Day 1 of the $10,200 Mystery Bounty is in the books here at 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus, with Ren Lin of China rising to the top of the standings after ten 30-minute levels of play.
In a star-studded field, Lin steadily accumulated chips throughout the day and finished with 578,000, the only player to bag over 100 big blinds. He leads 26 players to qualify from 62 entrants, with late registration still open until the start of Day 2.
Lin currently sits fifth in the Global Poker Index tournament rankings, and will be looking to further cement his reputation as one of the finest tournament players in the world with a deep run in this event.
Spanish PokerStars Ambassador Elias Gutierrez (428,000) sits in second after claiming a double knockout towards the end of the day, while Vladimir Korzinin (425,000) of Estonia completes the podium places.
Reflecting the strength of the field, feared Dutchmen Tom Vogelsang (405,000) and Teun Mulder (347,000) also managed to bag top ten stacks.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ren Lin | China | 578,000 | 115 |
| 2 | Elias Gutierrez | Spain | 428,000 | 85 |
| 3 | Vladimir Korzinin | Estonia | 425,000 | 85 |
| 4 | Yulian Bogdanov | Bulgaria | 405,000 | 81 |
| 5 | Tom Vogelsang | Netherlands | 405,000 | 81 |
| 6 | Diogo Coelho | Portugal | 367,000 | 73 |
| 7 | Teun Mulder | Netherlands | 347,000 | 69 |
| 8 | Artur Martirosian | Russia | 288,000 | 57 |
| 9 | Marcelo Bonanata | Uruguay | 271,000 | 54 |
| 10 | Alexander Zubov | Russia | 270,000 | 54 |
Plenty of notable names joined the fray but did not make the cut, including online legend Patrick Leonard, Spanish crusher Sergi Reixach and PokerStars Dare to Stream winner [Removed:553].
Late registration is still open until the start of Day 2 for players who have not already used their single permitted reentry, which is scheduled to get underway at noon local time on Thursday, October 10 at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa.
Play will recommence at Level 11, with blinds of 2,000/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante, so players taking advantage of Day 2 registration will be sitting down with 20 big blinds. Mystery bounties are scheduled to come into play at the start of Level 13.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of the event, as we play down to a winner and see who bags the juiciest bounties.
