WPT Prime Lodge Championship Reaches Day 1B in Austin
Day 1A produced 22 Day 2 qualifiers as the $1 million guaranteed event continues its four-flight opening stage.
The WPT Prime Lodge Championship moved into its second starting flight Friday at The Lodge Card Club in Austin, Texas, with Day 1B beginning at 12:15 p.m. The $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em event carries a $1 million guaranteed prize pool and has four opening flights before the surviving players combine for Day 2.
At the start of Level 3, Day 1B had drawn 85 entries and 81 players remained. The World Poker Tour live updates listed blinds at 200-400 with a 400 ante, while the average stack stood at 41,975 chips, or 104 big blinds. As reported in August, the championship was set as the centerpiece of the Sept. 24-Oct. 12 WPT Prime Lodge festival in Austin.
Players began Day 1B with 40,000 chips, with 40-minute levels and breaks after every three levels. Registration and unlimited re-entry remained available until the start of Level 10, at about 7:30 p.m., following a 45-minute dinner break after Level 9. Play is set to stop once 12.5% of the field remains, which is also the money bubble.
Day 1A attracted 173 entries, producing 22 Day 2 qualifiers when its money bubble burst during Level 16. Kenneth McKeown bagged the chip lead with 739,000, ahead of Justin Smith on 685,000 and David Pelosi on 592,000. WPT 2025 World Champion Schuyler Thornton also advanced.
The final two starting flights are set for Saturday, with Day 1C beginning at 11:15 a.m. and Day 1D at 6:15 p.m. Day 2 follows Sunday at 12:15 p.m., while the final table is scheduled for Monday at 2:15 p.m.
