WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic Eyeing Record Setting Field

By Tim Duckworth

Season XVII’s WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic kicked off on Tuesday with Day 1 live from the Bellagio Casino & Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Wednesday plays host to Day 2, and the final opportunity for players to register and re-enter in the final WPT Main Tour event of 2018.

Last season saw a record-setting field of 812 entries create a $7,876,400 prize pool where Ryan Tosoc emerged victorious for his first WPT title. Following a strong turn out yesterday, that number of 812 entries is likely to be eclipsed as Day 1 already saw nearly 100 more entries take a seat then at the same point in the tournament last season. When play ended for Day 1, just 417 players bagged chips from the 697 entries while players continued to register throughout the night.

Leading the remaining players into Day 2 is Manuel Martinez who finished with 252,600 to pip Milos Skrbic in the last few orbits who ended with 205,500. Martinez is closely followed by Igor Yaroshevskyy (186,600), Jacobson (186,400), Ozgur Arda (185,800), and Ajay Chabra (185,600). Defending Champion Tosoc arrived late in the day and ended with 90,900 while other WPT Five Diamond Champions also survived into Day 2 and included Antonio Esfandiari, Joe Hachem, Dan Smith, Mohsin Charania, Ravi Raghavan, Kevin Eyster, and James Romero.

WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic Structure and Schedule

Day 2 will see the tournament transition to playing six 90-minute levels with a 15-minute break after every level. There will also be a 60-minute dinner break after the fourth level of the day; approximately 6:45 p.m. (PST). Unlimited re-entries are allowed, and registration closes on Day 2 at the start of Level 12; approximately 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12.

To view complete information on the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic structure and schedule, click here.

Day 2 kicks off at 12 p.m. (PST) at the Bellagio Casino & Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stay tuned right here to WPT.com for the exclusive live coverage of the tournament from start to finish to see who becomes the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic Champion, and wins his or her way to the season-ending Baccarat Crystal WPT Tournament of Champions.

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