Ten bracelet-awarding events were in play at some stage on Day 30 of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, making it one of the busiest days since the series started.
As you can imagine, with so many events taking place, plenty of action unfolded, bad beats were given out in spades, and several bracelets found new homes.
Event #53: $1,500 Millionaire Maker crowned its champion on Day 30, and Pavel Plesuv is that man. The $13,905,360 prize pool was so vast that the top two finishers became millionaires! Florian Ribouchon was the tournament’s runner-up; they collected $1,003,554. Plesuv walked away with a $1,201,564 top prize and the first bracelet of their career, and Moldova’s first-ever piece or WSOP hardware.
If you thought those payouts were crazy, wait until you see the sum won by Ka Kwan Lau after taking down Event #57: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller. First place in this event came with $2,294,756 in cash plus the all-important commemorative gold bracelet. Lau finished second in this even two years ago, so will see this victory as redemption.
Robert Schulz became a 2023 WSOP champion by being the last player standing in Event #59: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout. Schulz left 1,597 opponents in their wake, including runner-up Julien Sitbon, as they captured their first bracelet and $675,275.
Seidel Looking to Join the 10-Bracelet Club
Erik Seidel (3,065,000) goes into the final day of Event #60: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw second in chips and with his best chance yet of becoming a ten-time WSOP bracelet winner. Only Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, Phil Ivey, and the late Doyle Brunson have achieved this remarkable goal.
The Poker Hall of Famer trails only Brad Ruben (4,265,000), a player with four bracelets of his own. Seidel’s stack keeps him ahead of five-time bracelet winner Jason Mercier (2,565,000), who appears to again come out of retirement for the WSOP, Mike Watson (2,350,000), and Jon Turner (1,390,000).
Tune into the PokerNews updates from 12:00 p.m. local time on June 29 to see if Seidel can get the job done.
Event #60: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Final Day Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count/Prize | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brad Ruben | United States | 4,265,000 | 53 |
| 2 | Erik Seidel | United States | 3,065,000 | 38 |
| 3 | Jason Mercier | United States | 2,565,000 | 32 |
| 4 | Mike Watson | Canada | 2,350,000 | 29 |
| 5 | Jon Turner | United States | 1,390,000 | 17 |
Only 109 Remain in the Super Seniors, With Davoudzadeh Out in Front
Iranian Farhad Davoudzadeh (2,400,000) is on course to collect his first WSOP bracelet as he leads the field in Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors going into Day 3. Some 810 players returned to their seats today, but only 109 of them had chips requiring bagging once the curtain came down on proceedings.
Davoudzedah holds a near 800,000-chip lead over Jean-Claude Perrot (1,615,000) at the start of Day 3. Mark Gerecke (1,600,000), Ronald Lane (1,525,000), and Federico Trujillo (1,425,000) round out the overnight top five.
Reigning champion Massoud Eskandari (825,000) is also still in the hunt.
PokerNews‘ coverage of the Super Seniors resumes at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 29, with another ten levels scheduled.
Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farhad Davoudzadeh | Iran | 2,400,000 | 120 |
| 2 | Jeanclaude Perrot | United States | 1,615,000 | 81 |
| 3 | Mark Gerecke | United States | 1,600,000 | 80 |
| 4 | Ronald Lane | United States | 1,525,000 | 76 |
| 5 | Federico Trujilo | Argentina | 1,425,000 | 71 |
| 6 | Rassoul Malboubi | United States | 1,310,000 | 66 |
| 7 | Brendan Byrne | Ireland | 1,285,000 | 64 |
| 8 | Scott Laird | United States | 1,190,000 | 60 |
| 9 | Andreas Boelling | Germany | 1,167,000 | 58 |
| 10 | Craig Jones | United States | 1,145,000 | 57 |
Mixed NLHE/PLO Reaches Final Day With Mizrachi Flying High
Four-time WSOP bracelet winner Robert Mizrachi (3,100,000) is flying high in Event #62: $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha, where only 28 players remain in contention for the $410,659 top prize.
Mizrachi’s stack places him sixth going into Day 3, and there are some stellar names joining him in the finale of this event.
Three players return with more than four million chips each. Israel’s Eran Carmi (4,255,000) is the chip leader, with Charles Honkonen (4,160,000) and Belgium’s Bart Lybaert (4,050,000) trailing just behind.
Also still in the mix are Upeshka De Silva (3,165,000), Jarred Solomon (1,395,000), David Prociak (1,350,000), and the polarizing Martin Kabrhel (1,070,000).
Mizrachi and company return to action from 1:00 p.m. local time on June 29, and PokerNews‘ team will be on the ground throughout proceedings.
Event #62: $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eran Carmi | Israel | 4,255,000 | 70 |
| 2 | Charles Honkonen | United States | 4,160,000 | 69 |
| 3 | Bart Lybaert | Belgium | 4,050,000 | 67 |
| 4 | Guofeng Wang | China | 3,960,000 | 66 |
| 5 | Upeshka De Silva | United States | 3,165,000 | 52 |
| 6 | Robert Mizrachi | United States | 3,100,000 | 51 |
| 7 | Eric Pfenning | United States | 2,760,000 | 46 |
| 8 | Mohammad Siddiqui | United States | 2,585,000 | 43 |
| 9 | William Nguyen | United States | 2,530,000 | 42 |
| 10 | Matthew Bretzfield | United States | 2,400,000 | 40 |
Schindler Leads the Final 16 in the $10K Stud Hi-Lo Championship
Event #63: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship has whittled its field to only 16 hopefuls, and it is Maximilian Schindler (1,250,000) who is the overnight chip leader.
The penultimate day of this event was full of fun, frolics, and laughter, as the players seemed to forget what is at stake — $344,677 and a WSOP bracelet – and spent most of the time engaged in banter.
Among the final 17 are some of the game’s greats. Andres Korn (926,000) and Joao Vieira (837,000) find themselves in the top three, while Brynn Kenney (601,000) is fifth.
Lower down the counts are such luminaries as Bruno Fitoussi (467,000), Mike Matusow (285,000), and a certain Daniel Negreanu (51,000), the latter returning with the shortest stack.
The cards are back in the air from 2:00 p.m. local time on June 29, and PokerNews will be there, bringing you all of the action as it happens.
Event #63: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chip Count | Big Bets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maximilian Schindler | 1,250,000 | 31 | |
| 2 | Andres Korn | 926,000 | 23 | |
| 3 | Joao Vieira | 837,000 | 21 | |
| 4 | Yong Wang | 752,000 | 19 | |
| 5 | Bryn Kenney | 601,000 | 15 | |
| 6 | Craig Chait | 498,000 | 12 | |
| 7 | Bruno Fitoussi | 467,000 | 12 | |
| 8 | Eddie Blumenthal | 427,000 | 11 | |
| 9 | Dan Colpoys | 419,000 | 10 | |
| 10 | Calvin Anderson | 383,000 | 10 |
$600 NLHE Deepstack Championship Sees Another Huge Turnout
A bumper crowd of 4,303 players turned out for Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack Championship but only 543 of those starters bagged up chips at the end of the 17th level. Two players, Steven Stolzenfeld (1,190,000) and Adel Kabbani (1,052,000) finished Day 1 with more than a million chips each!
Two Indian players crammed enough chips into their overnight bags to secure a top ten Day 1 finish. Neel Joshi (843,000) and Gokul Dharmarajan (795,000) are sure to have a legion of fans back home, cheering them on from afar.
Also safely through to Day 2 are players such as Martin Zamani (480,000), Ismael Bojang (411,000), Matt Affleck (343,000), Kathy Liebert (308,000), Justin Pechie (281,000), Ben Yu (249,000), and Joseph Hebert (120,000).
Play resumes at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 29, so return to PokerNews then for all of the updates for this event.
Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack Championship Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Stolzenfeld | United States | 1,190,000 | 119 |
| 2 | Adel Kabbani | France | 1,052,000 | 105 |
| 3 | Jaime Kaplan | United States | 955,000 | 96 |
| 4 | Milan Timko | United States | 916,000 | 92 |
| 5 | Neel Joshi | India | 843,000 | 84 |
| 6 | Gokul Dharmarajan | India | 795,000 | 80 |
| 7 | John De Los Reyes | United States | 793,000 | 79 |
| 8 | Xiang Lin | United States | 783,000 | 78 |
| 9 | Matthew Villarreal | United States | 780,000 | 78 |
| 10 | Rick Whitesell | United States | 779,000 | 78 |
Stars Turn Out in Force for the $5K NLHE 6-Max
A field of 1,074 players descended on Event #65: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em (6-Handed), blowing last year’s 920 attendance out of the water. That number is set to rise with late registration remaining open into Day 2.
Bulgaria’s Yuliyan Kolev (521,000), this time without his KFC bucket hat, bagged up the most chips of the 381 survivors. Although Kolev has started well, there is a long way to go in this event, not least because the field is as stacked as they come.
Players such as Matt Berkey (370,000), Ren “Tony” Lin (369,000), Mustapha Kanit (312,500), and Taylor Paur (306,000) bagged up top 20 stacks.
Vanessa Selbst (253,000), Danny Tang (227,000), David Miscikowski (219,000), Nacho Barbero (181,500), Alex Foxen (165,000), and Ryan Leng (144,500) also bagged ample stacks.
If you dream of catching a glimpse of your favorite poker player, you should join the PokerNews team from 12:00 p.m. local time on June 29 because this field is jam-packed with supreme poker talent. Which of them will survive on Day 2?
Event #65: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em (6-Handed) Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Counts | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuliyan Kolev | Bulgaria | 521,000 | 208 |
| 2 | Ting Yi Tsai | Taiwan | 471,500 | 189 |
| 3 | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | 422,500 | 169 |
| 4 | Matt Berkey | United States | 370,000 | 148 |
| 5 | Ren Lin | United States | 369,000 | 148 |
| 6 | Jonathan McCann | United Kingdom | 364,000 | 146 |
| 7 | Zachary Grech | United States | 360,000 | 144 |
| 8 | Pavel Spirins | Latvia | 356,500 | 143 |
| 9 | Cody Jones | United States | 325,000 | 130 |
| 10 | Carlos Chadha-Villamarin | United States | 317,000 | 127 |
Guagenti is the Man to Catch After Day 1 of the $1,500 PLO8
Nick Guagenti (656,000) bagged up the most chips after Day 1 of Event #66: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or better concluded. Some 1,125 players bought into the action on Day 1, and they were whittled to a more manageable 168 by the end of the 15th level.
Some of the more notable players that punched their Day 2 tickets include Mike Linster (540,000), Robert Campbell (497,000), Amnon Filippi (489,000), Jeff Lisandro (150,000), Yuval Bronshtein (105,000), and Anthony Zinno (100,000).
Join PokerNews from 1:00 p.m. local time on June 29, which is when the remaining players return to battle in this event.
Event #66: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Guagenti | United States | 656,000 | 109 |
| 2 | Philipp Krieger | Germany | 542,000 | 90 |
| 3 | Mike Linster | United States | 540,000 | 90 |
| 4 | Robert Campbell | Australia | 497,000 | 83 |
| 5 | Amnon Filippi | United States | 489,000 | 82 |
| 6 | DID NOT REPORT 2 | United States | 485,000 | 81 |
| 7 | Jeremy Brousseau | France | 423,000 | 71 |
| 8 | Ryan Bambrick | United States | 418,000 | 70 |
| 9 | Sean Remz | United States | 400,000 | 67 |
| 10 | Joseph Silverman | United States | 389,000 | 65 |
What to Expect on Day 31 of the 2023 WSOP
The events continue coming thick and fast, with the 2023 WSOP showing zero signs of slowing down despite it being in action for a month.
Event #60: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw will award its bracelets, as will Event #62: $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha and Event #63: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship.
Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors kicks off its third day, while it is Day 2 of Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack Championship. We will also report from Day 2 of Event #65: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em (6-Handed) and Event #66: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better.
Three new tournaments shuffle up and deal on the 31st day of the 2023 WSOP.
Event #67: $1,000 Ladies Championship will attract the very best female players poker has to offer, while Event #68: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty should draw in a massive crowd; do not be surprised if this tournament requires an additional day. Rounding off the new events is the star-studded Event #69: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the 2023 WSOP as we are the only place providing the live updates and content poker players really want.