Day 1B action is underway at the World Poker Tour Gardens Poker Championship.
The tournament's second starting flight sees an influx of new players, all looking to bag a big stack to take into Day 2. Through five levels of play, the player pool for Day 1B has swelled up to 162 entrants, boosting the prize pool for the tournament well into the seven-figure area.
Among the new faces are two-time WPT Champion Alex Foxen, WPT Ambassador Andrew Neeme, and two-time WPT Champion Art Papazyan.
If you thought yesterday's starting flight looked tough, imagine it with these three crushers in the field. Foxen and Neeme both entered late, but still with plenty of room to maneuver their starting stacks into a good spot.
Unfortunately for Foxen, the late start did not go as planned. A multi-way pot saw Foxen pay off a large check-raise on the river with the losing hand. With lots of play left in the day, however, Foxen should be able to rebuild his stack.
The Day 1B field also includes a few players that did not manage to find a bag in yesterday's flight. Bill Klein, Jesse Lonis, and Steven "Cuz" Buckner are all back with a vengeance, hoping for a better result than yesterday.
Andrew Moreno, a constant force in WPT events, also makes his return today. Through the first five levels of play Moreno has built up a significant stack and sits near the top of the field in chips.
As always, WPT provides chip counts, as well as live updates on all players in the field.
Images Courtesy of World Poker Tour