2022 WSOP Day 37: Vaughn Kicks Off Huge Main Event Flight

Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas were packed to the rafters on Day 37 of the 2022 World Series of Poker thanks to Day 1d of the $10,000 buy-in Main Event taking place. The WSOP management warned players to expect a ridiculously busy day and those warnings ran true with more than 4,000 players choosing the fourth and final flight to start their quest for 2022 WSOP Main Event glory.

Hollywood actor Vince Vaughn was the master of ceremonies who uttered the immortal words, “Shuffle up and deal!” while sporting a rather fantastic armored Caesar costume that Phil Hellmuth would have been proud to wear.

Five Main Event champions bought in on Day 1d and all five navigated their way through five long levels of action. Johnny Chan (218,800) bagged up the most chips of the Main Event winning quintet. Chris Moneymaker (108,000), Greg Merson (103,700), reigning champion Koray Aldemir (71,800), and Joe Hachem (21,600) were all in the mix when the curtain came down on Day 1d.

Chan, the Main Event champion in 1987 and 1988 (and the runner-up in 1989), thoroughly enjoyed himself at the tables. Chan has skipped all other 2022 WSOP events but the lure of the Main Event proved too strong for him to resist.

“It was a wonderful day. That’s the best first day and the main event for the last least. 15 years, I have more chips than I ever have in the main event. This the first year, I got over 200,000, I’m very happy. The table was very nice. I got to play with nine different players that I never played poker with before.”

Moneymaker, champion in 2003 after famously winning an online satellite for his $10,000 Main Event seat, was pleased to make it through to Day 2, especially when he had players in his corner throughout proceedings.

“I’m happy, you know, just getting through Day 1 with a decent stack is what you want. It’s kind of crazy that I still get those reactions. It’s always nice to have fans and have people rooting for you.”

Past champions aside, such luminaries as Alexandros Kolonias (278,000), Robert Mizrachi (176,600), Mikita Badziakouski (159,900), Eli Elezra (127,500), Damian Salas (125,000), Davidi Kitai (111,700), David Peters (102,800), Max Pescatori (100,200), Ole Schemion (95,300), and Jeremy Ausmus (94,300) all bagged big stacks on Day 1d.

Event #70: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event Day 1d Top 10 Chip Counts

*Chen’s stack will be verified once he opens his chip bag on Day 2

Hao Chen earned himself the honor of the Day 1d chip leader title after turning his 60,000 starting stack into a colossal 580,100. That stack not only secured the Day 1d chip lead but sees Chen lead the Main Event by a considerable distance. Chen’s stack is so large that WSOP will verify it once he opens his chip bag on Day 2d on July 8

Other players bagging up enough chips to place them in the upper echelons of the Day 1d chip counts include Randal Heeb (339,000), Mathieu His (316,000), and Joseph Bold (299,400).

Day 2abc of the 2022 WSOP Main Event shuffles up and deals at 11:00 a.m. on July 7 with Day 2d starting at the same time a day later on July 8. Those players who want to turn up fashionably late have two levels on Day 2 in which to make an entrance. As always, PokerNews will be on the ground from the first pitched cards to the bagging-up process.

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Quincy Borland Takes Down the Million Dollar Bounty Event

It proved third time’s a charm for Quincy Borland who took down Event #68: $1,000 Million Dollar Bounty for $750,120. Borland had two previous WSOP results to his name, one in the 2019 edition of the $600 Deepstack and another in the 2021 edition of the $888 Crazy Eights. Borland now gets to call himself a WSOP champion.

Borland went into heads-up against Kevin Hong with a two-to-one deficit, but fought back draw level then edge in front. The final hand saw Hong all-in and at risk with ace-jack against Borland’s dominating ace-queen. The ace-queen held, busting Hong in second place for $463,610 and crowning Borland as the event’s champion, a result worth $750,120 and a coveted gold WSOP bracelet.

Event #68: $1,000 Million Dollar Bounty Final Table Results

Relive all the action from this amazing tournament