- Big Stax XXIII 300 Main Event 8:45 PM
- Level 11 (800/1600/200)
- Day 1B Entries: 273
- Total Entries: 575
Over the first level and a half of play since dinner, two players have vaulted over the 200k mark.

Michael Marder becomes the first player to challenge our early leader Pereira and now has ~250k in his stack. Marder is one of the tournament regulars on the East Coast and has ~$520k in career earnings. So far, in 2017 he has collected 14 cashes on the year but is still in search of his first 5-digit score. He fell just short of that mark on his biggest cash of the year which was a 5th at the SugarRush challenge in March for $8,997. He is still looking for his first Final Table at the Big Stax after coming very close in the 300 Main Event at Big Stax XVII when he finished 12th for $7,506.

Jeff Hong has become a staple here at the Big Stax series after his breakthrough score earlier this year. He finished 6th in the February running of the 300 Main Event for $15,778 and then followed that up with a 2nd at the Purple Chip Bounty in May for $10,203. Those are his two biggest scores on his short resume of tournament cashes as he sets his sights on a 2nd Final Table in this event. Hong is working with ~210k midway through Level 11 which is worth around 130 big blinds at this stage.