The WPT Prime Gold Coast Main Event is well on the way to reaching and exceeding a $1 million prize pool after a bumper turnout for the first two Day 1 flights.
Having chalked up impressive numbers in the side events leading up to the Big Dance this week, the $1,500 buy-in tournament has to date brought in a total of 488 entries, generating a total prize pool worth $649,040.
The million-dollar mark is expected to be eclipsed in the third and final flight on Saturday morning, bolstered by both a strong contingent of interstate and international players now able to travel after the easing of COVID restrictions.
Leading at the end of Day 1A yesterday was Australian poker mindset coach and podcaster Brendon Rubie, who bagged up 549,000 in chips.
Rubie told PokerMedia Australia that he had to change up his regular game plan in order to compensate for the event structure, but adapted quickly and was happy with how things went overall.
“I actually came in halfway through the second level, which is quite early for me,” Rubie said. “To be honest, this structure here … it’s quite a fast one, so you want to get in early.”
“There were probably a few spots there that I could have played differently, but I got a combination of good hands and a few bluffs that went through.”
WPT PRIME GOLD COAST MAIN EVENT DAY 1A – TOP 10 CHIP COUNTS (222 entries, 31 survivors)
| Brendon Rubie | 549,000 |
| Ali Ghezelbash | 540,000 |
| Khac-Trung Tran | 464,000 |
| Jerry Wang | 455,000 |
| Najeem Ajez | 376,000 |
| Neb Blanusa | 268,000 |
| Attila Bognar | 246,000 |
| Adrian Pacheco | 244,000 |
| Shane Hicks | 222,000 |
| Jonathon Levy | 214,000 |
Overtaking him at the end of Day 1B, however, was Queenslander Frank Mete, who having been as high as 1.1 million, took a hit late in the day but still sealed up a whopping 902,000 in chips.
The zucchini farmer and father-of-five flew in direct from Cairns this week to take part in his first ever WPT Tier One series after padding his bankroll here in one of The Star Gold Coast’s regular weekly games earlier this year.
“I won the [$550 Monthly] Deepstack back in April,” Mete said. “This was the only event I was able to play this week … but I love the Gold Coast and I try to get down here as often as I can. I really like it here!”
WPT PRIME GOLD COAST MAIN EVENT DAY 1B – TOP 10 CHIP COUNTS (266 entries, 36 survivors)
| Frank Mete | 902,000 |
| Norman Mirza | 481,000 |
| Thien Chan | 428,000 |
| Troy McLean | 418,000 |
| Frank Ivin | 354,000 |
| Hussein Hassan | 353,000 |
| Richard Wells | 321,000 |
| Deborah James | 307,000 |
| Chris Colaneri | 265,000 |
| Tim Mitchell | 242,000 |
Play will resume from 11:30am AEST tomorrow (18 June), with PMA providing social media and daily articles for the duration of the Main Event; for more information and live updates, log onto worldpokertour.com.
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