Stephen Gilbert Leads Final 51 in Event #1
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In what has to be considered a calm before this weekend's Colossus storm, the 2015 WSOP kicked off at 12 p.m. Wednesday with the annual $565 Casino Employees' No-Limit Hold'em. The tournament drew 688 entries and played down to just 51 remaining after 15 40-minute levels of play. Taking the overnight lead was one Stephen Gilbert, who barely outpaced most-of-the-day chip leader Blake Robbins.
In all, a $344,000 prizepool was created that saw the top 72 spots get paid. The remaining players are all in the money now with $75,704 and the first WSOP bracelet of the summer awaiting the winner.
Plans are to play down to a champion on Day 2 of the event beginning at 1 p.m. local time Thursday. Here's how the top 10 stand right now:
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Gilbert | 236,500 |
| 2 | Blake Robbins | 233,000 |
| 3 | Greg Seiden | 180,000 |
| 4 | Michael Kahn | 173,500 |
| 5 | Gary Kochalka | 145,000 |
| 6 | Martin Butler | 127,000 |
| 7 | Jesse Kertland | 118,500 |
| 8 | Nghia Nguyen | 110,500 |
| 9 | Doi Huynh | 104,500 |
| 10 | Chris Jones | 103,500 |