Highlights From Week 1 of the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge at the 2024 WSOP


Daily Deepstacks

Amidst the excitement of the 2024 World Series of Poker, the CelestialPoker Deepstack Challenge (PNDC) has been making waves at Horseshoe and Paris in Las Vegas.

For those new to the scene, CelestialPoker has revamped this summer’s Daily Deepstacks, shining a spotlight on the unsung heroes of low-stakes poker and dedicated amateurs. To further entice these bedrock poker fans, CelestialPoker has stumped up 40 tickets through a leaderboard promotion to our exclusive bracelet event, the $600 CelestialPoker Deepstack Championship.

Every week, the top ten players on the leaderboard earn one of these coveted tickets and with the first week already concluded, let’s dive into the highlights from Week 1!

2024 WSOP CelestialPoker Deepstack Championship Hub

Here is everything you need to know about the CelestialPoker Deepstack Championship at the 2024 World Series of Poker.

Raymond Chiu Becomes First Leaderboard Winner

Daily Deepstacks PN
Raymond Chiu

The opening week of the PNDC was completed on June 3, and with that, the first top ten players to qualify for the $600 CelestialPoker Deepstack Championship were determined.

Taking the top spot was Raymond Chiu, whose back-to-back Deepstack victories propelled him to first place. Along with the ticket, he was awarded his very own PNDC trophy.

For those still looking to participate, there are plenty of opportunities over the next three weeks to qualify for the CelestialPoker Deepstack Championship bracelet event.

The Week 2 leaderboard started on June 4 and runs until Monday, June 10 and is then followed by Week 3 (June 11-17) and Week 4 (June 18-24).

Read Raymond’s $800 to $30,000 Story Here

Week 1 Top 10 Leaderboard

CelestialPoker Prizes
Rank Player Points
1 Raymond Chiu 1,075
2 William Plitz 952
3 Jesse Gardner 821
4 Clark Robertson 795
5 Cory Biddle 782
6 Connor Woodland 767
7 Russell Brooks 765
8 Edgar Mascorro 762
9 Georgios Skarparis 747
10 Jingwei Qi 747

Simmy Mok’s Long Road to the WSOP

Simmy Mok
Simmy Mok

Canada’s Simmy Mok was the first beneficiary of a PNDC card protector. She triumphed in the opening Daily Deepstack of the series, but it’s been quite the journey for Mok, whose passion for poker came from very humble beginnings.

Mok’s route into poker began 24 years ago when she was nursing her son. With a newborn, Mok found herself awake through various stages of the night, and while tending to her baby’s needs, she started channel-flicking through the television.

Poker then became a saving grace for the Canadian after a major event seven year ago caused huge changes in her day-to-day life.

How Poker Became a Saving Grace

WSOP Circuit Ring Winner Cory Biddle Takes On the PNDC

Cory "CJ" Biddle
Cory \”CJ\” Biddle

WSOP Circuit Ring winner Cory “CJ” Biddle has been heavily grinding the Daily Deepstacks and notched a victory on May 28 and banked one other cash in Week 1 to lock up fifth-place on the top ten leaderboard.

Biddle took down the third Daily Deepstack of the series and gave his thoughts on why these tournaments are perfect for poker players looking to maintain their bankroll over the summer.

Read the full article

Week 1 PNDC Winners

Edgar Gabrielyan
Edgar Gabrielyan

The Daily Deepstack have already seen some amazing turnout, with 7,753 entries recorded across the events in the opening week. From those buy-ins, a grand total of $1,694,590 has been collected in prize pools, with the tournament champions claiming $322,462 of that sum.

The biggest tournament of the week was Monday’s 1 p.m. $250 Daily Deepstack, with a field size of 1,030 players. Jesse Gardner was the winner and collected the $29,557 first-place prize.

Date Event Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize
Tue 28 May $250 No Limit Hold’em 237 $47,400 Simmy Mok $10,256
Tue 28 May $400 No Limit Hold’em 21 $6,930 Kum Im $2,863
Tue 28 May $200 No Limit Hold’em 115 $17,825 Cory Biddle $4,697
Wed 29 May $250 No Limit Hold’em 389 $77,800 Alexander Kinney $14,632
Wed 29 May $400 No Limit Hold’em 50 $16,500 Jeremy Johnson $5,411
Wed 29 May $200 No Limit Hold’em 163 $25,265 Gerald Bickmore $6,065
Thu 30 May $250 No Limit Hold’em 422 $84,400 Jugal Daterao $15,519
Thu 30 May $400 No Limit Hold’em 115 $51,150 Allan Ansdell Jr $12,420
Thu 30 May $200 No Limit Hold’em 178 $27,590 William Plitz $6,475
Fri 31 May $250 No Limit Hold’em 431 $86,200 Srikanth Alajangi $15,771
Fri 31 May $400 No Limit Hold’em 177 $58,410 Raymond Chiu $13,709
Fri 31 May $200 No Limit Hold’em 181 $28,055 Chi Tuan Do Nguyen $6,519
Sat 1 Jun $250 No Limit Hold’em 485 $97,000 Georgios Skarparis $17,193
Sat 1 Jun $400 No Limit Hold’em 229 $75,570 Raymond Chiu $16,489
Sat 1 Jun $200 No Limit Hold’em 195 $30,225 Jackson Young $6,886
Sun 2 Jun $250 No Limit Hold’em 402 $80,400 Mark Lacoste $14,994
Sun 2 Jun $400 No Limit Hold’em 344 $113,520 Edgar Mascorro $22,130
Sun 2 Jun $200 No Limit Hold’em 282 $43,710 Clark Robertson $9,005
Mon 3 Jun $250 No Limit Hold’em 1,030 $206,000 Jesse Gardner $29,557
Mon 3 Jun $400 No Limit Hold’em 356 $117,480 Russell Brooks $22,644
Mon 3 Jun $200 No Limit Hold’em 333 $51,615 Edgar Gabrielyan (pictured) $10,174

Check Out the Leaderboard for the PNDC

Ready to show off your skills and compete for amazing prizes? The CelestialPoker Daily Deepstack Challenge is here from May 28 to June 24, and it’s your time to shine! Play in daily WSOP deep stack tournaments, earn points, and score fantastic rewards—including seats to the $600 CelestialPoker Deepstack Championship and some cool memorabilia.

Want to see how you’re doing? Track your progress, check out the latest standings, and get all the updates on our leaderboard page. Click the link below to dive into the action!

Check Out the Leaderboard Now!

Calum has been a part of the CelestialPoker team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.


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