Another Big Bag for Billard to Kick Off Main Event
Two days in, and Francois Billard has two big stacks in the bags in the first two $10 million guaranteed events of the partypoker 2018 Caribbean Poker Party.
On Day 1a of the $25,500 MILLIONS World, Billard put 3,010,000 in the bag at the close of eight levels, good for the fifth-biggest stack of the players who made it through.
On Day 1a of the $5,300 Main Event, Billard made it a double by bagging 4,050,000, good for the unofficial chip lead out of the roughly 115 players who advanced in the field of 185 runners. Billard has over $2 million in cashes and a number of six-figure scores, and with his fantastic start to this series, he's put himself in position to add to that if he can continue to crush.
Billard's count puts him just a hair above partypoker team pro Joao Simao. Simao, who finished with 3,995,000, has been on quite a run in his sponsor's big events in 2018.
At partypoker MILLIONS Germany in February, Simao got second and fourth in a couple of €25K high rollers for just under €450,000 total. Then, he got fourth in the €5,300 Main Event for €280,000. He followed that up with two big cashes at the partypoker Latin American Poker Championship — second in the $5,300 High Roller for $50,000 and fourth in the $1,100 Main Event for $60,000.
Two of Simao's teammates also bagged big: Kristen Bicknell (3,260,000) and Philipp Gruissem (2,910,000). Bicknell had a swingy day as she started off by making a huge bet-fold for most of her stack when she said she had a small flush on an unpaired board.
She managed to run it back up from there, impressing partypoker Chairman Mike Sexton — who also bagged, albeit only 760,000 at a neighboring table.
Dylan Linde, Brian Hastings, Andreas Eiler, Cliff Josephy and MILLIONS World chip leader Chance Kornuth also made it through with strong stacks.
Players who failed to advance still have plenty of time. There remains two more starting flights, plus players can buy in for the first few levels on Day 2. Coverage and play resumes Sunday at noon with Day 1b, when the tournament will move ever closer to its $10 million guarantee with another eight-level day.