Another 2,582 entrants joined the fun on Day 1b of Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha, but that huge crowd was reduced to only 270 after completing 17 levels. Leading the way on the second and final flight is Australian star Najeem Ajez, who finished Day 1b with 1,454,000.
Ajez is a dominant force in his native Australia, with most of his $1,524,463 career earnings stemming from tournaments played "Down Under." However, he also has impressive results while Stateside, including six cashes at the 2024 WSOP.
End of Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Najeem Ajez | Australia | 1,454,000 | 145 |
| 2 | Kao Saechao | United States | 1,364,000 | 136 |
| 3 | Welker Mendes Demedeiros | Brazil | 1,357,000 | 136 |
| 4 | Tyler Brown | United States | 1,239,000 | 124 |
| 5 | James Carroll | United States | 1,230,000 | 123 |
| 6 | Chance Kornuth | United States | 1,188,000 | 119 |
| 7 | Giuseppe Pantaleo | Germany | 1,187,000 | 119 |
| 8 | Jason Stockfish | United States | 1,090,000 | 109 |
| 9 | James Cavanaugh | United States | 1,054,000 | 105 |
| 10 | Melissa Riahei | United States | 1,034,000 | 103 |
Hundreds of top-tier professionals decided to pay the $1,000 buy-in for this event. Plenty navigated their way through the shark-infested waters and will return for Day 2 on July 11.
$25K Fantasy Draft picks Tyler Brown (1,239,000) and Chance Kornuth (1,230,000) find themselves in the top six, while James Carroll (1,230,000) and Giuseppe Pantaleo (1,187,000) bagged up top ten stacks.
Further down the chip counts, but still definitely in contention to become this event's champion, are players such as Ryan Leng (780,000), Jake Schwartz (697,000), Leo Margets (508,000), Ryan Riess (445,000), Andrew Kelsall (328,000), Bryce Yockey (328,000), John Riordan (274,000), and JC Tran (153,000). Matt Glantz (15,000) finished bottom of the Day 1b pile, but at least he has a chip and a chair.
Day 2 starts at 11 a.m. local time on July 11 and sees 463 players return to the tables. Play starts in Level 18, meaning blinds are 5,000/10,000. The clock remains 40 minutes throughout, with players heading for a break every three levels and enjoying a 60-minute dinner break after Level 26 (approx. 5:30 p.m. local time). The plan is to play to a champion, so return to PokerNews on July 11 to discover how this event plays out.
