Loni Hui Bags Big at the End of Day 1 of Event #35: $10,000 Secret Bounty
After 15 levels of play, Day 1 of Event #35: $10,000 Secret Bounty has drawn to a close. The field of 568 was whittled down to 142 by the day's conclusion. For this inaugural event at the 2023 World Series of Poker, the number of entrants generated a prize pool of $3,578,400 with a minimum cash of $10,858 and $733,317 up top for the winner.
Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Loni Hui enjoyed a fruitful session at the tables, bagging up 616,000 chips at the close of play. Harwood's impressive stack places her sixth overall as she mounts a charge for bracelet number three.
End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aliaksandr Hirs | Belarus | 750,000 | 94 |
| 2 | Yang Wang | China | 710,000 | 89 |
| 3 | Axel Hallay | France | 708,000 | 89 |
| 4 | Ariel Mantel | Argentina | 650,000 | 81 |
| 5 | Uri Reichenstein | Israel | 626,000 | 78 |
| 6 | Loni Hui | United States | 616,000 | 77 |
| 7 | Andre Akkari | Brazil | 558,000 | 70 |
| 8 | Eric Yanovsky | United States | 531,000 | 66 |
| 9 | David Stamm | United States | 525,000 | 66 |
| 10 | Nate Silver | United States | 517,000 | 65 |
Fresh from the final table of Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions Dan Shak is bringing through 244,000 chips to the start of Day 2. With an above-average stack, Shak will have a keen eye on back-to-back final tables in the newly popularised mystery bounty format, of which he has had clear success in this series.
Alongside Shak, fellow finalists Guang Chen and Tauan De Oliveira Naves put to use their winnings from their deep run in the mystery millions to play this event, however, neither of them managed to progress to Day 2.
Still in the mix for the bracelet is Matt Glantz, who pulled the million-dollar bounty in the 2022 Mystery Millions event. Will he be so fortunate tomorrow when the secret bounties come into play?
As the players bag their chips for the night, it appeared Yang Wang secured the chip lead as he will start tomorrow's play with 710,000. However, Aliaksandr Hirs (750,000) pipped Wang to the post.
Other notable big stacks include Uri Reichenstein (626,000), Nate Silver (517,000) and David Peters (506,000)
No strangers to success at the World Series, players to also find a Day 2 stack include Upeshka De Silva (299,000), Jeremy Ausmus (413,000), Justin Bonomo (443,000), reigning WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad (103,000) and Phil Hellmuth (101,000).
Shaun Deeb who, just last night, won his sixth bracelet in Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix has also found a healthy stack of 402,000. With his eyes set on the Player of the Year, another deep run could help him fulfil that legacy.
The action resumes at 12:00 p.m. local time on June 15 at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Play commences on Level 16 with blinds at 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante, with 40-minute levels. The plan is to play down to five players.
Return to PokerNews on June 15 as we continue the coverage of this tournament, and all of the bracelet-awarding events of the 2023 WSOP.