A week into World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise and the first-ever Event #9: $25,000 WSOP Super Main Event is finally upon us. The $50 million guaranteed Super Main Event kicked off yesterday as Day 1a drew 461 runners looking for a piece of the biggest guarantee in poker history, with just 155 finding a bag for Day 2.
Today, players will have another opportunity as Day 1b kicks off at 12 p.m. local time from Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas.
Spain's Juan Pardo bagged the chip lead from a stacked field in the first starting flight with 4,585,000 ahead of big stacks including Jonathan Jaffee, Team Lucky's Shaun Deeb and one of the newest high-stakes crushers in Kayhan Mokri.
WSOP Super Main Event Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Pardo | Spain | 4,585,000 | 183 |
| 2 | Jonathan Jaffe | United States | 4,390,000 | 176 |
| 3 | Shaun Deeb | United States | 3,960,000 | 158 |
| 4 | Kayhan Mokri | Norway | 3,805,000 | 152 |
| 5 | Igor Picone | Belgium | 3,520,000 | 141 |
| 6 | Keith Lehr | United States | 3,435,000 | 137 |
| 7 | Chris Brewer | United States | 3,345,000 | 134 |
| 8 | Matthias Eibinger | Austria | 3,285,000 | 131 |
| 9 | Stefan Fabian | United Kingdom | 3,245,000 | 130 |
| 10 | Frank Brannan | United States | 3,165,000 | 127 |
Today features the second of four Day 1 starting flights, while Flight C and D will follow on December 14 and 15. Each player will start with 500,000 chips and the blinds will begin at 1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 big blind ante. Play is scheduled for ten 60-minute levels with a 15-minute break after Level 2, 4, and 8, and a 60-minute dinner break after level 6. The field will combine for Day 2 on December 16 at 12 p.m.
Two reentries will be permitted for each Day 1 starting flight, with late registration and reentries being open for the first 12 levels of play.
Day 1b Schedule
| Level | Estimated Start | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| 2 | 1:00 p.m. | 60 minutes | 2,000 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| 2:00 p.m. | 15-minute break | ||||
| 3 | 2:15 p.m. | 60 minutes | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| 4 | 3:15 p.m. | 60 minutes | 3,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 |
| 4:15 p.m. | 15-minute break | ||||
| 5 | 4:30 p.m. | 60 minutes | 4,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| 6 | 5:30 p.m. | 60 minutes | 5,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| 6:30 p.m. | 60-minute dinner break | ||||
| 7 | 7:30 p.m. | 60 minutes | 6,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 |
| 8 | 8:30 p.m. | 60 minutes | 8,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 |
| 9:30 p.m. | 15-minute break | ||||
| 9 | 9:45 p.m. | 60 minutes | 10,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| 10 | 10:45 p.m. | 60 minutes | 10,000 | 25,000 | 25,000 |
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you comprehensive tournament coverage throughout the event.
