For it being the World Series of Poker, the Las Vegas series is often overwhelmingly American. While players from around the world are welcome and many do come for the Main Event, it can be tougher for them to travel so far to play other tournaments at the WSOP.
There have been a few non-American winners thus far this series. On Day 19, it was China’s turn to grab one. Lok Chan – who is 22 and is likely carded very often due to his youthful looks – took a mixed game bracelet in games he had never played in a live tournament setting before this event. But he most certainly knew what he was doing.
Chan’s final table was mostly American, with only one other player claiming non-US status as a Canadian. Hopefully, as the Main Event nears, that ratio changes. It is the WORLD Series, after all.
Event 34: $1,500 NLHE Freezeout
Short-stacked Orson Young started the day by moving all-in and busting in tenth place. The official final table began, and Justin Pechie ousted two players in a single hand, and then play slowed down a great deal. Awhile later, David Dibernardi busted Michael Leibgorin, but Samuel Bifarella then busted Dibernardi in sixth place.
Pechie began to take over, busting Steve Zolotow in fifth, but Maxime Parys was close behind, busting Kenny Robbins to take over the lead. Soon after, Pechie doubled through Parys, leaving the latter short. Parys doubled back once, but Bifarella busted him. Pechie had nearly a two-to-one chip lead as heads-up began and increased that number. It didn’t take Pechie long to close it out.
This was Pechie’s second career bracelet. He told PokerNews that he hadn’t yet processed the win, as he played his best without focusing on the payout or bracelet.
There were 17 players at the start of the day, well more than the number who could make the final table. Andrew Robl was the first to exit, and Keith Lehr did the same later. Richard Ashby hit the rail in 11th place, Patrick Leonard in ninth, and Ryan Moriarty fell from the top of the leaderboard to out in eighth place.
Lok Chan started the official final table in the chip lead, followed by Galen Hall. It was Hall who busted Aaron Kupin in seventh place, but Drew Scott sent Hall out in sixth. Chan eliminated Christopher Smith in fifth place, while Scott took care of Michael Trivett in fourth and Rami Boukai in third. Chan didn’t take long to run over Scott heads-up, starting with PLO and ending with NLHE.
Young Lok Chan is 22 years old but had played poker since he was 15. This was, however, his first trip to Las Vegas and the first time he had played mixed games in a live tournament setting.
Stud had 15 players starting Day 3, but some quick bustouts led to Jon Kyte busting in tenth place and John Bunch in ninth, setting the official final table of eight. Jeff Madsen was quickly rising, doing so partly by eliminating David Arganian. John Holley headed out in seventh, and Ali Eslami eliminated Kenny Hsiung in sixth place. Chris Papastratis took out Thomas Taylor before Scott Lake hit the payout cage for fourth-place money.
Madsen led the final three, but Papastratis was nearby. Eslami had a short stack, but over the course of a few rounds of play, he took over the lead. Both of those players handled Madsen in one hand and sent him out in third place.
Eslami had the lead in heads-up and took it to victory. The long-time player who had numerous final tables through the years finally won his first bracelet. He had taken a break for a few years before the 2022 WSOP but came roaring back.
He dedicated his win to Chad Brown, who died in cancer back in 2014. “We were very good friends,” he told PokerNews, “and we talked a lot about the game, too. So, this one goes out to Chad.”
The second of the two starting flights brought in more than 4400 players, more than the first. Together, it appears to have created a total of 7,962 entries – per the WSOP chip counts PDF – to create a massive prize pool of $10,629,270. That will be enough to pay out the top 1,195 players at least $2,400, per the WSOP’s payout calculator.
About 1700 players will return to the WSOP to play down to the money and beyond today.
Event 37: Day 1B of 5
$1,500 buy-in
NLHE Millionaire Maker (1 RE/Flight)
Total entries:
7,962
(8809 in 2019, 5326 in 2021)
Players remaining:
1,701
Total prize pool:
$10,629,270
Players paid:
1,195
Minimum payout:
$2,400
Winner payout:
$1,125,282
($1M GTD)
Top chip counts:
#1
Rick Alvarado (USA) 466,500
#2
Steve Yea (S.Korea) 445,000
#3
Anatoly Filatov (Russia) 429,500
#4
Federico Castaing (Argentina) 427,000
#5
Christopher Gu (USA) 420,500
Event 38: $10K NL 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship
This event closed registration and thinned its field down to just 14 players on its second day. There are many big names at the top of the leaderboard, but some near the bottom have potential as well, such as Dan Shak and Alex Livingston.
Event 38: Day 2 of 3
$10K buy-in
NL 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship (1 RE)
Total entries:
121
(91 in 2019, 122 in 2021)
Players remaining:
14
Total prize pool:
$1,128,325
Players paid:
19
Minimum payout:
$16,000
Winner payout:
$294,616
Top chip counts:
#1
Scott Seiver (USA) 1,014,000
#2
Pedro Bromfman (Brazil) 977,000
#3
Farzad Bonyadi (USA) 917,000
#4
Jerry Wong (USA) 801,000
#5
Phil Hellmuth (USA) 591,000
Event 39: $3K PLO 6-Handed
On the championship level, this event drew 110 entries on the first day, though only a handful took their seats when play began. Registration remains open until the start of Day 2, though, so the final numbers have yet to be determined.
Event 39: Day 1 of 4
$3K buy-in
PLO 6-Handed (2 RE)
Total entries:
719
(835 in 2019, 496 in 2021)
Players remaining:
162
Total prize pool:
$1,919,730
Players paid:
108
Minimum payout:
$4,834
Winner payout:
$371,358
Top chip counts:
#1
Ari Oxman (USA) 753,000
#2
Anik Ajmera (India) 641,500
#3
David Levy (USA) 553,500
#4
Krysztof Magott (Poland) 493,500
#5
Julian Galvan (USA) 492,500
Event 40: $10K Stud-8 Championship
On the championship level, this event drew 110 entries on the first day, though only a handful took their seats when play began. Registration remains open until the start of Day 2, though, so the final numbers have yet to be determined.
Event 40: Day 1 of 3
$10K buy-in
Seven-Card Stud-8 Championship
Total entries:
127 (not final)
(151 in 2019, 144 in 2021)
Players remaining:
72
Total prize pool:
TBD
Players paid:
TBD
Minimum payout:
TBD
Winner payout:
TBD
Top chip counts:
#1
Peter Gelencser (Hungary) 371,500
#2
Eric Kurtzman (USA) 359,500
#3
Jason Gola (USA) 288,000
#4
Per Hildebrand (Sweden) 218,500
#5
Ziya Rahim (USA) 213,000
Today’s Poker Menu
Event 37 combines survivors of the initial Millionaire Maker flights.
Event 38 plays to and through its final table.
Event 39 plays another day of six-handed PLO.
Event 40 played its first day of the Stud-8 Championship.
Event 41 starts a single-day $1,500 NHLE Super Turbo Bounty at 11am.
Event 42 starts the four-day $100K buy-in NLHE High Roller.
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