Noah Shefrin Bags Day 1b Chip Lead in Horseshoe Baltimore Main Event; Ryan Jones Leads Overall
The second flight of the World Series of Poker $1,700 Main Event at the Horseshoe Baltimore came to an end on Saturday night after 16 grueling levels. A total of 162 registration slips were sold and when the dust had settled only 27 of those found a bag, bringing the total number of Day 2 births to an even 50.
Leading the way from Day 1b was Noah Shefrin, who shot up like a rocket during the later stages of the day, ending the night with an impressive 465,500. It was not enough to take over the tournament lead headed into Day 2, but more than enough to finish atop the flight.
Jason Leadingham is nipping at the heels of the leader with 434,000 and will be one of the bigger stacks to look out for on Day 2. Jeremy Meacham (402,500), Shinya Shimada (306,000), and Joseph Cashen (290,500) all round out the top five from the Day 1b flight.
Day 1b ended with Shefrin atop the leaderboard but it is Ryan Jones who will be in the driver's seat at the start of Day 2. Jones is a well-known pro from Burlington, North Carolina who has two WSOP Circuit rings, both of which came in main events. Jones has the lead and all the experience to take down the tournament, so keep an eye on him as he looks to add another feat to his stacked resume.
Top 10 After Day 1 Flights
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Jones | United States | 467,000 | 117 |
| 2 | Noah Shefrin | United States | 465,500 | 116 |
| 3 | Jason Leadingham | United States | 434,000 | 109 |
| 4 | Jeremy Meacham | United States | 402,500 | 101 |
| 5 | Peter Vitantonio | United States | 307,500 | 77 |
| 6 | Shinya Shimada | Japan | 306,000 | 77 |
| 7 | Joseph Cashen | United States | 290,500 | 73 |
| 8 | Charles Johnson | United States | 286,500 | 72 |
| 9 | Joseph Malebranche | United States | 274,000 | 69 |
| 10 | Chris Canning | United States | 251,500 | 63 |
The second flight started off a little quicker than the first, having almost double to start the day than the previous. Day 1a pulled in a total of 141 entry slips with only 23 securing a spot by night's end. The Day 1b flight looked like it was well on its way to surpassing the number needed to reach the half a million guarantee, but fell short as only 162 slips were handed out. At the end of the second flight, there were 27 that found a bag, bringing the total of Day 2 players to 50.
A total of 303 entries were accumulated between the two flights, gathering a prize pool of $459,045 which fell short of the guarantee that was set. The casino will be dipping into their own pocket to bump the total prize pool up to half a million and a full detailed list of the payouts will be posted tomorrow as soon as they are locked in stone by the staff.
Some regulars who will be starting Day 2 include Lara Eisenberg (235,500), F. Siddiqui (234,500), Michael Wang (226,500), David Moses (200,500), John Gorsuch (181,000), Ryan Van Sanford (175,000), Justin Liberto (147,500), and Christian Harder (92,000).
The second day will begin at noon on Sunday. Blinds will resume on level 16 at 2,000/4,000 and a 4,000 big blind ante. The levels will be 60 minutes in length with 10 levels on the schedule for tomorrow or until the final table has been reached. There will be a 15-minute break after every two levels of play and a 75-minute dinner break after level 21. The remaining players will return for Day 3 and play down until a champion is crowned.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be bringing the live updates throughout the event, so stay tuned as all of the action unfolds!