Event #3: Singleton Bags Big as Bubble Drama Steals the Show
Day 1a of Event #3 wasn’t short on action — or endurance. The first of two starting flights drew 76 entries, building a $43,320 prize pool. But while the stacks flew early, the real story came late. What looked like a routine Day 1 turned into a grindfest as the bubble stretched on for nearly two full levels of hand-for-hand play.
It finally burst when Michael St Pierre-Porter got caught in a brutal cooler against Weston Pring. The hand of two pair against better two pair sent St Pierre-Porter to the rail as the bubble boy and launched Pring into second on the leaderboard. He trails only Curtis Singleton, who quietly chipped up throughout the day before bagging a flight-best 430,000.
Jimmy Lee (320,000) also finished strong, and a deep run from Lee could see him push his lifetime earnings over $1 million, as he’s only a few thousand away right now, while a handful of mid and short stacks rounded out the 10 players who secured a Day 2 seat — and a guaranteed payout.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|
| Curtis Singleton | 430,000 |
| Weston Pring | 332,000 |
| Jimmy Lee | 320,000 |
| Hassan Issa | 201,000 |
| Hongwei Liu | 136,000 |
| Toller Conrad | 96,000 |
| Eric Wasylenko | 91,000 |
| Xuan (John) Phan | 76,000 |
| Travis Darroch | 70,000 |
| Ruslan Baldzhy | 49,000 |
Day 1b plays out Saturday and will once again see late registration and re-entry open through Level 9 (around 8:15 PM). Just like Day 1a, 12.5% of the field will advance — but remember, no payouts are handed out unless you bag. It’s a best stack forward format, so players can still lock up a min-cash if they bag a second time, but no stack means no payout.
Event #4: Comely Claims the Trophy as Short-Stacked Showdown Ends in a Deal
While Day 1a’s bubble dragged, Event #4 wasted no time speeding to the finish. The $340 event drew 80 entries for a $20,520 prize pool, and by the time it was three-handed, the end was already in sight.
Tony Pioquinto fell in third just as Day 1a wrapped up, setting the stage for a fast-paced heads-up duel between Tony Comely and Ron Lauzon. With fewer than 40 big blinds in play between them, the pair agreed to an even chop at $5,848 each, leaving the trophy and bragging rights up for grabs.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Comely | $5,848* |
| 2 | Ron Lauzon | $5,848* |
| 3 | Tony Pioquinto | $3,080 |
| 4 | Hui Zhu | $2,050 |
| 5 | Stefan Maloney | $1,355 |
| 6 | Jordan Pennock | $985 |
| 7 | Nu Teliani | $760 |
| 8 | Ye Ping Shan | $595 |
There were less than 40 big blinds on the table in the final level, and when the money went in on a flop of 9♣5♦3♠ after limpy preflop action, both players hit the nine.
Comely also hit the five with K♠J♣9♥5♥ against Lauzon’s 9♦6♦4♠2♦ for top pair and a solid wrap up. Comely smashed the 5♣ turn for a boat, leaving Lauzon’s rivered straight with the 6♥ dead.
Trophy and swag go to Comely, while both players walk away with equal shares of the prize — a fitting close to a lightning-fast final table.
