button in SafariEnd of Day 1ab Chip Counts
The first two starting flights of the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off ($1,000,000 Guaranteed) are in the books at the Borgata Summer Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker, and there's a familiar face sitting atop the chip counts.
Defending champion James Lauer has picked up right where he left off last summer, bagging a tournament-leading 1,140,000 chips after cruising through Day 1a. Lauer spent much of the day among the leaders before finishing well clear of the rest of the field as he looks to make another deep run in the event that produced the biggest score of his career 12 months ago.
Lauer wasn't the only player to build a mountain of chips on Day 1a. Leo Saiag finished second in the flight with 758,000, while Scott Lesh rounded out the top three with 625,000.
The opening flight attracted 378 entries, with 48 players reaching the money and locking up a $1,200 min-cash. By night's end, just 31 players remained to advance to Day 2.
Joining Lauer among the Day 1a survivors are James Lillis (563,000), Brandon Mueller (449,000) and Bijay Lama (222,000), who burst the money bubble by eliminating Hector Santucci in a flip to guarantee the remaining players a payday.
Day 1b drew another healthy crowd, with 189 entries taking their shot at the seven-figure guaranteed prize pool. Robert Elias emerged as the chip leader after bagging 955,000, narrowly ahead of Steven Petitte, who finished with 930,000. Omar Taveras completed the podium with 468,000.
A total of 24 players cashed in Day 1b, with 16 players surviving to bag chips for Sunday's Day 2.
Day 1ab Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Lauer | United States | 1,140,000 |
| 2 | Robert Elias | United States | 955,000 |
| 3 | Steven Petitte | United States | 930,000 |
| 4 | Leo Saiag | United States | 758,000 |
| 5 | Scott Lesh | United States | 625,000 |
| 6 | Scott Trivolis | United States | 599,000 |
| 7 | James Lillis | United States | 563,000 |
| 8 | Alexander Murphy | United States | 506,000 |
| 9 | Andrew Torrico | United States | 480,000 |
| 10 | Matthew Iles | United States | 476,000 |