The richest ever UKIPT stop was created today after an epic Day 1C. A massive 629 players squeezed into Dusk Till Dawn today helping to bring the total number for the Main Event up to 1,223 players.
After ten levels of play 24-year-old Ben Miller came out on top of the chip counts with an impressive 264,200. He'll head into Day 2 as the overall chip leader and spoke to the blog at the end of play:
"I got in halfway through level four and just decided I was going to go for it rather than grinding like I usually would. A couple of big bluffs and a couple of big calls got me most of my stack. I'd decided if I didn't get in to level six I wasn't going to play.
"I trade equities for a living and due to work Day 1C was the only day I could play, I turned up at midday thinking there'd be a few alternates! I've played a few UKIPT's and came fifth at a UKIPT Series event in London. Poker is a serious hobby for me and I love trips abroad to play. I play cash more than tournaments. I love the UKIPT and how the events are set-up and run."
Jordan Cousins is playing his first ever UKIPT, as 60-hour working weeks keep him busy normally, and he is loving the experience. He won a £250 tournament credit in a DTD tournament and used that towards his buy in. He was down to 6,000 at one point but went on a huge upswing to end the day second in chips with 234,900.
The red spade was represented by Liv Boeree, Chris Moneymaker, Mattias De Meulder and Fatima Moreira de Melo today and the team had mixed results. Moneymaker busted a second bullet and Boeree busted her one and only. She was one call away from claiming the chip lead at the time and was punished by running kings into aces a short while after.
De Meulder and Moreira De Melo travelled over from the continent and are through with 57,300 and 124,700 respectively. "Today was awesome, I had a great time and I even got a little love note from someone!" the Olympic star said of her day.
The Full Tilt Poker Tour Ambassadors were out in force today. Sin Melin, Ben Jenkins and Martins Adeniya were all aiming to join Dermot Blain in Day 2 but only Adeniya managed to get through with 51,400.
The players of note to look out for on Day 2 include two-time champion Joeri Zandvliet (205,400), Daniel Pastor (177,700), Richard Evans (82,000), Paul Foltyn (53,600), Dave Ulliott (50,000), Thomas Ward (80,000), Karl Mahrenholz (50,900), Chris Gordon (128,500) and Richard Evans (82,000).
There was a fear that recreational players would be at a disadvantage with this stop being a re-entry tournament but of the 1,223 entries only 165 were on their second chance. On Monday one person will walk away with a huge £218,300 payday and a shiny new trophy. In total, 183 players will leave with a minimum £1,770. For a full breakdown of all the prizes click here.
The big numbers up top will only add to the disappointment of those missing out on the money. The likes of Roberto Romanello, John Kabbaj, Julian Thew, Alex Goulder, James Mitchell, Andrew Badecker, Tom Hall, Ludovic Geilich and Craig McCorkell all departed today (some for the second time) and will have to wait until UKIPT Marbella next month for their next shot of glory on the tour.
For many, the tournament proper starts tomorrow. All 333 remaining players from the three starting flights will be under one roof and the race to the money is on. The plan is to play eight or 10 one-hour levels and the bubble should burst midway through the day.
UKIPT Host Nick Wealthall gives us a quick, fun and charming summary of all the action from the previous 3 days.
Make sure you check back in from 12pm BST for all the day's big stories. Click below for all today's updates, chips counts and Day 2 seat draw.
Levels 1-4.
Levels 5-10.
Prize pool information.
Day 2 chip counts.
Day 2 seat draw.
Photos credited to Danny Maxwell