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Olson Leads, Hoff Eliminated on Bubble of Eventful Day 1a of Bar Poker Open Florida World Championship
November 18, 2023 @ 11:38 PM
A fast-paced and dramatic first day of play in the Bar Poker Open Florida World Championship left just 29 players from the original 281 entries, with defending champion Phil Hoff the last man out the door on the bubble for the money and Day 2.
Hoff was eliminated on the second hand of hand-for-hand play when he shoved his last 130,000 in with two pair and ran into Matthew McGuire who held a Broadway straight.
The hand gave McGuire the second-largest stack to end the night behind chip leader Charles Olson, who bagged 725,000. Rounding out the top five chip counts are Paul Chamberlain (535,000), Steve Mayer (510,000), and Chris Davis (490,000).
The day's 281 entries created a prizepool of $80,928, with Day 1b still to come Sunday. The winner is guaranteed a $50,000 first prize.
Play ended late in Level 18 with 3:12 remaining at blinds of 10,000 / 15,000 with a 15,000 big blind ante.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Name | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Olson | United States | 725,000 |
| 2 | Matthew McGuire | United States | 630,000 |
| 3 | Paul Chamberlain | United States | 535,000 |
| 4 | Steve Mayer | United States | 510,000 |
| 5 | Chris Davis | United States | 495,000 |
| 6 | Steven Hibbs | United States | 480,000 |
| 7 | John Purdy | United States | 455,000 |
| 8 | Miguel Medrano | United States | 410,000 |
| 9 | Will Unruh | United States | 380,000 |
| 10 | David Phillips | United States | 350,000 |
The Day's Action
Among other notables surviving the day is Will Unruh, who was at or near the top of the leaderboard most of the day, finishing with 380,000. A solid contingent of female players in the field was led by Angela Ford and her 280,000 chips. Samantha Skelly battled with a short stack for most of the day before bagging up 170,000.
The day was full of dramatic hands, including a wild set over set over set flop that saw the elimination of Bill Murphy early in the day at the hand of Linda Fuchs. Unfortunately though for Fuchs and Jolanda Tedford, the other player in the hand, none were able to advance to Day 2.
Tedford's husband Frazier Tedford however did make it through the day, though with far less chips than he had hoped, as a late hand vs John Purdy saw his kings cracked by Purdy's ace-queen that flopped trips and then rivered quads.
Some other players that will have to fire again on Day 1b with hopes of advancing are Bob Carswell, Amanda Nissman, Deby Goldfarb, and Richard Anderson, whose journeys to the BPO Florida World Championship were profiled here on PokerNews.
Day 1b Sunday and Beyond
Next up is Day 1b on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET where players will be able to take another $365 shot at advancing to Monday's Day 2 where a champion will be crowned $50,000 richer. Players will also have a single re-entry available should they wish.
Stay close to PokerNews for continuing coverage of the Bar Poker Open Florida World Championship from here at the Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.