2014 WPT World Championship Day 2: NFL Receiver Miles Austin in Final 68
After two starting flights attracted 328 entries and reentries, Day 2 of the 2014 World Poker Tour World Championship began with 199 players assembled in the Borgata's Signature Room, each one hoping to move in the right direction on the tournament's moving day. A total of six 90-minute levels were played on Day 2, and when it was all said and done just 68 survivors bagged and tagged a stack, with Eric Afriat putting on a bravura performance to end with an astounding 1,003,000 in chips to his credit.
That number is staggering when one considers the mathematics, as the average stack sits at 241,176 to begin Thursday's Day 3, and Afriat's closest competitor, Athanasios Polychronopoulos, put 592,500 in the bag. Sitting more than 400,000 clear of the pack, Afriat is poised to to make a run at back-to-back WPT titles, as he took down the 2014 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown for $1,081,184 just last week.
Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Afriat | 1,003,000 |
| 2 | Athanasios Polychronopoulos | 592,500 |
| 3 | Tony Gregg | 567,000 |
| 4 | Scott Seiver | 539,500 |
| 5 | Ryan D'Angelo | 519,500 |
| 6 | Jason Koon | 500,500 |
| 7 | Maurice Hawkins | 433,500 |
| 8 | Glenn Lafaye | 423,500 |
| 9 | Jonathan Tamayo | 411,000 |
| 10 | Hans Winzeler | 397,000 |
Afriat began his rampage through one of the toughest fields on the tournament circuit in style, claiming a huge pot against Harrison Gimbel by virtue of bullets in the hole. From there, Afriat played relentlessly and siphoned chips from pros like Loni Harwood, remaining unafraid to mix it up and play big pots.
Other big stacks to separate themselves from the rest include Tony Gregg (567,000), Scott Seiver (539,500), Ryan D'Angelo (519,500), Jason Koon (500,500) and Maurice Hawkins (433,500).
Another player remaining is current free agent NFL wide receiver Miles Austin. Austin has played a quiet tournament thus far, but did manage to bag up 74,500 in chips heading into Day 3.
Those who fell short of their goal include Scotty Nguyen, Joe McKeehen, Christina Lindley, Matt Glantz, Joe Serock, Chris Klodnicki, Bryn Kenney, and Layne Flack.
The remaining runners are now slouches themselves, so check back in with PokerNews on Thursday at 12 p.m. local time to follow all of the action live from the floor of the WPT World Championship. The money bubble will burst and the play will be intense right from the get go, so you won't want to miss a thing.
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