The World Poker Tour (WPT) Rolling Thunder Main Event is moving right along – Day 2 of the tournament was completed Monday night and there are just two days left to go. Once again, Ankush Mandavia has the chip lead and is set up to threaten the final table once again, just days after finishing 23rd at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star.
As we have mentioned previously, the WPT Rolling Thunder Main Event had a unique structure for the opening rounds, as players were allowed one entry and one re-entry per starting flight, plus another re-entry during the first level of Day 2. More than 30 players made the late entry on Monday, increasing the total field to 409 runners. That has made the official prize pool $1,323,800 with a first prize just shy of $300,000. The tournament will pay to 45th place with a min-cash of $7,329.
Ankush Mandavia has seen some significant success in the past year. He cashed five times at the 2015 World Series of Poker, though none of them particularly large as poker prizes go. In August, he made the final table of the $25,000 High Roller Event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, good for $186,200. After a few more cashes, he finished third in the Aria High Roller XIX $25,000 event this past December for $141,000. Straddling the new year, he earned almost half of his lifetime live tournament earnings. In late December, Mandavia finished fifth in the WPT Alpha8 $100,000 High Roller, a score of more than $300,000. Then, to kick off 2016, he placed third in the $100,000 event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, a cash worth nearly $800,000. All told, he has won $2.35 million and ranks 39th in the Global Poker Index.
The top of the leader board going into Day 3 is very strong. After Mandavia, Mohsin Charania sits in third place, seeking his third World Poker Tour trophy. Immediately after him are Danny Fuhs, Taylor Paur, and Daniel Strelitz. In eighth place is JC Tran, who is also looking for his third WPT title.
Mandavia’s chip lead is not insignificant, but much can change in a day. He has 140,000 more chips than Imaze Hasnain, who himself has 106,000 more than Charania. There is a 140,000 chip game from Charania to Fuhs and then almost 90,000 more down to Paur. After Paur, things level out.
The tournament has just gotten underway out in California. There are 52 players remaining, so the money bubble should burst soon. The plan today is to play down to the six-handed final table.
2016 World Poker Tour Rolling Thunder Main Event – Day 2 Chip Leaders
1. Ankush Mandavia – 937,500
2. Imaze Hasnain – 797,500
3. Mohsin Charania – 691,500
4. Danny Fuhs – 552,000
5. Taylor Paur – 465,000
6. Daniel Strelitz – 461,500
7. JC Tran – 448,500
8. Vien Chau – 428,500
9. Matthew McEwan – 406,000
10. Russell Garrett – 385,000
