The 44th day of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas was meant to only see one champion crowned, but it turned out two players received some WSOP hardware.
Event #80: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. did have a fourth day on the schedule, but it was not required, thanks, partly, to Josh Arieh steamrolling his way to a sixth career bracelet. Arieh defeated Dan Heimiller heads-up to rake in another $711,313 in winnings, his second bracelet of 2023, and his sixth overall.
Spain’s Samuel Bernabeu became a WSOP bracelet winner for the first time after outlasting 2,067 opponents in Event #79: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em. Only 24 of those that started the tournament with high hopes returned for the third and final day, and it was the Spaniard who came out on top. They banked $682,436 and the event’s bracelet.
Yang Wang Leads Stellar Field in the $50K NLHE High Roller
The 133-strong Day 1 field of Event #84: $50,000 High Roller was cut down to a more manageable 44 over the course of 12 levels, and it is China’s Yang Wang (2,175,000) who bagged the most chips.
Wang has already cashed in the $100,000 High Roller and the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, so is going for a hattrick of in-the-money finishes against stellar fields.
German superstar Fedor Holz (1,990,000) bagged up the second largest stack, while Holz’s fellow German Stefan Schillhabel (1,915,000) rounds out the top three.
Others to bag and tag at the end of Day 1 include Vlad Darie (1,830,000), 2021 WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad (1,340,000), soccer star Sergio Aguero (880,000), Daniel Negreanu (685,000), Jason Koon (650,000), PokerStars Ambassador Alejandro Lococo (645,000), David Peters (550,000), and short-stack Sean Winter (155,000).
This year’s turnout is far greater than in 2022, and is set to further improve because late registration remains open until the start of Day 2, which commences at 1:00 p.m. local time on July 13. As always, PokerNews is the place for all your WSOP updates.
Event #84: $50,000 High Roller Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang Wang | China | 2,175,000 | 109 |
| 2 | Fedor Holz | Germany | 1,990,000 | 100 |
| 3 | Stefan Schillhabel | Germany | 1,915,000 | 96 |
| 4 | Vlad Darie | Romania | 1,830,000 | 92 |
| 5 | Dylan Linde | United States | 1,770,000 | 89 |
| 6 | Jake Schindler | United States | 1,740,000 | 87 |
| 7 | Masashi Oya | Japan | 1,430,000 | 72 |
| 8 | Espen Jorstad | Norway | 1,340,000 | 67 |
| 9 | Brandon Wittmeyer | United States | 1,330,000 | 67 |
| 10 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | 1,305,000 | 65 |
It’s getting Serious in the Main Event With Only 49 Players Remaining
Only 49 players remain in the hunt for a $12.1 million payday, as Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship completed its sixth day of action.
Joshua Payne (47,950,000) was the man that bagged the biggest stack as the curtain came down on proceedings. Payne leads from Juan Maceiras Lapido (40,500,000), Daniel Weinman (24,375,000), Richard Ryder (22,650,000), and Tim Van Loo (21,700,000).
Play resumes at 12:00 p.m. local time on July 13, and PokerNews will be on the ground throughout. Why not check out a full recap of the Main Event Day 6 action while you wait for the cards to be back in the air?
Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Payne | United States | 47,950,000 | 240 |
| 2 | Juan Maceiras Lapido | Spain | 40,500,000 | 203 |
| 3 | Daniel Weinman | United States | 24,375,000 | 122 |
| 4 | Richard Ryder | United States | 22,650,000 | 113 |
| 5 | Tim Van Loo | Austria | 21,700,000 | 109 |
| 6 | Alec Torelli | United States | 21,075,000 | 105 |
| 7 | Daniel Scroggins | United States | 20,800,000 | 104 |
| 8 | Pierpaola Lamanna | Italy | 18,875,000 | 94 |
| 9 | Nicholas Gerrity | United States | 18,075,000 | 90 |
| 10 | Ryan Tamanini | United States | 17,325,000 | 87 |
Day 1b of the $600 Ultra Stack Sees Malboubi Shine the Brightest
Another 4,116 players bought into Event #81: $600 Ultra Stack on Day 1b, but only 312 of those starters had chips requiring bagging and tagging after 22 action-packed levels.
Rassoul Malboubi (3,615,000) weather the storm the best. Having reached the final table of the Super Seniors event earlier in the summer, Malboubi has done his chances of sitting under the spotlights gain no harm at all.
Also through to Day 2 are the likes of Leonard Clementi (3,500,000), Robert Sherwood (2,880,000), Ben Farrell (1,500,000), Scott Bohlman (1,205,000), Women in Poker Hall of Famer Kathy Liebert (1,000,000), Dinesh Alt (535,000), and Tommy Nguyen (525,000).
The survivors from Day 1a and Day 1b combined at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 13 to play another 17 levels. Return to PokerNews then to follow all the updates from this monster-sized tournament.
Event #81: $600 Ultra Stack Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rassoul Malboubi | United States | 3,615,000 | 90 |
| 2 | Leonard Clementi | United States | 3,500,000 | 88 |
| 3 | David Rich | United States | 2,950,000 | 74 |
| 4 | Qiang Xu | China | 2,940,000 | 74 |
| 5 | Robert Sherwood | United Kingdom | 2,880,000 | 72 |
| 6 | Samuel Von Kennel | United States | 2,375,000 | 59 |
| 7 | Shane Rose | United States | 2,320,000 | 58 |
| 8 | Michael Lane | United States | 2,300,005 | 58 |
| 9 | Brandon Hamlet | United States | 1,980,000 | 50 |
| 10 | Michael Majarais | United States | 1,965,000 | 49 |
Drinan On Course to Become the $3K PLO 6-Max Champion
Connor Drinan (4,225,000) is on course to capture the second WSOP bracelet of his career, with the Chicago native returning to the final day of Event #82: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (6-Handed) second in chips.
Only Dustin Goldklang (4,225,000) has more chips at their disposal from the 35 players still in the hunt for the $480,122 top prize.
Although Drinan and Goldklang possess the largest stacks, there are some superb poker players in the chasing pack that will fancy their chances of striking poker gold.
Lukas Zaskodny (2,035,000) and Brandon Shack-Harris (1,865,000) already have a bracelet each, while Day 1 chip leader Tyler Gaston (1,745,000) kept his foot on the gas on Day 2.
Three-time bracelet winner Norbert Szecsi of Hungary (420,000) is at the wrong end of the overnight counts, but a player with his skills cannot ever be written off.
Return to PokerNews from 1:00 p.m. local time on July 13 to see who walks away with the latest WSOP PLO title.
Event #82: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dustin Goldklang | United States | 4,225,000 | 169 |
| 2 | Connor Drinan | United States | 3,270,000 | 131 |
| 3 | Marc Lagaze | United States | 2,530,000 | 101 |
| 4 | Matthew Parry | United States | 2,500,000 | 100 |
| 5 | Benjamin Juhasz | Hungary | 2,480,000 | 99 |
| 6 | Lukas Zaskodny | Czech Republic | 2,035,000 | 81 |
| 7 | Brandon Shack-Harris | United States | 1,865,000 | 75 |
| 8 | Tyler Gaston | United States | 1,745,000 | 70 |
| 9 | Joshua Stefansky | United States | 1,670,000 | 67 |
| 10 | Eric Hayes | United States | 1,430,000 | 57 |
Prociak Has the Biggest Stack in the $1,500 Short Deck
Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck was scheduled to run over three days, but only nine of the 363 starters remain after Day 1, so this event is all but guaranteed to wrap up during its second day.
David Prociak (2,040,000) has one hand on this event’s bracelet, which would be the second of his career if he can get the job done. It has been seven years since Prociak won his first bracelet, so some may say another victory is long overdue.
Ryan Laplante (711,000) is in a similar position. The popular grinder also won his one and only bracelet in 2016. Laplante sits down on Day 2, seventh in chips.
A 12:00 p.m. local time restart is scheduled on July 13, and PokerNews will eat its hat if this event requires a third day to conclude!
Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Prociak | United States | 2,040,000 |
| 2 | Robert James | United States | 1,622,000 |
| 3 | Thai Ha | Vietnam | 1,200,000 |
| 4 | Matan Gabay | Israel | 1,054,000 |
| 5 | Moses Alosh | Israel | 784,000 |
| 6 | Ryan Laplante | United States | 771,000 |
| 7 | Wai Kiat Lee | Malaysia | 734,000 |
| 8 | Marcos Exterkotter | Brazil | 611,000 |
| 9 | Adam Adler | United States | 515,000 |
What to Expect on Day 45 of the 2023 WSOP
The 2023 WSOP Main Event is rapidly heading towards the business end of the tournament, with Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship reaching Day 7. The prize money and pressure are huge, so do not miss any of the action.
Event #81: $600 Ultra Stack will see its bumper crowd significantly trimmed down during its Day 2, while Event #84: $50,000 High Roller continues inching towards a conclusion.
Champions will be crowned in Event #82: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (6-Handed) and Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck as another trio of tournaments get underway.
Event #85: $1,500 Shootout is the first of those three newcomers, followed by Event #86: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty, and then Event #87: $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better. The 2023 WSOP is determined to end with a bang!