Moncek Bags a Top Ten Stack on Day 1a of the $3K Mid-Stakes Championship
The $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship is a brand-new event of the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP), and it has proven popular, with 1,161 entrants descending on the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for Day 1a. Only 324 players made it through ten 60-minute levels, each now has a shot to become a WSOP champion late into the 2024 series.
Jonathan Newman (573,500) soared to the top of the Day 1a chip counts. The Canadian is looking for his first WSOP cash of the series, but came into this event in good form, having finished fifth in a $1,600 event elsewhere in Vegas for $69,511.
Herve Gouzil of France (505,000), and Mantas Ungulaitis from Lithuania (451,500) finished Day 1a in the top three.
End of Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Newman | Canada | 573,500 | 229 |
| 2 | Herve Gouzil | France | 505,000 | 202 |
| 3 | Mantas Ungulaitis | Lithuania | 451,500 | 181 |
| 4 | Maher Achour | United States | 433,000 | 173 |
| 5 | Florian Dimitrie Duta | Romania | 389,000 | 156 |
| 6 | Bahar Musa | Bulgaria | 381,500 | 153 |
| 7 | Rytis Pranarauskas | Lithuania | 360,000 | 144 |
| 8 | Edgaras Kausinis | Lithuania | 360,000 | 144 |
| 9 | Michael Moncek | United States | 357,000 | 143 |
| 10 | Ananth Ganesan | United States | 349,000 | 140 |
$25K Fantasy Draft pick Michael Moncek (357,000) finished the first of two flights in ninth place. Moncek, a two-time WSOP champion, is on course for his 11th in-the-money finish of the 2024 WSOP.
Several other fantasy drafters also punched their Day 2 tickets. They include Adam Hendrix (166,500), Taylor Paur (161,500), Samuel Laskowitz (156,000), Jake Schwartz (134,000), Qiang Xu (102,500), Dong Chen (72,000), and three-time bracelet winner Chad Eveslage (34,000).
Day 1a also saw Hall of Famer Billy Baxter (86,500) roll back the years and reach Day 2, while Main Event winner Scott Blumstein (43,000) progressed, albeit with one of the shorter stacks.
Those tuning into PokerNews traditional coverage from Day 2 should also look out for Frank Funaro (283,000), James Dempsey (148,500), Kathy Liebert (117,500), Faraz Jaka (112,000), and Ryan Laplante (53,500).
Day 1b commences at 10 a.m. local time on July 12, with ten 60-minute levels scheduled. Get involved with our MyStack feature if you want to keep the folks back home updated with your progress on Day 1b of this new tournament.