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The 49th day of what has been a World Series of Poker (WSOP) to remember saw three bracelets awarded at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. With the Main Event finalists enjoying a well-deserved day off from grinding, seven other events stepped into the limelight.
Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship saw Clement Richez come out on top on the third and final day, helping themselves to a cool $1,041,989 prize and their first WSOP bracelet. Richez defeated Adam Owen heads-up to capture the title of this inaugural event.
Michael Rocco became a WSOP bracelet winner after triumphing in Event #94: $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em. Only 28 players returns for the third and final day, and it was Rocco who emerged victoriously once the dust had settled, defeating defending champion Alexandre Reard heads-up.
Day 1c of Event #93: $777 Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em drew in 3,235 entrants but only 150 of those starters had chip requiring bagging and tagging after 22 half-hour levels. Ukraine’s Artem Metalidi (2,375,000), the 2018 WSOP Main Event finalist, finished the third and final flight third in chips, trailing only Marc Rivera (3,255,000) and Jeffrey Smith (2,380,000).
Ilija Savevski (1,365,000) is hunting for his third bracelet, while Jessica Vierling (1,095,000), and Kathy Liebert (1,000,000) bagged up seven-figure stacks. Dean Hutchison (945,000), who finished sixth in last year’s Main Event, is through, as are Dinesh Alt (460,000), Anthony Spinella (385,000), and Bin Weng (380,000).
The plan for Day 2, which starts at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 16, is to cut the field down to only five or play 17 40-minute levels, whichever comes first.
Event #93: $777 Lucky 7’s Day 1c Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc Rivera | Philippines | 3,255,000 | 81 |
| 2 | Jeffrey Smith | United States | 2,380,000 | 60 |
| 3 | Artem Metalidi | Ukraine | 2,375,000 | 59 |
| 4 | Duc Nguyen | United States | 2,370,000 | 59 |
| 5 | David Baize | United States | 2,000,000 | 50 |
| 6 | Brandon Navarrete | United States | 1,915,000 | 48 |
| 7 | Jared Moore | United States | 1,870,000 | 47 |
| 8 | Justin Datloff | United States | 1,845,000 | 46 |
| 9 | Justin Arnwine | United States | 1,815,000 | 45 |
| 10 | Lukas Hafner | Austria | 1,745,000 | 44 |
Poker Hall of Fame Bounty Event Requires an Extra Day
It was always going to be a tall order to reduce the 167 returning players to a champion in the space of a day in Event #95: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em, so it was unsurprising when time was called with nine players remaining.
Those players had been grinding for more than 12 hours, so they wanted some shut-eye before fighting it out for the $313,370 top prize and the all-important bracelet. The tournament director instructed the players to bag up their stacks immediately after Jose Paz-Gutierrez was sent packing in tenth.
The final table is stacked with big names, including $25K Fantasy Draft pick Adam Hendrix (4,475,000), Indian superstar Ankit Ahuja (2,975,000), and bracelet winner Martin Finger (1,800,000).
David Stamm (6,350,000) leads the final nine back into battle, although even he only has 25 big blinds at his disposal.
The final table action commences at 12:00 p.m. local time on July 16, and it could be over quickly due to the shallow stack sizes. However, we may also see a masterclass in ICM, so stay tuned to PokerNews for updates from this event.
Event #95: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Stamm | United States | 6,350,000 | 25 |
| 2 | Naseem Salem | United States | 6,125,000 | 25 |
| 3 | Jamie Walden | United Kingdom | 5,875,000 | 24 |
| 4 | Adam Hendrix | United States | 4,475,000 | 18 |
| 5 | Christopher Stevenson | United States | 3,100,000 | 12 |
| 6 | Ankit Ahuja | India | 2,975,000 | 12 |
| 7 | Akinobu Maeda | Japan | 1,825,000 | 7 |
| 8 | Martin Finger | Austria | 1,800,000 | 7 |
| 9 | Henrik Juncker | Denmark | 1,150,000 | 5 |
$25K H.O.R.S.E. Reaches Its Final Day, Albert Daher Leads the Final Ten
Albert Daher may not have cashed in a WSOP event since finishing sixth in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship, but he’s making up for lost time by bagging up the chip lead in Event #96: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. with only ten players remaining.
Fifty-eight players returned for Day 2, with 25 taking advantage of the late registration period, bringing the total attendance to 120. Only ten players finished Day 2 with chips requiring bagging, with Daher (3,630,000) in the lead.
Only three big bets separate the top three of Daher, Michael Moncek (3,245,000), and David Benyamine (3,235,000. There’s a ten big bet difference between Benyamine and Yueqi Zhu (1,305,000) in fourth, who in turn leads fellow Chinese national Xixiang Luo (1,305,000).
The remaining players have ten big bets or fewer, including Ryan Miller (1,235,000), Phil Ivey (1,210,000), Matt Glantz (900,000), Scott Seiver (830,000), and short-stack Adam Friedman (370,000); Friedman returns with three big bets in his arsenal.
These ten poker Goliaths return to their seats at 2:00 p.m. local time on July 16 to play down to a champion.
Event #96: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chips | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albert Daher | Lebanon | 3,630,000 | 30 |
| 2 | Michael Moncek | United States | 3,245,000 | 27 |
| 3 | David Benyamine | France | 3,235,000 | 27 |
| 4 | Yueqi Zhu | China | 2,055,000 | 17 |
| 5 | Xixiang Luo | China | 1,305,000 | 11 |
| 6 | Ryan Miller | United States | 1,235,000 | 10 |
| 7 | Phil Ivey | United States | 1,210,000 | 10 |
| 8 | Matt Glantz | United States | 900,000 | 8 |
| 9 | Scott Seiver | United States | 830,000 | 7 |
| 10 | Adam Friedman | United States | 370,000 | 3 |
844 Turn Out For the $3K PLO 6-Max; Scott Ball Leads
Scott Ball got off to a flying start on Day 1 of Event #97: $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha, bagging up 1,015,000 chips, or a staggering 254 big blinds. Although Ball, a WSOP bracelet winner and $25K Fantasy Draft pick, was the only player to finish with a seven-figure stack, dozens of top-tier pros also bagged big on Day 1.
Ball’s fellow $25K Fantasy Draft players Shaun Deeb (761,000), Alex Livingston (756,000), and Jesse Lonis finished in the top ten, as did three-time bracelet winner Ryan Hughes (691,000) and past $50,000 Poker Players Championship winner Elior Sion (612,000)
Further down the chip counts but still with room to maneuver on Day 2 are such luminaries as Chino Rheem (500,000), Renji Mao (485,000), Rob Hollink (482,000), Ian Matakis (405,000), Alex Foxen (351,000), Jeff Madsen (291,000), and a whole host of multiple bracelet winners.
While Ball and Co. excelled, all but 134 entrants fell by the wayside. The surviving players return to the action only seven spots from the money, with 127 places paid. That means the money bubble will burst soon after play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on July 16.
Event #97: $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Ball | United States | 1,015,000 | 254 |
| 2 | Stanislav Barshak | United States | 779,000 | 195 |
| 3 | Hokyiu Lee | Hong Kong | 774,000 | 194 |
| 4 | Shaun Deeb | United States | 761,000 | 190 |
| 5 | Alex Livingston | Canada | 756,000 | 189 |
| 6 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 732,000 | 183 |
| 7 | Ryan Hughes | United States | 691,000 | 173 |
| 8 | Ronald Keijzer | Netherlands | 677,000 | 169 |
| 9 | Elior Sion | United Kingdom | 612,000 | 153 |
| 10 | Mihail Andonov | Sweden | 604,000 | 151 |
Daniel Rezaei Off to a Flying Start in the $1,500 Closer
Austrian high roller Daniel Rezaei (1,830,000) is the man to catch after the first of two flights in Event #98: $1,500 The Closer. By the time late registration closed, 814 players had bought in. After completing 20 half-hour levels, only 84 of those starters remained.
Rezaei had an excellent Day 1a, turning his 50,000 starting stack into more than 1.8 million; he returns on Day 2 with 92 big blinds at his disposal. Rezaei’s stack is 20 big blinds larger than Robert Nemeskerikiss‘ (1,435,000) in second place. The Austrian star came close to winning a bracelet in 2022 when he finished second in this event’s $400 buy-in online edition.
Plenty of big hitters punched their Day 2 tickets at the first time of asking. Daniel Smiljkovic (805,000), Yuval Bronshtein (720,000), and Brian Hastings (630,000) are the best-placed of them. Also in the mix are the likes of Marco Johnson (370,000), Ryan Riess (335,000), and Brock Wilson (305,000).
Day 1b starts at noon local time on July 16, with our coverage beginning on Day 2. Use MyStack to update your chip counts and tournament progression to keep your fans and loved ones updated throughout Day 1b.
Event #98: $1,500 The Closer Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Rezaei | Austria | 1,830,000 | 92 |
| 2 | Robert Nemeskerikiss | United States | 1,435,000 | 72 |
| 3 | Kazuhiko Yotsushika | Japan | 1,335,000 | 67 |
| 4 | Valentino Konakchev | Bulgaria | 1,295,000 | 65 |
| 5 | Gianluca Cedolia | Canada | 1,280,000 | 64 |
| 6 | Rohit Kwatra | United States | 1,195,000 | 60 |
| 7 | Bradley King | United States | 1,085,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Jacob Powers | United States | 1,060,000 | 53 |
| 9 | Miguel Lopes | Portugal | 950,000 | 48 |
| 10 | Isaac Escobar | United States | 820,000 | 41 |
What to Expect on Day 50 of the 2024 WSOP
Day 50 will, once again, be dominated by Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship, as the nine finalists return to their seats at 1:30 p.m. local time. The plan is to play until only four players remain, so it could be a lengthy Day 10 of this record-breaking tournament.
PokerNews‘ is also bringing you coverage of Event #93: $777 Lucky 7’s, which has reached Day 2 with 300 players in the hunt. Event #97: $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha will also play out its Day 2, while Event #98: $1,500 The Closer sees its Day 1b take place.
Event #96: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. will award its bracelet to the worthy champion, as will Event #95: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em, after it ran over into an unscheduled third day.
For the first time in quite a while, no new events shuffle up and deal at the WSOP. Event #99: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold’em is not scheduled to start until 10:00 a.m. local time on July 17, the day that every in-play event, including the Main Event, must finish. Exciting times are ahead.
