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The first-ever PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic $3,300 Main Event kicked off at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, featuring a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. Day 1A drew 88 entries, and leading the 14 advancing players is Jeremy Becker with 494,000.
Becker bagged nearly half a million in chips to top the counts in the first of three starting flights, and he continues to ride a heater that began during the recently completed PGT Bounty Blitz series, which saw Becker make five final tables in six events, including a victory.
Rick Mechammil (332,000) and Becker's 2024 summer rival, Landon Tice (315,000), round out the top three stacks. PGT regulars Joao Simao, Jonathan Little, Andrew Lichtenberger, and Josh Arieh also finished the day with chips in the bag.
PokerGO Commentator Jeff Platt and Amir Turkzadeh were among seven players to win their way in via satellite, and they both found a bag to return for Day 2 in the money. Nine more satellite winners will be playing Day 1B, while another $380 satellite tournament will run on Friday, giving players one last chance to win their way into the final flight.
On the final hand of the night, Shundan Xiao got her last few blinds in against Becker with king-five against queen-ten. The flop changed nothing, but a queen hit the turn to put Becker ahead. The river blanked, and Xiao was eliminated as the unfortunate Day 1A bubble girl.
Day 1B will take place on Friday, September 12, and Day 1C will take place on Saturday, September 13.
The remaining players will combine for Day 2 on Sunday, September 14, at 11 a.m., and they will play down to the final table. A winner will be crowned on Monday, September 15.
The PGT Live Reporting Team will provide exclusive live updates throughout the event on PGT.com until a winner is crowned, while each day will be livestreamed on PokerGO.com.
PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic Day 1A Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Jeremy Becker | United States | 494,000 |
| 2 | Rick Mechammil | United States | 332,000 |
| 3 | Landon Tice | United States | 315,000 |
| 4 | Joshua Remitio | United States | 302,000 |
| 5 | Chad Lipton | United States | 300,000 |
| 6 | Peter Csampai | United States | 287,000 |
| 7 | Joao Simao | Brazil | 271,000 |
| 8 | Aaron Messmer | United States | 232,000 |
| 9 | Amir Turkzadeh | United States | 219,000 |
| 10 | Jonathan Little | United States | 216,000 |
| 11 | Jeff Platt | United States | 186,000 |
| 12 | Mohamed Serry | United States | 135,000 |
| 13 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | 118,000 |
| 14 | Josh Arieh | United States | 116,000 |
Day 1A concluded with 12:12 remaining in Level 15 with blinds at 3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante.
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