Online Qualifier Alexander Rolfe Bags Chip Lead on Day 1a
The chips were moving early and often on Day 1a of Event #3: $2,200 No Limit Hold’em at the PokerStars Summer Series hosted by Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia.
As expected, the last event here at the PokerStars Summer Series attracted some notable talent from around the tri-state area who all wanted their shot at the $500,000 guarantee. Multiple players with big poker resumes were in attendance. However, it was a relative unknown who won his seat through a PokerStars.com online qualifier that ended up bagging a massive chip lead.
Alexander Rolfe (1,033,000) was not playing with scared money when it came to being involved in the action. Early in the day he was seen putting chips in the middle, playing hands, and getting in the mix. This led to the accumulation of a healthy stack midway through the day. By the time the field was down to two tables he was already sitting with a top 10 stack.
Final 12 Players From Day 1a
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Rolfe | United States | 1,033,000 |
| 2 | Chan Kim | United States | 810,000 |
| 3 | Brian Altman | United States | 593,000 |
| 4 | Joe McKeehen | United States | 464,000 |
| 5 | Christopher Moon | United States | 455,000 |
| 6 | Abraham Gordon | United States | 416,000 |
| 7 | James McCoy | United States | 301,000 |
| 8 | Frank Funaro | United States | 208,000 |
| 9 | Ryan Dodd | United States | 179,000 |
| 10 | Kevin Grabel | United States | 139,000 |
| 11 | Angel Lopez | United States | 79,000 |
| 12 | Anthony Maio | United States | 70,000 |
It was a massive hand on the bubble between Rolfe and three-time WPT Champion Brian Altman that rocketed him to the top of the leaderboard after he hit a flush on the turn against Altman’s pair plus straight draw. He will be taking a very healthy stack into Day 2 and will hope to run good when it matters most.
There were 12 players in total that found a bag on Day 1a and some notable names were in the mix. WSOP Main Event Champion Joe McKeehen (464,000) bagged a top 5 stack for the second week in a row, bracelet winner Frank Funaro (208,000) was up and down but still found a bag, while Altman (593,000) bagged a top-three stack for Day 2.
Speaking of Altman, he was holding the chip lead for most of the back half of the day. It was thought to be a forgone conclusion that he was going to bag the chip lead as the bubble approached. However, a huge hand broke out between him and the would-be chip leader that would knock him out of the top spot. He will still be entering Day 2 with plenty of chips to accompany his world-class play.
Today saw a total of 95 total entrants when late registration ended. This is the third event in this series and the first two over doubled the guarantees. This tournament is off to a great start and still has two more flights to go but the question remains about if this event can double the massive $500,000 guarantee. The big-name players will be here firing, so don’t miss out on this action on Day 1b and beyond.
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