Michael Bell Leads the $600 Ultra Stack After Day 1a; Shannon Elizabeth Bows Out
Day 1a of Event #84: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em is over, with 284 players progressing to Day 2. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) did not supply an official attendance; this will be rectified during Day 1b on July 8.
Michael Bell (2,635,000) enjoyed a fruitful day at the tables, turning his 60,000 starting stack into a colossal pile of more than 2.3 million. Ball will return on Day 2 with the equivalent of 95 big blinds in his stack and a realistic shot at his first WSOP bracelet.
Lee Clark (1,620,000), Yijie Zhang (1,590,000), Bhavin Khatri (1,555,000), and Felix Weis (1,485,000) occupy the top five places.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Bell | United States | 2,365,000 | 95 |
| 2 | Lee Clark | Canada | 1,620,000 | 65 |
| 3 | Yijie Zhang | United States | 1,590,000 | 64 |
| 4 | Bhavin Khatri | United Kingdom | 1,555,000 | 62 |
| 5 | Felix Weis | Luxembourg | 1,485,000 | 59 |
| 6 | Eric Hall | United States | 1,485,000 | 59 |
| 7 | John Fagg | United States | 1,455,000 | 58 |
| 8 | Berman Hillman | Bolivia | 1,435,000 | 57 |
| 9 | Fuat Temiz | United States | 1,400,000 | 56 |
| 10 | Paul Kiem | United States | 1,395,000 | 56 |
Hollywood star Shannon Elizabeth bought into this event, which added some glitz and glam to the occasion. Elizabeth was looking for her first WSOP cash since 2010, when she finished second in the $5,000 Ante Up for Africa event. However, it was not meant to be, and Elizabeth busted out before the curtain came down on Day 1a.
Some of the grinders who did progress to Day 2 included Steve Wilkie (1,340,000), Yucel Eminoglu (755,000), Kenny Hallaert (665,000), champion boxer Audley Harrison (595,000), Daniel Smiljkovic (595,000), and Mike Leah (220,000).
Day 1b of this event starts at 2:00 p.m. local time on July 8, where the entrants play for 20 levels, each spanning 30 minutes. Those who progress from Day 1b join up with the Day 1a survivors at 1:00 p.m. on July 9, where they will play 17 40-minute levels or down to only five players.
PokerNews' traditional coverage of this event starts on Day 2. Why not use MyStack to keep your friends and family updated back home if you're playing on Day 1b?