Day 1 of Event #82: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Has Concluded
After 22 levels of play, Day 1 of Event #82: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack has wrapped up. A huge field of 2,812 entrants took to the tables today, all with a shot at 2022 World Series of Poker gold.
Of those entrants, only 167 players will return for Day 2, which starts at Level 23, and features 30-minute levels up until the crowning of the tournament's champion. Last year's winner Jason Wheeler was mixing it up to defend his title, but ultimately it was not his day.
Justin Lapka bagged up 2,425,000 chips, which proved enough to claim the Day 1 chip lead. Lapka's stack is slightly larger than the 2,350,000 in Brazilian Marcelo Giordano Mendes' 2,350,000.
Event #82: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Lapka | United States | 2,425,000 | 81 |
| 2 | Marcelo Giordano Mendes | Brazil | 2,350,000 | 78 |
| 3 | Selim Oulmekki | France | 2,030,000 | 68 |
| 4 | Steve Savio | France | 1,965,000 | 66 |
| 5 | Artem Metalidi | Ukraine | 1,895,000 | 63 |
| 6 | Francis Anderson | United States | 1,800,000 | 60 |
| 7 | Ranganath Kanchi | United States | 1,650,000 | 55 |
| 8 | Martin Gavasci Napoletano | Argentina | 1,635,000 | 55 |
| 9 | Marsel Backa | United States | 1,605,000 | 54 |
| 10 | Richard Alsup | United States | 1,500,000 | 50 |
Other notables joined the action, some for bracelet gold, some for money, some for Player of the Year points, or a combination of the three. These included Player of the Year leader Dan Zack plus contenders Dan Weinman and Shaun Deeb. Deeb was the only of the three to make the money, however.
There were three bubble bustouts, with Richard Alati one of them after he ran pocket queens into the ace-jack of Aaron Frei and Frei hit quads. The post-bubble bust-out bonanza was fast-paced, with Brian Pinkus going from chip leader to bust within one level.
Some of the most well known players returning for Day 2 are Ebony Kenney (795,000), Ryan Leng (395,000), Marsel Backa (1,605,000) and Gary Whitehead (1,325,000).
Blinds will be 15,000 / 30,000 with a big blind ante of 30,000 when play resumes at 12 p.m. local time on July 15 at Bally's and Paris Ballrooms, Las Vegas, where we will crown another WSOP champion.