Jr. Bags Large in Day 1a; 27 Players Make Day 2
A dramatic and action packed first day of play in the Bar Poker Open Florida World Championship left just 27 players from the original 264 entries. John Oneill was the unlucky player to bubble. The remaining players will return Monday for Day 2.
O’neill found himself forced all in with not enough chips to cover the big blind and ante. His suited nine fell to a similar hand with a higher kicker.
Patrick Martorella found himself as the chip lead while playing on the feature live stream table with 732,000. Rounding out the top five chip counts are Gerald McKinney Jr. (728,000), Brandon Strickland (698,000), Albert Harris (673,000) and Bill Sandiford (478,000).
The day’s 264 entries created a prize pool of $76,500, with Day 1b still to come Sunday. The winner is guaranteed at least a $30,000 first prize.
Play ended late in Level 18 with 17:15 remaining at blinds of 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 big blind ante.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Martorella | United States | 732,000 |
| 2 | Gerald McKinney Jr. | United States | 728,000 |
| 3 | Brandon Strickland | United States | 698,000 |
| 4 | Albert Harris | United States | 673,000 |
| 5 | Bill Sandiford | United States | 478,000 |
| 6 | Domenic Armano | United States | 447,000 |
| 7 | Kandace Knichel | United States | 366,000 |
| 8 | John Sarappa | United States | 363,000 |
| 9 | Kevin Cronin | United States | 356,000 |
| 10 | Michael Frey | United States | 310,000 |
Among other notables surviving the day is Kenny Goff, who was contending for a chip lead position late into the day. Among the many female players in attendance, Kandace Knichel bagged a large stack after hitting a set with queens earlier in the day.
The day was full of spectacular hands, one of which belonged to last year’s winner Ian Auvil. The former champion managed to make a quad kings with a video crew present. Unfortunately his luck ran out later in the day as he fell around 50th place. He did mention that he would return to fire the 1b and that he wouldn’t go “quietly into the night.”
Next up is Day 1b on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET where players will be able to take another $365 shot at advancing to Mondays Day 2. With at least $30,000 up top for the winner, many players are sure to contend for their chance to make the final day.
Stay close to PokerNews for continuing coverage of the Bar Poker Open Florida World Championship from here at the Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.