Chen, Ball, Lococo Leading the Pack in Event #94: $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Day 1 of Event #94: $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em Championship has concluded here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas after ten levels of play. Of the 418 runners who started the day, only 151 players will return for Day 2. With late registration still available through the first level of play (Level 11) on Day 2, the prize pool and payouts have yet to be determined.
Among the chip leaders heading into the start of Day 2 are James Chen (502,500), Scott Ball (475,500), Alejandro Lococo (383,000), Adrian Mateos (360,000), and Paulius Plausinaitis (353,000), who all sit with over 140 big blinds.
Chen amassed a big chunk of his stack when he turned the nut flush against his opponent's flopped straight. Ball had a tough table draw for a good portion of the day but managed to come out on top. Lococo, who finished 7th in the 2021 WSOP Main Event, looks to close this one out and capture his first bracelet.
Mateos, who is fresh off a deep run in this year's Main Event, steadily climbed up the ranks throughout the day. Plausinaitis built a sizable stack when David Peters ran head first into his pocket aces.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
| 1 | James Chen | Taiwan | 502,500 | 201 |
| 2 | Scott Ball | United States | 475,500 | 190 |
| 3 | Daniel Neilson | Australia | 426,000 | 170 |
| 4 | Alejandro Lococo | Argentina | 383,000 | 153 |
| 5 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | 360,000 | 144 |
| 6 | Paulius Plausinaitis | Lithuania | 353,000 | 141 |
| 7 | Sergi Reixach | United Kingdom | 345,000 | 138 |
| 8 | Manuel Fritz | Austria | 333,000 | 133 |
| 9 | Tzur Levy | Israel | 320,000 | 128 |
| 10 | Hossein Ensan | Germany | 314,000 | 126 |
Notable Eliminations
Chris Hunichen was left crippled after he turned a set of sevens against Lococo, who turned a straight. Hunichen was left short-stacked and was eliminated shortly after.
William Kassouf got it in good with a flush on the turn against Benny Glaser's pocket queens. A fourth diamond rolled off on the river, giving Glaser a higher flush, leaving Kassouf on fumes. He was seen leaving the tournament area a few hands later.
Dominik Nitsche was knocked out when his pocket jacks ran into the pocket aces of Zachary Grech. Anatoly Nikitin's ace-king fell to the king-ten of James Calderaro, when Calderaro flopped top two pair. Jonathan Pastore's pocket aces were cracked by Matthew Frankland's pocket queens.
Other well known players who hit the rail on Day 1 included Cliff Josephy, David Coleman, Daniel Negreanu, and Mike Matusow.
Some well known players still in the mix heading into Day 2 include James Calderaro (222,500), Andrew Lichtenberger (197,500), Aleks Dimitrov (197,000), Jack Sinclair (188,000), Joao Simao (159,500), Faraz Jaka (151,000), Noel Rodriguez (132,000), Fahredin Mustafov (130,000), Nick Palma (94,000), and Joe McKeehen (81,500).
Action will begin on Day 2 at 1:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, July 14, at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. The prize pool and payouts will be announced after late registration has ended.
The tournament will resume at Level 11 with blinds at 1,000/2,500 with a 2,500 big blind ante. Ten 60-minute levels will be on the agenda, with 15-minute breaks every two levels. A one-hour dinner break will take place after Level 16 at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time.
Those who make it through Day 2 will return for Day 3 on Monday, July 15, where the event will play down to a winner.
Be sure to follow PokerNews throughout the remainder of this event, as well as future coverage throughout the summer.