Barzantny Takes Massive Lead at UKIPT London

Dual UKIPT Main Event winner Wojtek Barzantny holds a massive chip lead after Day 1C of the PokerStars-sponsored UK and Ireland Poker Tour London Main Event.

The German student, who won back-to-back UKIPT Main Events last November, finished Day 1C of the UKIPT Main Event with 275,900 chips – more than 60,000 chips ahead of his nearest competitor Weideng Wang, and 75,000 chips ahead of Day 1A and Day 1B chip leaders Ben Jackson and Luke Bird.

Barzantny admitted he enjoyed some good fortune during the day – once coming from behind with pocket Eights in a 80 blind pot to beat pocket Tens, and later making a huge pre-flop call with A♣ K♣ (> Q♠ J♦) to win another big pot and take the chip lead.

Another Big Field at the Vic

As was anticipated, a sell-out Day 1C pushed the total number of players in the UKIPT London Main Event over the 1,000 mark (1,099 to be precise) making it the largest live poker event to ever be staged in London; but it was not just the quantity of numbers that was impressive, it was also the quality.

Between them, players competing in the UKIPT London had previously won 8 WSOP bracelets, 12 UKIPT Main Events and 10 EPT titles and had totted up more than $171 million in live poker winnings. If you add the winnings from just the PokerStars Team Online Pros who forced themselves away from their computers to travel to London, that figure increases to well over $200 million.

Big Fields Lead to Big Prizes

The total number of entries led to a prize pool of £746,221 (after deductions) being created, with the winner of the UKIPT Main Event due to collect £156,800. 144 of the remaining 248 players will cash in the event (a min-cash worth £1,200) and – if the current rate of eliminations continues – the bubble should burst shortly after dinner on Friday.

When players take their seats at the Victoria Grosvenor Casino in London´s Edgware Road at noon today, Day 2 will be starting on Level 12 (blinds 600/1,200 – ante). The average chip stack has 66,500 chips in it and those least at risk of being blinded out before the first break include:-