Sunday saw the ending of the latest season of the WPT Legends of Poker Main Event’s third and last starting flight. Over Season XVI of the event, a total of 715 players were attracted to the field, with 383 entries registered on Day 1C alone.
Now, the tournament is heading to its second day, and Cody Slaubaugh managed to rank as the current chip leader, with the possession of 310,500 in chips at the end of Day 1C. Registration and re-entry will be allowed until the start of Day 2 of the WPT Legends of Poker Main Event.
The players are to return for Day 2 at The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, with the final numbers to be tallied and released as soon as the registration closes. At that time, the total player field size, the generated prize pool and expected payouts are to be officially announced. The player who emerges victorious from Season XVI of the WPT Legends of Poker Main Event is to be granted not only with the largest cash portion of the accumulated prize pool, but will also take home a luxurious Hublot Big Bang Steel watch.
Who is Cody Slaubaugh?
Cody Slaubaugh is not a new face in the live tournaments poker arena. To date, the player’s overall live winnings amount to $1,322,412, with his largest live cash valued at $389,128 which was registered after him occupying the runner-up position at the 39th WSOP 2008 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’en event. Now, the US player is expected to do his best in order to add to his total live tournament career earnings. The fact that Slaubaugh already has three World Poker Tour cashes, including a 35-place finish in WPT Legends of Poker Main Event Season X, is expected to further encourage him to give his best.
Back in 2011, his 35th place brought him a monetary prize of $10,280. Looking back to that day, Slaubaugh himself commented that he had chipped up early, losing a big hand. So far, this year, the player is the overall leader on top of the 715-player field with a stack of 310,500 in chips at the end of Main Event’s last starting flight.
When asked what would his strategy be over Day 2 of the Main Event, Slaubaugh shared that he normally preferred not having a plan.
Other Familiar Faces at WPT Legends of Poker Main Event
Cody Slaubaugh may be currently on top of the field, but another American player and a WSOP gold bracelet owner – Mel Wiener – is not far behind, with a stack of 307,100 in chips. For the time being, Wiener has won an overall amount of $1,720,584 in live tournaments, with his best live cash estimated to $250,315. One of his best rankings to date was his 16th-place finish in the second season of the WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event, which brought him a monetary prize pool portion of $30,250. This is also his only cash generated in the World Poker Tour series so far.
A number of other notable players have managed to get to Season XVI WPT Legends of Poker Main Event Day 2, including the members of WPT Champions Club Zachary Smiley and James Carroll, the last year’s WPT finalist Simon Lam, as well as the Japanese musician Gackt. Two other members of WPT Champions Club – James Claderaro and Scotty Nguyen have also survived the starting flights and are to return for Day 2 action.
- Author
Harry Evans
