Main Event Day 1A Update: MJ edges ahead

African Ace Poker Desk · 2026-11-02

The Main Event: Day 1A

Marc Joseph holds a narrow lead over Ryan James with 61 players remaining on Day 1A of The Main Event.

After 101 total entries, 61 players continue to grind during Level 7, with blinds on 500-1000-1000. The prize pool has already creeped up to R1.2M.

Marc Joseph holds the chip lead with 171K chips, with Ryan James closely behind in 168K.

Nikola Tesla rounds out the top three on 152K, with Frank Chilchik on 132K and David Ng on 129K completing a top heavy leading group where all five stacks sit at 50 big blinds or more.

Chip Counts

| # | Player | Chips | Big Blinds | | ---: | :--- | ---: | ---: | | 1 | Marc Joseph | 171,000 | 171 | | 2 | Ryan James | 168,000 | 168 | | 3 | Nikola Tesla | 152,000 | 152 | | 4 | Frank Chilchik | 132,000 | 132 | | 5 | David Ng | 129,000 | 129 |