WSOPC Tunica (August)

Debbie Lee

The first of two starting flights in Event #13: $1,700 No Limit Hold'em Main Event at Horseshoe Tunica is complete, and Debbie Lee left little doubt about who owned Day 1A.

Lee finished the night with a commanding 1,141,000 in chips, more than double the stack of her nearest challenger. She ran hot throughout the day and was responsible for a slew of eliminations, including the knockout that burst the money bubble.

Day 1A drew 115 entries, adding $174,225 to the prize pool. The field was initially trimmed to 18 players to reach the money, guaranteeing everyone remaining at least $3,434.

From there, play continued until just 10% of the starting field remained. The final elimination came during Level 16, leaving 12 players to bag their chips early and secure a spot in Sunday's Day 2.

Behind Lee, Yuval Bronshtein finished with 526,000, while Keith Canterbury put 427,000 in the bag. Peter Rouviere (422,000), Walker Miskelly (412,000) and Dylan Lemery (398,000) will also return with healthy stacks.

Matthew Higgins

Former Circuit Main Event champion Matthew Higgins was among those able to navigate the opening flight, finishing with 253,000.

Several other familiar Circuit champions weren't as fortunate and will need to come back for another shot in Saturday's second and final flight. Maurice Hawkins, Kyle Cartwright, Vincent Moscati, Luis Yepez, Hamid Izadi and reigning Horseshoe Tunica Main Event champion Preston McEwen were all unable to find a bag Friday.

Complete Day 1A chip counts 

1. Debbie Lee - 1,141,000 
2. Yuval Moshe Bronshtein - 526,000 
3. Keith Canterbury - 427,000 
4. Peter Rouviere - 422,000 
5. Walker Miskelly - 412,000 
6. Dylan Lemery - 398,000 
7. Matthew Higgins - 253,000 
8. Rodney Boswell - 249,000 
9. Karl Creazzo - 242,000 
10. Jacob Foley - 218,000 
11. Brandon Butler - 208,000 
12. Donald Crabtree - 105,000

Yuval Bronstein

Those 12 players are now guaranteed a payday and will have Saturday off before returning for Day 2 on Sunday. Lee will have to wait to see where her 1.1 million lands on the overall leaderboard, but she has set a high bar for anyone hoping to catch her.

The second and final starting flight gets underway Saturday, when a fresh field - along with many of Friday's casualties - gets one last chance to join Lee and the rest of the Day 1A survivors. Once Day 1B is complete, the two groups will combine Sunday for Day 2 and continue the chase for the Horseshoe Tunica Main Event title.

Yuval Bronstein

Blinds: 4,000/8,000/8,000 - 12/115 remain

Christopher Staats put in a bet on the turn, looking at a full board of before Yuval Bronshtein raised to 60,000 as the next player to act. Staats thought for a moment, then jammed for about 110,000 and was called.

Christopher Staats

Staats was at risk with before seeing that his aces were getting cracked again with Bronshein's . The river was irrelevant, and Staats hit the rail as the rest of the field began to bag for the night.

Full recap coming soon.

Dylan Lemery

Blinds: 4,000/8,000/8,000 - 13/115 remain

Dylan Lemery opened to 16,000 before Christopher Staats three-bet as the next player to act for about 48,000. It folded all the way back to Lemery, who thought it over for about a minute before he moved all in for 180,000. Staats was covering and immediately turned up for the call. Lemery tabled with a little frustration, and they were off to a full board.

There was no waiting as the miracle flop landed, giving Lemery a set. The turn and river didn't bring the help Staats needed, and he shipped a pure double over to Lemery.

• Dylan Lemery - 400,000
• Christopher Staats - 175,000

The 13 remaining players in the first flight of the Tunica Circuit Main Event are now on their last 15-minute break of the day. 

They will return to the action and only need to eliminate one more player before they bag for the night. 

Top Ten Chip Counts on Break

1. Debbie Lee - 1,300,000 
2. Peter Rouviere - 430,000 
3. Christopher Staats - 382,000 
4. Dylan Lemery - 345,000 
5. Donald Crabtree - 318,000 
6. Matthew Higgins - 305,000 
7. Yuval Bronshtein - 200,000 
8. Rodney Boswell - 162,000 
9. Keith Canterbury - 154,500 
10. Walker Miskelly - 109,000