The 2024 World Series of Poker kicked off with a bang as Event #54, the $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold’em tournament, began with Jour 1a on Monday. With a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million, players from all over the world flocked to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for a shot at becoming the next poker millionaire.
The tournament attracted a record-breaking field of 6,000 players for Jour 1a, each hoping to navigate their way through the grueling day of play and secure a spot in the money. The tournament featured a starting stack of 15,000 in chips and players battled it out in 40-minute levels.
As the action got underway, the tables were filled with some of the biggest names in poker, including former WSOP Main Event champions, high stakes cash game pros, and online poker phenoms. The competition was fierce from the start, with players trading chips back and forth in an effort to build their stacks and stay alive in the tournament.
One of the early chip leaders was Phil Ivey, widely regarded as one of the best poker players in the world. Despite facing stiff competition at his table, Ivey managed to accumulate a massive stack of chips early on and looked poised to make a deep run in the tournament.
As the day progressed, more and more players fell by the wayside, busting out of the tournament and leaving their dreams of WSOP glory behind. The relentless pace of play saw the field whittled down to just a fraction of its original size by the end of the day, with only a small percentage of players managing to survive and advance to Day 2.
Among those who managed to bag up chips at the end of Jour 1a were Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Selbst, and Justin Bonomo, all of whom are highly respected players with numerous accolades to their name. With their eyes set on the top prize and a chance to etch their names into poker history, these players will be looking to leverage their skill and experience to make a deep run in the tournament.
As the dust settled on Jour 1a of the Millionaire Maker, anticipation began to build for Jour 1b, which promised to be just as action-packed and competitive. With the tournament set to continue for several more days, fans and players alike can look forward to plenty of excitement and drama as the quest for the coveted WSOP bracelet continues.