Christina Solli Bags the lead on Day 1b of Women’s Winter Festival Main Event
The £400 Main Event Day 1b drew a total of 148 entrants. Only 30 players advanced to Day 2, with Christina Solli bagging the largest stack of this second Day 1 flight, taking through a massive 429,000 stack. Solli currently leads the chip race heading into Day 2 after surpassing Mary-Rose McCann, who had carried 330,000 chips from the first flight yesterday.
End of Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christina Solli | Norway | 429,000 | 86 |
| 2 | Ann-Roos Callens | Belgium | 310,000 | 62 |
| 3 | Camilla Grudy | United Kingdom | 310,000 | 62 |
| 4 | Emma Wilkinson | United Kingdom | 264,000 | 53 |
| 5 | Berivan Dag | United Kingdom | 247000 | 49 |
| 6 | Wendy Watson | United Kingdom | 236,000 | 47 |
| 7 | Franky Green | United Kingdom | 209,000 | 42 |
| 8 | Wing Sze Ko | Hong Kong | 209,000 | 42 |
| 9 | Celine Diot | France | 196,000 | 39 |
| 10 | Maria Lampropoulos | United Kingdom | 190,000 | 38 |
A number of familiar names who took part in today’s flight included PokerStars Ambassador Marle Spragg, Grosvenor Poker Pro Katie Swift, Nikki Limo, and Kyna England. Unfortunately, none were successful in making it through to the end of the day. Swift burst the Day 2 bubble after her pocket nines lost to Emma Wilkinson’s pocket queens. EPT Barcelona's Womens Event 2024 champion Soraya Estrada also joined the field earlier in the day but was eliminated mid-session after a four-way all-in clash.
Alexandra Loveless experienced a rollercoaster day. Early on, she was one of the short stacks as opponents applied pressure, but she managed to double up shortly after, keeping her in contention. Unfortunately, Loveless’s tournament run ended during the final levels of the day, when she moved all in and was eliminated by Bennett-Martin.
Other notable players joined the field today, including PokerStars Online Pro Georgina James. After falling short on Day 1a, James re-entered today and was consistently near the top of the chip counts. She faced a tense battle on the bubble, encountering several heads-up flips, but ultimately secured her place in Day 2.
All remaining players who bagged chips across the starting flights will return tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. local time. Play will commence on the lowest level that any of the day 1 flights finished on. They will play until approximately 16:00 to give everyone the opportunity to join the 50/50 event.
PokerNews will continue providing live coverage from the tournament floor until a winner is crowned on Sunday. Stay tuned for updates!