Andrew Chen Tops Day 1g Leaderboard in ESPT Main Event
Day 1g of the PokerStars Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT) Main Event has concluded here at PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona, with 262 players progressing to Day 2 from 1,744 entrants.
Late registration for the final flight, Day 1h, has now closed at a total of 1,097 players. That brings the total entries for the event to 7,138, generating an impressive �6,852,400 prize pool.
Canadian high-stakes crusher Andrew Chen rose to the top of the standings after play concluded in Day 1g with 17 minutes left in Level 19, amassing a huge seven-figure stack of 1,077,000. He also takes the mantle of current overall chip leader as the only player to cross the one million mark thus far, with Day 1h yet to conclude.
Chen, who was also responsible for bursting the bubble when he cracked kings, was followed by Irish pro Barry Donovan (670,000), who is looking to push his recorded career earnings over the $300,000 mark, and Frenchman Paul Kraemer (665,000).
Day 1g Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Chen | Canada | 1,077,000 | |
| 2 | Barry Donovan | Ireland | 670,000 | |
| 3 | Paul Kraemer | France | 665,000 | |
| 4 | Gerardo Rodriguez Ulloa | Peru | 658,000 | |
| 5 | David Rivas | Spain | 628,000 | |
| 6 | Stefan Olofsson | Sweden | 592,000 | |
| 7 | Nils Veipans | Latvia | 587,000 | |
| 8 | Enriko Perleka | Albania | 580,000 | |
| 9 | Peter Farkas | Hungary | 557,000 | |
| 10 | Panagiotis Mavritsakis | Greece | 518,000 |
Other notable names to progress include defending champion Lucien Cohen (195,000), along with Stephen Song (342,000) and Martin Zamani (124,000).
PokerStars Ambassadors Benjamin Spragg, Parker Talbot, Fintan Hand and Ramon Colillas all fired bullets today but none made the cut. Simon Wiciak had better luck however, and progressed to Day 2 with 245,000.
With 162 players from Day 1h due to join the 904 players qualified from previous flights, Day 2 looks set to begin with a field of 1,066 players, all of whom will have earnt a minimum cash.
Day 2 takes place at 11 a.m. local time on Friday, August 30, where players will return to 60-minute levels. Details of payouts will follow when available.
The PokerNews team will be on the floor bringing you live coverage of the entirety of the tournament until a champion is crowned, so be sure to stick with us.