Another Tuesday at the World Series of Poker was much more than just another Tuesday for quite a few players, especially those fighting for the shiny WSOP gold bracelets. And most players understand that they are fortunate to be in the position of being at the Rio and competing at the tables. Whether in bracelet events or daily tournaments or in the cash games, the players make the game.
Sure, attendance is down for the 2021 WSOP in Las Vegas. There are more empty tables than organizers had hoped. There are fewer cash games running than the grinders anticipated. But the World Series is running and doing the best job possible to navigate the rough waters of an ongoing pandemic.
For those looking at the bigger picture, the poker scene is alive and well.
Event 43: $1K NLHE Double Stack
A slower structure and more chips gave players several days to play this one out. And while they had five days to play it out, they finished on Day 4, not wanting another pause in the action.
Many in the media focused on PokerGO commentator – and podcaster and media friend to many – Jeff Platt, who ran deep in this event. Not only was he the Day 2 chipleader, he kept going…and did some work behind the microphone as well. He was an easy player to cheer for, and he ended up finishing in fourth place for a very nice payout.
But it was cash game player Anthony Denove who took less than an hour in the heads-up battle to win it all. With a lot of emotion, family and friends on the rail, and status as a new father, Denove spoke to PokerNews about his first WSOP win:
“I knew a lot of those players would not be making any mistakes in a lot of spots. I try not to be too conscious of it, helps keep my expectations in check. … It’s been my dream to win a bracelet. I’ve been playing cash for six years, but I really do love tournaments.”
Tommy Le had won a WSOP bracelet before, but this was the PLO Championship, one that many players wanted to win. He was the Day 3 chipleader in this event, taking the edge into the final five playdown. The recreational player also had players like Nam Le and JC Tran in his corner – not a bad rail at all.
The final table wasn’t an easy one, as he had to contend with strong play from several others at the table. Sandrock presented a challenge via his unpredictable play, and Jordan Spurlin had the initial head-up lead. But Le did it and talked about his second gold with PokerNews:
“I really enjoy and love being on the felt. I love winning, but I also enjoy playing. … When I play, I am always confident in my decision. I try not to second-guess myself. Win or lose, I never walk away feeling I made a mistake or with regret. I always leave that on the felt. … (Winning a bracelet) is the best feeling in the world. It’s amazing. I love the WSOP and come every year. I think it’s an awesome event, and I really play because I love the game.”
A $5K buy-in isn’t generally considered a high-stakes tournament, but Alexandre Reard didn’t want the win any less. He is often seen in high rollers, and he did start this tournament with more than $3M in live poker tournament earnings, but the Frenchman loves the game at all levels.
Reard brought the chip lead into the final table of five and didn’t take long to work his way to heads-up play with Daniel Strelitz. The latter had the chip lead, but Reard fought hard, steadily put Strelitz in a desperate position, and he grabbed the gold. Reard adds the WSOP win to others like Unibet and the WSOP International Circuit. He explained his joy to PokerNews:
“When I saw the river card, it was just an indescribable feeling. I was seeing my wife and all my friends crying and exulting on the rail. It’s such a sincere and strong moment! … I really wanted and needed that bracelet. It’s not an outcome but more a beautiful step in my career, and I hope for many more.”
A shootout tournament is a set of sit-n-goes. This one started with 800 players, but each table was its own SNG. Winners moved on to Day 2. Those 80 players then competed at eight tables to win their way to the final table of ten. Two Belgian players made the final for today, but Canadian Ari Engel may be the one to watch. He just won his second career bracelet earlier in this series and very much wants a third.
Event 48: Day 2 of 3
$1,500 buy-in
NLHE Shootout
Total entries:
800
Registration still open?
no
Total prize pool:
$1,068,000
Players paid:
80
Minimum payout:
$5,459
Winner payout:
$204,063
Chip leader:
Johan Schumacher
Johan Schumacher = 1.98M chips
Players remaining:
10
Orson Young = 1.975M chips
Restart:
12pm Wednesday
AP Garza = 1.975M chips
Gershon Distenfeld = 1.97M chips
David Tran = 1.97M chips
Sohale Khalili = 1.97M chips
Jonathan Betancur = 1.97M chips
Craig Trost = 1.965M chips
Ari Engel = 1.965M chips
Thomas Boivin = 1.964M chips
Event 49: $10K NL 2-7 Single Draw Championship
This championship-level event brought enough players in to eclipse the 2019 number. This tournament was stacked with elite players, but only eight of them made it through to the final day of action. Benny Glaser leads the pack and will play for his fourth career WSOP bracelet, but he will need to contend with Farzad Bonyadi, owner of three previous bracelets, and Daniel Negreanu, owner of six. The pro-heavy table will play it out today.
Event 49: Day 2 of 3
$10K buy-in
NL 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship (1RE)
Total entries:
122
Registration still open?
no
Total prize pool:
$1,137,000
Players paid:
19
Minimum payout:
$16,132
Winner payout:
$297,051
Chip leader:
Benny Glaser
Benny Glaser = 2,101,000 chips
Players remaining:
8
Johannes Becker = 1,381,000 chips
Restart:
3pm Wednesday
Farzad Bonyadi = 1,106,000 chips
Dustin Dirksen = 953K chips
Ben Diebold = 522K chips
Daniel Negreanu = 517K chips
Jake Schwartz = 468K chips
Julien Martini = 270K chips
Event 50: $600 Mixed NLHE/PLO
For players who love Hold’em and Omaha, this tournament is the perfect mix for them. And it didn’t cost a fortune to enter. More than 1,500 entries pushed the prize pool over $800K, but a quick structure left little more than 60 players in the action at the end of the night. Eric Froehlich leads the crew into the final day, and they will play for the win.
Event 50: Day 1 of 2
$600 buy-in
Mixed NLHE/PLO Deepstack (1RE)
Total entries:
1569
Registration still open?
no
Total prize pool:
$800,190
Players paid:
236
Minimum payout:
$961
Winner payout:
$127,219
Chip leader:
Eric Froehlich
Players remaining:
61
Restart:
12pm Wednesday
Event 51: $3K NLHE 6-Handed
Nearly 1000 entries brought this field to a sizeable prize pool that surpassed $2.6M. But only 41 players made it through the money bubble and on to Day 2. Quite a few previous bracelet winners are still in contention, including Manig Loeser, Chad Norton, John Racener, and Brian Rast.
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