The Day 1b stacks are in and Jeff Cormier had the biggest bag to end the night. His 1b stack of 2.7 million is leading both days, with Day 1a leader Steven Dubois-Daigle and 1b runner-up Angelo Jopek tied for second with 2,310,000. Colten Yamagishi was third in the stacks list for 1b with 1.685 million.

There were also a few survival and spin-up stories today. Glenn Tarasoff was down to 2,000 chips at one point tonight, but managed to spin it back up to 1.135 million, while Brian Nutt spun up a two big blind stack in Level 20 to bag 700k. Meanwhile, local rapper Daniel "Mistah Belidge" Demontmorency was down to 20k after dinner and still managed to bag 370k for his first Day 2.

Day 1b Chip Leaders

They didn't quite make the end of Level 22 before they hit 43 players, so Day 1b is complete. Day 1a finished a little earlier than 1b so they'll start Day 2 with about 10 minutes to play in Level 22. They'll finish Level 22 and play 23 and 24 at Day 1 30 minutes before it moves to 45-minute levels for official Day 2 play to start Level 25.

Stay tuned for the Day 1b stacks here and look for a Day 2 post shortly with seat assignments.

There are 44 players left in 1b now with about 3 minutes to play in Level 22. The next elimination will bring out the bags.

They are down to 46 players now, just 3 players away from the bags coming out tonight.

They are down to 52 players left in Day 1b, which puts them 9 players off the early end of the night. Level 22 has just started, and it seems likely they'll bag up before the end of this level or shortly after the start of Level 23.

They are down to 58 players left in 1b now with just over 10 minutes left in Level 21. That means they are less than 15 players away from the early end of the night so it looks nearly certain they won't last until the end of Level 24.

They are down to 68 players left in Day 1b now with Level 21 just underway. They need to play four more levels, or down to 43 players, to end the night.

Level 20 is nearly complete and the remaining players will take their final break of the day following this level. There are four levels left on the schedule for today, but it seems likely they'll hit 43 players long before then.

There are 93 players left in the game now, which is 50 players away from the bags coming out. Level 19 is about to end, and there are five levels left on the schedule after this one.

They are down to 98 players left in Day 1b now with 10 minutes to go in Level 19. The players will take their final break of the night following Level 20, and then return for four levels of poker, at most, before the bag up the 1b stacks.

The numbers are dropping quickly now with the field down to 114. The first group of prizes are now posted under the Payouts tab and I'll update as more players hit the cage for cash.

It's been a pretty big day for poker here at Deerfoot. In addition to the record field for this Monster Stack game, the satellite side game saw 350 entries with 41 players expected to earn a Main Event seat from it, and $426 left over for 42nd place as a consolation.

I've also just had a quick look at the main Poker room, and every table is full of cash players, with four more tables of cash games running in the Chrome room alongside the satellite and the Flip & Go games. Poker is alive and well here in Calgary this week!

There was no bubble play tonight as the bubble burst during the final hands before the clock was paused for hand-for-hand play. There are now 128 players left in the game, and I expect busts to come fast and furious for the next few minutes as players try to spin up their stacks.

I've gotten a look at the Day 2 payouts for tomorrow, but for now, I won't publish them as they may change if today's flight ends with more than 5% of the field. However, assuming they play down to 43 today, the winner can expect to pocket more than $70k with seven players bagging five-figure scores from the Monster.

The 1b field is down to 134 players left now, six off the money spots with about 10 minutes left to play in Level 17.

They are down to 140 players left in Day 1b, just 12 players away from the 128 money spots. There are about 20 minutes left in Level 17, so it looks likely they'll hit the money near the end of this level or the start of 18.

I've just had another wander around the room and there are still a lot of regulars in the crowd. Among the players I spotted were DJ Sharma, Dominick French, E7 Winner Dylan Ellis, Toby Wu, Mike Kim, Cuong Lieu, Anthony Manfredi, Gurdeep Parhar, Tang Jooce, Willie Hernandez, Leo Zhang, Cole Harmon, E8 Winner Ronnie Dattani, Johnny Yu, Regan Duong, and Travis Kruger.

They are down to 171 players left in Day 1b now, just 42 spots away from the 128 paid spots for today. There are just over 10 minutes left in Level 15 and there's a break following the end of Level 16. Based on the current pace, it's possible they'll burst the bubble before the next break, but it seems more likely they'll hit the money spots a few minutes after they return for Level 17.

There are 180 players left in 1b now with 25 minutes to play in Level 14. I've just had a look at two rows of tables and among the players I spotted still battling for a bag are Calen McNeil, Nicholas Milkovich, Dav Howlet, Fatima Nanji, Seniors' winner Paul Sokoloff, Cliff Green, Shawn Caron, Troy Chehayeb, Haven Taylor, Mike Lonigro, Colten Yamagishi, Fred Balic, Ali Razzaq, Maru Somers, Shannon Lazorko, and Stefan Maloney.

The Day 1b field is down to 198 players left now, 70 players off the money spots with Level 14 about to finish.

The 1b field is down to 216 players left now with 20 minutes left in Level 14. There are 128 paid spots for today, so they are now 88 players away from the first Day 1 paydays.

The Day 1b field is down to 234 entries now but for players who have no luck in this Monster Stack, there is still poker to play. There is a satellite running in the Chrome room tonight with tickets to the Main Event up for grabs.

For $250 players get a 1 in 8.5 shot at Main Event tickets. The game starts with 15k in chips and plays 20-minute levels. The action is already ongoing in the Chrome Room with 261 entries, but players still have about an hour and a half to get into the game, so it looks like it's going to be a huge one tonight. It looks like there are already more than 30 tickets available and that number will only grow.

The Monster Stack Day 1b field is now all in the Sundance Room after needing Chrome for spillover for much of the day. They are down to 252 players left in the field, about 110 away from the Day 1b money spots.

They are moments away from cards going in the air for Level 13 with the end of the dinner break. There are 12 more levels on the schedule for today, but they'll end early if they play down to 43 players before then.

Day 1a ended with 10:42 remaining in Level 22, but it seems likely that, given the size of today's field, 1b will play a bit later than 1a did.

Last January, the Monster Stack got 1,199 entries, which seemed like a pretty big number for a two-flight event. This year, the game went even bigger once again.

With confirmed numbers now at 1,380 for this year's Monster Stack, that makes for a 15% increase over last year's total for a prize pool of about $60k more. Given the increase in numbers as this series has gone on, it seems very reasonable to expect another record prize pool for the Main Event.

In 2023, the Main Event crushed the $2 million mark with $2,169,480 in total prizes. If the Main comes in with the same increase as this Monster Stack game, that could easily mean prizes of $2.5 million of more for the big game this weekend.

The 1b field is down to 298 players left with moments to play before the dinner break They'll be out of the room for the next 45 minutes, then return for 12 more levels of poker, at most, before the end of Day 1b.

The prizes for 1b are now up in the backend - see the Payouts tab for a look at the payouts for today's flight. 1st through 43rd place have no payout value as they will be paid out in tomorrow's Day 2. There are just over 5 minutes remaining until the dinner break.

The prizes are now up and the entries for 1b are confirmed at 850 for a two-day total of 1,380 and prizes of more than $455k. I'll add the prizes for 1b into the backend shortly, but 128 players will be getting a piece of the cash from today's flight with at least 43 players moving on to Day 2. The first busts in the money today will pocket $602 while the player who bubbles Day 2 will get $930 to help ease the pain.

The 1b field is down to 383 players left now to start Level 11. The room is full of familiar faces and a few of them include Chris Clisby, FLO8 Bracelet winner Calen McNeil, PLO Bracelet and Ring winner Jerry Li, Stefan Maloney, Seniors' winner and four-time Ring holder Paul Sokoloff, John Foley, Shawn Sperber, Fred Balic, Laurence Louie, and Praba Siva. Bear in mind, that lust barely scratches the surface of the regulars in the field today.

There have also been a few familiar faces showing up late to the series, including some well-known poker streamers. Patrick "Egption" Tardif arrived in time to cash the $1k Turbo game last night, while Mehdi "GitAndSos" Saeed didn't quite make the cutoff for the Turbo but is in 1b action here today in the Monster.

They are down to 405 players left now, though I think the clock is only changing when they break tables, so every nine eliminations. There are just over 5 minutes left in Level 10 and players are scheduled for their dinner break after Level 12.

Entries are now closed for Day 1b, but the numbers are still being crunched. The preliminary numbers show 851 entries for today's flight for a two-day total of 1,381, which should put the total prizes at about $455k.

With 851 entries today, there should be 128 paid spots from 1b with at least 43 players advancing through to join the 27 players from 1a who qualified for tomorrow's Day 2. Those numbers will all be confirmed when the prizes are posted later today.

It's certainly a Monster again with the field for Day 1b over 800 entries with the final level of registration about to finish. That puts the total field now at 1,344, which is almost 150 entries over last year's figure of almost 1,200.

Prizes are currently sitting at $443k and there are still 20 minutes left for players to enter the game, though there is a lineup of players waiting for seats so it's hard to say how long it will take after the break to get every seated.

Event #9: $400 Monster Stack ($330 + $70)
Day 1: Jan 16/17, 11 am
Day 2: Jan 18
Starting Stack: 40k
Blinds: 30 Minutes
Registration: 8 Levels (~3:30 pm)
Day 1 Ends: 24 Levels or 5% of the Field
15%-5% Paid on Day 1

The Monster Stack is among the most popular tournaments at the WSOP-C. Last year there were nearly 1,200 entries in the field for a prize pool of $395,715.

The action kicks off at 11 am for Day 1 play and there will be two shots to bag a Day 1 stack. Day 1a runs on Tuesday, Jan 16 while Day 1b goes on Wednesday. Players start the day with 20k in chips and play as many as 24 30-minute levels before they bag for the night, but the game will bag early if they hit 5% of the field before the end of Level 24.

Day 1a saw 530 entries for a prize pool so far of $174,900. Steven Dubois-Daigle leads the way as the only 2+ million stack.

Players can get into the game for 8 levels on Day 1, putting the final chance to buy in at about 3:30 pm on each Day 1. Players who finish from 15% to 5% on Day 1 will get paid before they leave.