Matthew "mattychise" Land Bags Huge in Event #81: $600 Ultra Stack
Matthew Land bagged the chip lead on Day 1a of Event #81: $600 Ultra Stack at the 2023 World Series of Poker, sporting a stack worth 2,160,000, which is made even more impressive considering he lost a pot worth half a million right at the end of the night. Land is a long-time regular on Global Poker with the moniker of “mattychise” but has since transitioned to playing more live poker since making the move to Las Vegas.
Close on Land's heels are the likes of Jiawei Mao (2,150,000) and Christina Gollins (2,000,000).
End of Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Land | United States | 2,160,000 | 54 |
| 2 | Jiawei Mao | United States | 2,150,000 | 54 |
| 3 | Christina Gollins | United States | 2,000,000 | 50 |
| 4 | Davide Muccini | Italy | 1,930,000 | 48 |
| 5 | Naohito Tamaya | Japan | 1,920,000 | 48 |
| 6 | Jean-Robert Autran | France | 1,920,000 | 48 |
| 7 | Shane Schleger | United States | 1,800,000 | 45 |
| 8 | Alex Bolotin | Belarus | 1,785,000 | 45 |
| 9 | Mathieu Rabalison | France | 1,770,000 | 44 |
| 10 | Bosu Avunoori | United States | 1,700,000 | 43 |
Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg joked with the floor just after the bubble, asking whether he could play in tomorrow's Day 1b if he busted before the end of the night. When told he could, Spragg said, “Well, now I just can’t wait to get it in!” Spragg will not be playing Day 1b as he bagged a healthy 1,025,000 and earned his fourth cash of this series.
Some 3,091 total entries filled the Paris Ballroom by the time registration for Day 1a of Event #81: $600 Ultra Stack ended. In a new tournament here at the 2023 World Series of Poker, each player started their tournament with 60,000 in chips, and while it was quite deep early in the day, plenty of players took advantage of the two reentries available to them.
Only 243 contenders made it through 22 levels of play; they'll have a day off before Day 2 to do as they wish. Day 1b is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 12. Day 2 is scheduled at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 13, at which point both fields will be combined.
The bubble burst during hand for hand in Level 20 when Steven Buell ran his ace-jack into Dalibor Dula’s queens. Mackenzie Kraener soft bubbled during hand for hand when his kings were sucked out on by the jacks of Justin Fawcett. The latter had a tremendous showing throughout the day, making several big calls along the way to accumulate the chips.
Those who found a bag are not permitted to enter the next flight, but plenty of notables who made the money came short at the end of day. Melanie Weisner, Maria Lampropulos, and Everett Carlton fall into that category so they may be taking another shot come Day 1b.
There is still plenty of action left to sweat at this WSOP, so make sure you’re checking all the live events on PokerNews for all your tournament updates.