$1,200 Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2024 The Commerce Casino Hold'Em Series
$1,200 Main Event
Day: 1b
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Day 1b at The Commerce Casino Hold’em Series in the $1,200 Main Event has been completed. The second of five flights saw 42 entrants, with four players making the money and advancing to Day 2. That brings the total to 69 entrants, and seven players advancing to Day 2 for this event, which has a $300,000 guarantee. The chip leader at the end of Day 1b was Sungmin Cho who bagged 775,000.
Cho has an overwhelming chip lead, which in large part was due to the final hand of the night, when he popped the money bubble after knocking out Paul Nguyen with ace-king, and taking in a pot worth over 550,000. Sitting second in chips is Beth Hall, and third is Robert Natividad.
End Of Day 1b Chip Counts
| Place | Name | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sungmin Cho | Sourth Korea | 775,000 |
| 2 | Beth Hall | United States | 457,000 |
| 3 | Robert Natividad | United States | 300,000 |
| 4 | Robert Nguyen | United States | 147,000 |
One of the 42 entrants in the field who did not make the money was Michael Nia, who has been featured numerous LA Poker Live Streams. Nia was starting to build some momentum and was up to almost 200,000 chips, but was eliminated prior to the final nine players combining for the last table.
Michael Casella who was the Day 1a bubble boy, found himself in the final six players of Day 1b, but unfortunately was eliminated prior to making the money once again, after losing a flip to Beth Hall's pocket nines, against his ace king.
$1,200 Main Event Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1b | September 18 | 12:00 p.m. |
| 1c | September 19 | 12:00 p.m. |
| 1d | September 20 | 12:00 p.m. |
| 1e | September 21 | 12:00 p.m. |
| 2 | September 22 | 11:00 a.m. |
For the Day 1 flights, players will start with 40,000 chips at the 100/200 blind levels. There will be 40-minute blind levels, until the final table where they will play 60-minute levels. Players will have a 15-minute break after every three levels of play.
This event has unlimited rebuys, with registration for this event concluding after the start of Level 10, and Day 1 flights ending after the players make the money. 1 out of 10 players will make the money. Players may play multiple Day 1 flights after bagging to improve their Day 2 stack. Any player who bags multiple times will have their smaller stack taken out of play, and receive a min cash for their stack.
Be sure to follow PokerNews for live updates and coverage throughout the entirety of this event.
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Play has concluded for the night as the four remaining players have all bagged up and will return for Day 2 on Sunday September 22 at 11:00 a.m. local time.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
775,000 | |
|
||
|
457,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
||
|
300,000
-5,000
|
-5,000 |
|
147,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Action folded to Sungmi Cho in the cutoff, and he raised to 20,000, before Paul Nguyen on the button, three-bet all in for 280,000. The blinds folded, and Cho quickly put in a chip to call.
Paul Nguyen: K♣J♣ 
Sungmi Cho: A♠K♦
Nguyen tried to steal pot from Cho, but he had a real hand and Nguyen dominated. Once the board ran out 7♦8♠3♦8♣3♥ the ace high of Cho was still best, to give him the pot, eliminate Nguyen, and burst the money bubble.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
775,000 | |
|
|
||
Level: 16
Blinds: 4,000/8,000
Ante: 8,000
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Players have been sent on a 10-minute break.
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Sungmi Cho opened the action with a raise to 13,000, and Beth Hall on the button made the call. Then Michael Casella three-bet all in for 157,000. Cho folded, and Hall went into the tank, but eventually counted out the chips to make the call, and put Casella at risk.
Michael Casella: A♣K♦
Beth Hall: 9♠9♥
Hall found the right call, but would need to win the race to knockout Casella. But when the board ran out 4♣2♠Q♠J♥7♣ the pocket nines of Hall remained best, and Casella was eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
495,000
-40,000
|
-40,000 |
|
|
455,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Robert Natividad raised to 12,000 from the button, and the small blind Beth Hall made the call.
The flop came A♥Q♠7♠ and Hall check-called a bet of 11,000 from Natividad.
After the 4♠ on the turn both players checked to the 3♣ river. Hall then bet out 17,000 which got Natividad to fold and give the pot to Hall.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
305,000
-60,000
|
-60,000 |
|
|
275,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
Level 15
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Beth Hall raised to 12,000 from under the gun, and when it folded to Stepan Shiganyan in the cutoff, he three-bet all in for 103,000. After the button folded, Sungmi Cho in the small blind made the call. The big blind and Hall quickly folded, leaving the players heads up with Shiganyan at risk.
Stepan Shiganyan: A♥J♣
Sungmi Cho: K♥K♣
Shiganyan ran right into the kings of Cho, and after the board ran out 7♥9♣K♠10♠4♥ Cho improved to a set of kings to eliminate Shiganyan.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
535,000
190,000
|
190,000 |
|
|
245,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
Level: 15
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante: 6,000