Kirill Shcherbakov Leads the Way After Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller
Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller unfolded today at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino as part of the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series. A total of 54 entries were logged, with 40 players advancing through the eight 40-minute levels of the opening day.
Leading the pack is Russia's Kirill Shcherbakov who bagged up 364,500 chips at the culmination of the day, which puts him in a great spot to make a run for the money and beyond come Day 2.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russia | 364,500 |
| 2 | Atilla Saracoglu | Turkey | 333,500 |
| 3 | Nemo Koering | France | 305,000 |
| 4 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 250,500 |
| 5 | Mehmet Demirkol | Turkey | 237,500 |
| 6 | Aleksandr Chernikov | Russia | 213,500 |
| 7 | Ryan Mandara | United Kingdom | 213,500 |
| 8 | Mehdi Chaoui | Morocco | 207,500 |
| 9 | Candido Cappiello | Italy | 205,500 |
| 10 | Cheng Zhao | China | 191,500 |
Shcherbakov got off to a good start by stacking Alisa Sibgatova in the opening levels when he over-bet shoved the river with a flush, and got looked up by Sibgatova's two pair. It was smooth sailing from then onwards to the top of the pile, and only time will tell if he can convert this chip lead into something meaningful on Day 2.
Atilla Saracoglu bagged up the second-biggest stack of 333,500 chips, and Nemo Koering rounded out the podium places in third with a stack of 305,000.
Felipe Ketzer had a rollercoaster day as he started off well, but soon found himself on the wrong side of a cooler when his ace-king ran into the pocket aces of Ryan Mandara. However, he recovered well and bagged up 250,500, which is good for fourth, and Mandara occupies seventh in the counts with 213,500 chips.
The reigning champion Jakub Michalak couldn't get anything going and will bring 38,500 into Day 2 as he seeks to defend his title from earlier this year.
$5,300 High Roller Schedule
| Date | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 23 November | Day 2 | 8:00 p.m. |
| 24 November | Day 3 | 6:00 p.m. |
| 25 November | Day 4 | 1:00 p.m. |
Day 2 will get started at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 23 and registration remains open until the end of Level 12. Play begins at Level 9, and the plan for the day will be announced shortly after the day starts.
Be sure to tune into PokerNews as Day 2 gets underway to see who can build their stack and progress toward the business end of the tournament.