Day 2 of Event #8: $50,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event Kicks off at 2 PM with 13 Players Remaining
There will be just 13 players returning for Day 2 of Event #8: $50,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event at the first ever US Poker Open. The tournament staff at the Aria Resort and Casino have called this tournament series another huge success and the same would go for Stephen Chidwick.
Chidwick will join his fellow competitors at the felt beginning at 2:00 P.M. local time, but as for the competition to become US Poker Open champion, Chidwick has already locked that up. With over $1.2 million in earnings throughout the opening seven events, Chidwick cannot be caught in the race for the inaugural trophy. Chidwick had, in what some are calling, one of the best weeks in poker, by making four final tables and winning two of the $25,000 events.
However, there is still some poker to be played and some serious money to be won. With a prizepool of $1,650,000 flashing before their eyes, the final 13 players will all have their sights set on the $660,000 first-place prize. It will be a race to the money today, as the tournament director has mentioned they will consider playing down to the final five players today, in order for everyone to be in the money when Day 3 arrives. Here is a look at what they will be playing for:
Payouts
| Place | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1st | $660,000 |
| 2nd | $429,000 |
| 3rd | $264,000 |
| 4th | $165,000 |
| 5th | $132,000 |
Of those players returning, Brian Rast will be the one leading the way after bagging up a stack of 886,500 chips. Rast has chosen a select few events to compete in throughout the series and will be looking to make his first cash of the week. Following him is Event #5 winner, Ben Tollerene, with 620,500 chips. Tollerene collected $187,600 for his win and will hope to add to that total come tomorrow. Rounding out the top three stacks is Keith Tilston with 488,500 chips, who has resurfaced to the high-stakes tournament scene this week. Tilston currently sits in fourth place on the overall leaderboard and although he can't catch Chidwick, another strong finish this week would look good on his resume.
Some other big names to keep an eye on heading into Day 2 include Daniel Negreanu (461,000), Benjamin Pollak (454,000), Jake Schindler (449,000), and Bryn Kenney (445,000). The action will resume on level 11 with the blinds at 3,000/6,000 and a 6,000 big blind ante. The 60-second time extensions will be refreshed to three per player at the start of the day.
One of the remaining tables is expected to be moved to the feature table at around 4:00 P.M. PST for live coverage on PokerGO. The live-stream will display the player's hold cards and will be on a 60-minute delay to protect the integrity of the game. At that time, the PokerNews blog will also be displayed on a delay to remain in sync with the live-stream.
You can follow along with the PokerNews live reporting team for all of the live updates throughout the event until a winner is crowned.