2024 WSOP Day 1: Qui Nguyen Starts the Series With an Early Chip Lead

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May 29, 2024 4 min read Last updated Jun 07, 2024

The long wait is over; the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has officially begun, and the first day's play is done and dusted.

Two events shuffled up and dealt on Day 1 of the 2024 WSOP, the $5,000 Champions Reunion and the $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em. Here's what went down on Day 1.

2016 WSOP Main Event Champion Bags Day 1 Chip Lead

Qui Nguyen, the 2016 WSOP Main Event champion, has started the 2024 WSOP in hot form by bagging up the chip lead in Event #1: $5,000 Champions Reunion. Some 493 players bought in and created a $2,047,800 prize pool, but only 99 of those punched their Day 2 tickets.

This event is new for 2024. It offered free entry to all former Main Event champions, with those heroes playing with a bounty on their heads. Anyone eliminating a former Main Event champion receives a free $10,000 entry to this year's "Big Dance."

Twenty-two former Main Event winners were present and correct, including Tom McEvoy, Berry Johnston, Ryan Riess, Scott Blumstein, Espen Jorstad, Koray Aldemir, Greg Raymer, and Phil Hellmuth. All of those players handed over their bounty before the curtain came down on the day's action.

Qui Nguyen seemed determined not to let his bounty go and continually climbed up the chip counts over the course of 15 levels. Nguyen not only kept hold of his bounty but claimed the overnight chip lead courtesy of his 663,000 stack. However, Nguuyen's led is slender because China's Xiaohu Liu finished Day 1 with 661,000 chips while Asher Conniff bagged and tagged 641,000.

Others who made it safely to Day 2 on May 29 include Chris Hunichen (567,000), Aram Zobian (565,000), David Coleman (534,000), Brian Rast (505,000), the legendary Dan Harrington (395,000), Daniel Zack (341,000), Jamie Gold (331,000), Maria Ho (318,000), and reigning Main Event champion Daniel Weinman (269,000).

Day 2 commences at 12:00 p.m. local time, with the plan to play down to the final table. The top 74 finishers will receive a min-cash of $9,141, with the eventual champion taking home $408,468 and the all-important WSOP bracelet.

Event #1: $5,000 Champions Reunion End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

O'Donnell Shines the Brightest in the $500 Employees Event as the Kwong Pops the Bubble

Event #2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em drew in a bumper crowd of 1,189 entrants, resulting in a $499,380 prize pool that the top 179 finishers will share. Sat proudly at the top of the overnight chips counts and with 179 players beneath them is Caleb O'Donnell.

O'Donnell bagged up 583,000 chips after the completion of 16 levels and goes into Day 2 with every chance of becoming a WSOP bracelet winner.

The returning 179 players are guaranteed a min-cash of $1,002 after the money bubble burst at the end of the first day. Allan Kwong earned the unwanted title of first bubble boy of the 2024 WSOP, three-bet shoving with pocket sevens after Michelle Christie opened, and losing to Christie's king-queen after she called. Kwong looked like he would double his short stack, but a queen on the river ended his hopes and dreams.

The chip leader aside, the likes of PokerNews' Claudio Elizalde (308,000), Tyler Boyer (292,000), Chance Castro (159,000), Nick Becker (113,000), Lukas Robinson (110,000), Connor Richards (82,000), and Tyler Foran (52,000) made it through to Day 2. All surviving players return to the action at 1:00 p.m. on May 29, with the tournament playing down to a conclusion and awarding the first bracelet of the summer.

Event #2: $500 Casino Employees End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

What Is Happening on Day 2 of the 2024 WSOP?

May 29 is the second day of the 2024 WSOP and will see four events take place. Event #1: $5,000 Champions Reunion will attempt to play down to its final table, while Event #2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em will crown its champion and award the first of 99 live bracelets of the summer.

At 10:00 a.m. local time, Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout begins with the first of three days of intense poker action. This brand new event is sure to attract a massive crowd, thanks to its affordable buy-in.

Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, the first non-Hold'em event of 2024, kicks off at 2:00 p.m. local time. Jim Collopy triumphed in this event in 2023, outlasting 1,142 opponents on his way to banking $262,542 and his third WSOP bracelet.

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• Tags WSOP24 Alex Keating Aram Zobian Asher Conniff Brian Rast Chris Hunchen WSOP World Series of Poker Daniel Weinman Dan Harrington Phil Hellmuth Qui Nguyen Ryan Riess Scott Blumstein
• Related Tournaments World Series of Poker
• Related Players Phil HellmuthDan HarringtonBrian RastRyan RiessDaniel WeinmanQui Nguyen