The World Series of Poker can capture succinctly the bankroll bookends of the game of poker. There is the $500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Freezout playing at an accelerated pace. And then there is the $50K buy-in High Roller, playing slowly and with a small, elite group of high-stakes poker players. Of course, there’s all types in between those bookends as well, but it shows how inclusive the WSOP can be.
The series can also be a mix of the old and the new. David “Bakes” Baker is a name from the poker boom, who won his first WOP bracelet in 2010 and a second in 2012. And there are the newer, younger players. One can spot them in any tournament and at some final tables.
Again, it shows the broad appeal of the WSOP.
Four players won bracelets on Day 20. Let’s talk about it.
Event 30: $1,500 Monster Stack NLHE
After taking its time playing down toward the final few tables, the Monster Stack event started Tuesday with just 24 players remaining. PokerNews reporter Dannah Kamp busted in 13th place for $41,026, and the day’s chip leader, Jaesh Balachandran, departed in tenth place for $51,286.
As the final table played, all eyes were on Ryan Leng. Having just won a gold bracelet – the third of his career – days ago, he took some momentum to the table. But Michael Noori was unstoppable and earned his first piece of WSOP gold. He told PokerNews:
“I feel pretty good. I’m still kind of in shock. The heads-up match went really quick; I’m still processing it and going through it. I had two huge coolers that went my way, so I was fortunate enough to win the bracelet today.”
Day 3 of this event started with two-time bracelet winner David “Bakes” Baker – not to be confused with David “ODB” Baker – toward the bottom of the leaderboard. But he had been to that winner’s circle before and wanted to relive those moments. He did just that. Baker took a massive chip lead into head-up play against Peter Lynn and took it to the finish line. And Bakes did walk away with his third career bracelet, the first one in nine years. He spoke to PokerNews after this win:
“It feels amazing. I wanted it real bad. … I came out here, and initially, I was only going to do ten days. But when you come out and win you just want to keep playing. So, I’ll be here through the Main Event.”
From 132 players at the start of Day 3, only two remained late into the night to play heads-up poker. Anthony Koutsos and Charbel Kanterjian played for several hours before Koutsos won his first bracelet. He chatted with PokerNews afterward:
“I feel strangely level. Head-up felt pretty fun, all the back and forth felt like a home game. … The money doesn’t mean much; it was more about the competition and the drive to win.”
This one boiled down to a who’s who of mixed games. Jake Schwartz may have the chip lead going into the final day of action, but Adam Friedman is close behind, not only wanting to defend his title from the last series but to win this event for the third time. Phil Hellmuth made yet another final table, and Daniel Negreanu is hungry to win his seventh bracelet. Poker fans will want to watch this one play out.
Event 36: Day 2 of 3
$10K buy-in
Dealers Choice 6-Handed Championship
Total entries:
93
Registration still open?
no
Total prize pool:
$867,225
Players paid:
14
Minimum payout:
$17,103
Winner payout:
$248,350
Chip leader:
Jake Schwartz
Jake Schwartz = 1.38M chips
Players remaining:
10
Adam Friedman = 1.329M chips
Restart:
2pm Wednesday
Mike Gorodinsky = 465K chips
Daniel Negreanu = 457K chips
Phil Hellmuth = 424K chips
Mike Matusow = 410K chips
Matt Glantz = 343K chips
Andrew Kelsall = 324K chips
Carol Fuchs = 260K chips
Joao Vieira = 182K chips
Event 37: $1,500 NLHE Super Turbo Bounty
A super-turbo structure finished this tournament in one day, but it wasn’t easy. And it ran until the wee hours of the morning before Lithuanian Karolis Sereika defeated Brazilian Pedro Padilha for his first WSOP title. He told PokerNews:
“This is the first live Lithuanian WSOP bracelet, so that means a lot to me and all Lithuanian players. I’m very happy and very excited. Just so many emotions… I really wanted it with all my heart.”
Not many players have $50K to put up for one No Limit Hold’em tournament, but a solid group of pros did just that. Registration remains open until the start of Day 2, though, so more may join in. When the night ended, Australian Michael Addamo led the 21 survivors of Day 1.
Event 38: Day 1 of 3
$50K buy-in
NLHE High Roller (1RE)
Total entries:
72
Registration still open?
yes
Total prize pool:
TBD
Players paid:
TBD
Minimum payout:
TBD
Winner payout:
TBD
Chip leader:
Michael Addamo
Players remaining:
21
Restart:
2pm Wednesday
Highlight of the Day
Brandon Shack-Harris played the recent HORSE event in memory of his grandmother, Helen Shack and to celebrate his other grandmother’s upcoming 90th birthday. He dedicated it to friend’s grandmothers, too, and celebrated them on Twitter as people sent pics of their grandmas. Check out his Twitter feed at @Oscillator_WSOP for more.
https://twitter.com/Oscillator_WSOP/status/1450171993941184514?s=20
https://twitter.com/Oscillator_WSOP/status/1450519368681472004?s=20
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