Get ready for some big stack poker action on Day 3 at the 2020 LA Poker Classic on Monday, as 15 players bagged stacks of at least 100 big blinds Sunday night.
Isaac Baron left the Commerce Casino following Day 2 in the chip lead and with a massive stack — 710,000. The talented pro has an impressive World Poker Tour resume — 17 cashes and over $1.1 million in earnings. But he’s still chasing his first WPT title.
With the blinds starting at 1,500/3,000 (3,000 big blind ante) when play resumes at noon PT on Monday, Baron will begin play with 236 big blinds. That certainly won’t guarantee him a WPT title — this one is worth $1 million. But with 103 remaining players, 63 of whom will cash, he’s in great shape to earn his 18th WPT cash.
How Valuable is a Big Stack Anyway?
We don’t mean to rain on Baron’s parade, but ending a session with the chip lead isn’t everything it’s cut out to be. Just ask Demo Kiriopoulos, who bagged the biggest stack on Day 1 at the LA Poker Classic.
Sure, Kiriopoulos also made it through Day 2 with chips. But things went downhill for the former WPT champion on Sunday. He entered the session with 255,600 chips and finished the day at 95,000, which is well below average but still worth 31 big blinds.
The good news for Kiriopoulos is he can still spin his stack back up. The bad news, however, for Baron is it just goes to show how quickly a chip leader can fade.
Talent Galore Will Be on Display on Day 3 at LA Poker Classic
Day 3 at the LA Poker Classic will begin with 15 players sitting at 100 big blinds or more, and numerous talented pros still in action. Among those with three-figure big blind stacks includes 2012 WSOP Main Event runner-up Jesse Sylvia (456,000), poker coach Chance Kornuth (446,000), recent WPT Fallsview Poker Classic champion Eric Afriat (405,000), and WSOP Heads-Up Championship crusher John Smith (327,000).
Other Notable Chip Stacks
- Ali Imsirovic (277,500)
- Ryan Laplante (213,500)
- J.C. Tran (180,000)
- John Hennigan (125,000)
- Bill Klein (115,000)
- Barry Greenstein (62,000)
- Mike Sexton (58,000)
- Matt Affleck (45,000)
The money bubble will burst at some point on Day 3, so the short stacks will be looking for early double-ups. Although there are many massive stacks returning on Monday, 16 players have under 20 big blinds.
