The Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas were full to bursting on Day 14 of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP), with seven events taking place throughout June 12. Of those seven in-play events, only concluded, with another requiring an additional day.
Jason Simon came out on top of Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker and walked away with $499,852 for their efforts. Only 14 of the original 23,088 entrants made it to the final day’s play, and it was Simon who had all of the chips in play once the curtain came down on proceedings.
Event #26: $800 No-Limit Hold’em almost crowned its champion, but the tournament director decided to pause the tournament during the heads-up battle between Matthew Elsby and Renji Mao. It was always going to be a tall order to reduce the 339 returning players to one, and the event was paused after a gruelling 14.5-hour day. Elsby and Mao return on June 13 to play for the bracelet and $402,588.
Lamb Leads the Final Seven in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship
The plan was to reduce the field of Event #25: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship to the final five players, but the best-laid plans of mouse and men often go awry.
The very nature of split-pot games meant the bustouts did not occur fast enough to leave only five players in the mix, so the final seven will return for the final day instead.
Ben Lamb leads the way courtesy of his 2,545,000 stack. Luis Velador (2,390,000) and nine-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel (2,360,000) are only a couple of big bets behind the leader. Lamb already has a god bracelet, having triumphed in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship in 2011.
Also still in the hunt are four-time WSOP champion Brad Ruben (2,005,000), Robert Yass (1,375,000), Johannes Becker (1,090,000), while James Chen (US) (985,000) brings up the rear.
Play resumes at 2:00 p.m. local time on June 13. The final seven will complete one level before moving to the main feature table where the remainder of the action will be live-streamed.
Event #25: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannes Becker | Germany | 1,090,000 | 11 | 5 |
| 2 | Erik Seidel | United States | 2,360,000 | 24 | 12 |
| 3 | Brad Ruben | United States | 2,005,000 | 20 | 10 |
| 4 | Luis Velador | Mexico | 2,390,000 | 24 | 12 |
| 5 | Robert Yass | United States | 1,375,000 | 14 | 7 |
| 6 | Ben Lamb | United States | 2,545,000 | 25 | 13 |
| 7 | James Chen (US) | United States | 985,000 | 10 | 5 |
$1,500 Eight Game Field Cut to 21 Players; Campbell leads
The field of Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix has been cut down to only 21 players on Day2. Of those 21 survivors, eight have stacks of more than one million chips, so there is everything to play for on June 13 when this event concludes.
Chad Campbell (1,991,000) leads the final 21 back into mixed game battle, but he is flanked by some supremely talented individuals.
Daniel Strelitz (1,793,000), Robert Mizrachi (1,198,000), and Shaun Deeb (868,000) find themselves inside the top ten, while Nick Schulman (828,000), David “Bakes” Baker (444,000), and Allan Le (150,000) are also in the mix.
A champion will emerge on Day 3, which starts at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 13, with the PokerNews live reporting team providing detailed updates throughout proceedings.
Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad Campbell | United States | 1,991,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Strelitz | United States | 1,793,000 |
| 3 | Aloisio Dourado | Brazil | 1,705,000 |
| 4 | John Bunch | United States | 1,685,000 |
| 5 | Robert Mizrachi | United States | 1,198,000 |
| 6 | Gary Kosakowski | United States | 1,164,000 |
| 7 | Kyle Loman | United States | 1,140,000 |
| 8 | Dave Stann | United States | 1,087,000 |
| 9 | Obli Prabhu | United States | 905,000 |
| 10 | Shaun Deeb | United States | 868,000 |
Another Huge Field Gathers for the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout
Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout attracted 2,046 players to the tables, but only 188 of those players that began the event with high hopes remained after 16 levels of play.
Hao Zhou claimed the overnight chip lead after finishing Day 1 with 970,000 chips. Zhou raked in a 600,000 pot after turning a full house with jack-deuce, and he built on those solid foundations until time was called.
Taylor Paur (876,000) returns to the action in second place as he hunts a second piece of WSOP hardware.
Others still in the mix include Mario Navarro (810,000), Dietrich Fast (616,000), Ryan Leng (562,000), Justin Pechie (557,000), Chino Rheem (521,000), Mustapha Kanit (437,000), Upeshka De Silva (433,000), and Ryan LaPlante (175,000).
The 188 returning players sit down at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 13, and PokerNews‘ live reporting team will be on hand throughout Day 2 and until a champion is crowned.
Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hao Zhou | United States | 970,000 | 121 |
| 2 | Taylor Paur | United States | 876,000 | 110 |
| 3 | Turbo Nguyen | United States | 850,000 | 106 |
| 4 | Tzur Levy | Israel | 818,000 | 102 |
| 5 | Mario Navarro | United Kingdom | 810,000 | 101 |
| 6 | Peter Nigh | United States | 728,000 | 91 |
| 7 | Jonas Wexler | United States | 670,000 | 84 |
| 8 | Ugur Secilmis | Turkey | 670,000 | 84 |
| 9 | Rene Lazaro | Hungary | 661,000 | 83 |
| 10 | Samuel Bifarella | France | 659,000 | 82 |
Superstars Turn Out in Force for the $100K High Roller
The $100,000 buy-in did not deter 79 players from turning out for the latest High Roller event, and it probably will not put off the 44 busted players from firing another six-figure bullet while late registration is open.
Adrian Mateos is the chip leader going into Day 2 of Event #29: $100,000 High Roller, the four-time WSOP bracelet winning Spaniard bagged up 3,650,000, a mere ante more than Chris Hunichen (3,620,000).
Chance Kornuth (3,375,000) is also in the three-million chip club, while such luminaries as reigning WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad (2,200,000), 2021 WSOP Main Event winner Koray Aldemir (1,800,000), and Justin Bonomo (1,795,000) find themselves with top ten stacks.
None of the other surviving players requires an introduction due to their status and stature in the game. However, they include Brian Rast (1,520,000), Stephen Chidwick (1,405,000), Alex Foxen (1,010,000), Bryn Kenney (690,000), reigning champion Aleksejs Ponakovs (665,000), Dan Smith (615,000), Nick Petrangelo (550,000), and recent bracelet winner Isaac Haxton (440,000).
Play resumes at 12:00 p.m. local time on June 13, which is when late registration ends. Join the PokerNews team then for all the action from this star-studded event.
Event #29: $100,000 High Roller Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | 3,650,000 | 91 |
| 2 | Chris Hunichen | United States | 3,620,000 | 91 |
| 3 | Chance Kornuth | United States | 3,375,000 | 84 |
| 4 | Espen Jorstad | Norway | 2,200,000 | 55 |
| 5 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 2,190,000 | 55 |
| 6 | Talal Shakerchi | United Kingdom | 2,120,000 | 53 |
| 7 | Cary Katz | United States | 1,880,000 | 47 |
| 8 | Koray Aldemir | Austria | 1,800,000 | 45 |
| 9 | Justin Bonomo | United States | 1,795,000 | 45 |
| 10 | Ren Lin | United States | 1,655,000 | 41 |
Day 1 of the $1,500 2-7 Triple Draw Attracts 522 Entrants
Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw continued the trend of the 2023 WSOP enjoying bumper fields, with 522 players turning out in force on Day 1. By the end of 15 levels, only 166 of those starters had chips requiring bagging, and nobody bagged more than Jason Gola (221,500).
Gola was the only player with a stack of more than 200,000, although everyone in the top ten overnight chip counts finished with at least 163,500.
John Monnette (189,000), Zoltan Gal (187,000), Tom Schneider (186,000), and David Prociak (185,000) make up the current top five, while such luminaries as Benny Glaser (126,500), Dan Shak (115,500), Allen Kessler (112,000), and a certain Viktor Blom (88,500) will return for Day 2 on June 13.
Day 2 shuffles up and deals on June 13 at 1:00 p.m. local time, with PokerNews bringing you all of the action from the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Gola | United States | 221,500 | 74 |
| 2 | John Monnette | United States | 189,000 | 63 |
| 3 | Zoltan Gal | Hungary | 187,000 | 62 |
| 4 | Tom Schneider | United States | 186,000 | 62 |
| 5 | David Prociak | United States | 185,000 | 62 |
| 6 | Alex Epstein | United States | 182,500 | 61 |
| 7 | Samuel Sternfield | United States | 171,500 | 57 |
| 8 | Daniel Vargas | United States | 171,000 | 57 |
| 9 | John Hutchinson | United States | 167,500 | 56 |
| 10 | David Funkhouser | United States | 163,500 | 55 |
What to Expect on Day 15 of the 2023 WSOP
There will be two new bracelet winners to talk about on Day 15 of the 2023 WSOP. Event #25: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, Event #26Event #26: $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack: $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack, and Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix have both reached their final days.
Another three events will continue whittling their fields. Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout, Event #29: $100,000 High Roller, and Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw are that trio of tournaments.
Also look out for three new events entering the mix. Event #31: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack will pull in big numbers, as should Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em (6-Handed), while we expect Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship to continue the trend of record-breaking numbers.