Daniel Negreanu Among Notables in Day 2 Contention
A total of 151 players are set to return for Day 2 of Event #3: $500 Kickoff No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
The bubble burst Wednesday, and 523 players made the money out of 3,485 entrants, which generated a prize pool of $1,463,700. For the remaining players in to Day 2, the goal now is to continue advancing for a chance to take down the top prize of $175,578 and a coveted WSOP bracelet.
WSOP bracelet winner Qiang Xu raced out to a Day 1 chip lead with 2,130,000 by the time the players bagged in the early morning hours. Steve Borella is close behind with 1,835,000, while WSOP bracelet winner Jason Wheeler is fourth with 1,615,000.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qiang Xu | China | 2,130,000 | 71 |
| 2 | Steven Borella | United States | 1,835,000 | 61 |
| 3 | Gregory Snyder | United States | 1,665,000 | 56 |
| 4 | Jason Wheeler | United States | 1,615,000 | 54 |
| 5 | Addam Smith | United States | 1,565,000 | 52 |
| 6 | John Hardin | United States | 1,435,000 | 48 |
| 7 | Zhiyuan Xu | China | 1,385,000 | 46 |
| 8 | Ishan Mohamed | United States | 1,350,000 | 45 |
| 9 | Charles Tonne | United States | 1,345,000 | 45 |
| 10 | Shawn Smith | United States | 1,320,000 | 44 |
The remaining field boasts a group of notables, all of whom are capable of making a run to the top of the leaderboard. The list includes multiple WSOP bracelet winners: Marco Johnson (1,005,000), Michael Wang (915,000), Tamas Lendvai (820,000) and Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu (650,000).
The players are scheduled to resume play for Day 2 at 11 a.m. at the Horseshoe in Las Vegas, with starting blinds in Level 23 of 15,000/30,000 and a 30,000 big blind ante. Play will continue the final table is established.
Stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the day as the remaining 151 players compete for a coveted WSOP bracelet.