Mike 'Timex' McDonald is WCOOP $51,000 Super High Roller chip leader

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Former EPT champion and PCA Main Event runner-up, Mike ‘Tîmex’ McDonald, is chip leader of the WCOOP $51,000 Super High Roller – the world’s biggest ever buy-in online poker tournament – after the first day’s play. A total of 46 players bought in to WCOOP-47 yesterday to create a prize pool of $2,300,000, with a first prize of $851,000 up for grabs.

Four Team PokerStars Pros took part, including Daniel ‘KidPoker’ Negreanu, who also delivered a live Twitch stream of the event as he played, along with Isaac ‘Ike Haxton’ Haxton, Jason Mercier and Alex ‘Kanu7’ Millar. All are now eliminated, however, with Millar lasting the longest, finishing 16th.

SPORTS BETTING
For the first time ever, PokerStars.com also opened a betting market on one of its online poker tournaments, and took hundreds of bets before the start of play. Current chip leader ‘Tîmex’ began play at odds of 15.00 but has now been slashed to 4.00 favourite. The reigning WCOOP Main Event champion, Fedor ‘CrownUpGuy’ Holz, is also still in with a shot and is priced up at 6.50.

Going into play today, which resumes at 12.30 ET / 17.30 BST / 18.30 CET, there are eight players left with six places paid. First prize is $851,000 with sixth place paying $126,500. Here are the top five players, chip stacks, and respective odds:

PLAYER: CHIPS — ODDS
Mike ‘Tîmex’ McDonald (Canada): 237,712 — 4.00
Cejakas14 (UK): 214,540 — 4.50
dpeters17 (Canada): 195,294 — 5.50
Ben86 (Canada): 193,912 — 5.00
Fedor ‘CrownUpGuy’ Holz (Austria): 145,222 — 6.50

Betting will be available right up until play starts today at 12.30 ET, and the market will reopen, with updated odds, during the tournament’s five-minute breaks until the event finishes or a deal has been made.

For a report on the first day’s action, check out the PokerStars Blog: http://psta.rs/1Op6mDH

WATCH IT!
Poker players and fans can watch the final stages today in the PokerStars client, and tomorrow will be able to watch a cards-up replay of the final table, featuring commentary from Joe Stapleton and Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree, from 10.00 ET / 15.00 BST / 16.00 CET at www.twitch.tv/pokerstars.