$10,400 WPT World Championship
Day 2 Completed
2023 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas
$10,400 WPT World Championship
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Players Info - Day 2
2023 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas
Buy-in
$10,400
Prize Pool
$40,000,000
Entries
3,835
Entries
1,375
Players Left
480
One of the largest poker tournaments in history is in the money. On Level 15, the 481st player busted from the $10,400 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship, giving everyone else still standing a sigh of relief.
Day 2 on Saturday began at noon PT with 1,400 players hoping to get a slice of that juicy $40 million prize pool. Unfortunately, for many of them, the dream was shattered before the bubble burst.
Once the tournament officially reached the money, all remaining players were guaranteed at least $18,700, with the potential to win as much as $5,678,000.
Bubble Has Burst
During the final level of play, with more than 500 players remaining, some players, most notably short stacks, tightened up. But some short stacks were forced to make moves with the blinds up to 10,000/15,000 (15,000 big blind ante). On a few occasions, the big blind was essentially forced all in.
PokerStars Ambassador Maria Konnikova faced a similar situation early in the final level with 4?4? and just a few big blinds facing a raise from Alex Papazian, who had K?2?. The board ran out clean for the author-turned-poker pro and she was back to nine big blinds, hoping to sneak into the money.
Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment in the second annual WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas is the defending champion �� Eliot Hudon �� reaching the money again. Hudon, who doubled up just before the bubble burst, beat out 2,960 players last year in this same event for $4.1 million.
With about an hour prior to the conclusion of Level 15, the tournament staff implemented the Action Clock, which forces players to act quicker, a measure put in place to prevent stalling around the bubble.
On the fourth hand of hand-for-hand play on the bubble, four players were facing all in situations for their tournament life. At Table 145, Tyler Hirschfeld was all in on a flop of J?4?4? with A?A?, feeling pretty good about his chances of doubling up. That was until he saw the J?J? Maryline Valente was holding �� a full house.
The turn was the 7? followed by the 10? on the river, no help to Hirschfeld, who was eliminated in 481st place, good for the same amount paid to the first player to bust in the tournament �� $0.
Biggest Stacks Advancing to Day 3
Many big name pros escaped the bubble, including but not limited to Hossein Ensan, Jacob Ferro, Chance Kornuth, and Chris Hunichen.
The chip leader is Alessandro Siena with 3,035,000 (202 big blinds). David Levy is closest to Siena with 2,605,000, followed by Ferro (2,600,000) and Julien Martini (2,600,000).
WPT Ambassador Brad Owen is among the big names moving on to Day 3 with about 20 big blinds (301,000).
2023 WPT World Championship Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alessandro Siena | 3,035,000 |
| 2 | David Levy | 2,605,000 |
| T3 | Julien Martini | 2,600,000 |
| T3 | Jacob Ferro | 2,600,000 |
| 5 | Ade Olonoh | 2,520,000 |
| 6 | Raphael Blouet | 2,450,000 |
| 7 | Michael Gathy | 2,400,000 |
| 8 | Aditya Sadhu | 2,395,000 |
| T9 | Jeremy Joseph | 2,345,000 |
| T9 | Neel Murthy | 2,345,000 |
Day 2 concluded immediately after the bubble burst with 36 minutes remaining in Level 15. That is precisely where the tournament will pick up on Sunday at noon from inside the Encore Ballroom.
The bubble phase is always tense in any poker tournament, especially when there's at least a five-figure sum waiting around the corner in one of the richest live poker tournaments of all time.
Whether you're an amateur on a fabled Cinderella run or a seasoned vet like, say, a WSOP Main Event champion, decisions can be difficult, definitely when you're on the shorter stack.
With players on the cusp of the hand-for-hand phase in the 2023 WPT World Championship, Joe Hachem was dealt pocket kings in second position and facing a raise from under the gun.
What happens next? Watch it below or keep reading to find out what transpired.
The Hand
From under the gun, chipleader at the table Ben Bianco came in with a raise to 40,000 holding A?A?. Hachem three-bet to 120,000 with the K?K? to his left, keeping 385,000 behind, and action folded back to Bianco.
"Oh my goodness, oh no," commentators Henry Kilbane and Ashley Frank chimed in unison.
While the American was displaying his acting chops, Hachem playfully chirped to get him to fold, only to be met by a four-bet shove mere seconds after. Hachem's face quickly turned sour and after a minute, he decided to let it go.
"Are you kidding me?" Kilbane said in disbelief. Bianco indicated to Hachem he'd show if the Australian champ would show, and Hachem complied by flashing the cowboys.
"You are sick man," Bianco complimented him while tabling the blades. "You had more time chips, you should've waited!" he chuckled. The rest of the table just looked in stunned disbelief as Bianco raked in the pot.
Shortly after, the bubble burst �� with cracked aces no less �� to guarantee all remaining players, including Hachem, at least $18,700.
Who are the confirmed players for the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop?
'Beriuzy' Man of his Word, Jumps in Pool
Poker players were glued to the action on the WPT live stream and needless to say, the hand caused waves among the poker fans. Popular poker streamer Rayan "Beriuzy" Chamas was among the thousands watching the action concurrently.
Confidently, while Hachem was in the tank, 'Beriuzy' put out the following tweet:
True to his word, Chamas followed suit and, shortly after, jumped clothed and all into one of the lavish (and ice-cold) pools over in Sin City.
Follow along with live updates of the WPT World Championship over at WPT.com
The $1,000,000 buy-in Big One for One Drop will debut from Dec. 18-20 at the WPT World Championship festival at Wynn Las Vegas. It marks the fifth edition of the seven-figure buy-in event, and the first one since 2018.
��After a five-year hiatus it seems the grounds have never been more fertile for the Big One, it is clear it has been missed,�� said Alexandre Meunier, One Drop Foundation��s Chief Marketing and Events Officer. ��Past players from the worlds of business and high-stakes poker are showing strong interest as well as players who have never played a Big One before which is very encouraging. We would go as far to say that we haven��t seen such strong interest at this stage since the early editions of the history-making event.��
According to WPT, the tournament features the lowest rake it has ever offered and 6% of each buy-in will directly benefit the One Drop Foundation "to continue their mission of ensuring sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for communities facing extreme challenges, and one percent will be held as the house fee."
Read About The One Drop's Return!
Below is a look at the players previously confirmed by WPT to be playing. The field is sure to grow as the tournament grows closer given anyone with the seven-figure buy-in is welcome to join, and rumors on the ground suggest there are other players likely to jump into action.
With so many big name poker players and recreational businessmen in Vegas for the WPT World Championship, the world will just have to wait and see who might be inclined to jump into action.
Confirmed Big One Players:
| Phil Ivey | Chris Brewer | Dan Cates | Nick Petrangelo |
| David Einhorn | Talal Shakerchi | Rick Salomon | Mikita Badziakouski |
| Jason Koon | Artur Martirosian | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Santhosh Suvarna |
| Aleksejs Ponakovs |
Phil Ivey First to Sign Up
Back in September, Phil Ivey became the first player to officially register for the Big One for One Drop. Ivey, who is widely recognized as the greatest poker player of all time, will look to add to his $4.4 million in lifetime WPT earnings and $40.7 million in lifetime earnings five years after coming up short in recent One Drop offerings. Ivey finished three spots outside of the money in the last Big One for One Drop in 2018 and bubbled the EveryOne for One Drop earlier this summer.
��The Big One is what high stakes is all about," Ivey said in a press release. "Everyone's game elevates when they play in the biggest buy-in event in WPT history.
Six More Players Confirm in October
In October, six more players confirmed that they would join Ivey at Wynn Las Vegas later this year for the biggest buy-in event of the year.
Those players included high-stakes regulars Rick Salomon and Talal Shakerchi, investor David Einhorn, top pros Chris Brewer and Nick Petrangelo and two-time Poker Players Championship winner Dan "Jungleman" Cates.
��Our partnership with the One Drop Foundation has already seen some big names turn up in the Alpha8 fields,�� WPT CEO Adam Pliska said in a press release at the time. ��As the Big One draws near, we are elated with every new entry, building excitement and securing further support for the One Drop Foundation��s global cause.��
A few of the six new players confirmed for the Big One for One Drop have had success in the event in the past. Salomon played all four editions of the Big One, finishing fourth in the 2014 and 2018 offerings and third in the 2016 WSOP Monte Carlo event for $3.3 million, while Einhorn finished third in the 2012 tournament for $4.3 million.
Cates, Shakerchi and Petrangelo have also played previous One Drop editions, while Brewer, who has had a fantastic year of high-stakes tournament poker that has brought him his four biggest tournament cashes, will be making his One Drop debut.
��It is amazing to witness the first wave of entrants into the Big One, which includes some of our past participants as well as new faces,�� One Drop Foundation��s Chief Marketing and Events Officer Alexandre Meunier said in a press release. ��Rick, David and Talal have been a part of every Big One since its inception. We welcome all the players and cannot wait to add more incredible names to the lineup.��
Check out our WPT World Championship Hub Here!
Five More Players Announce in Mid-November
In the middle of November, five more players confirmed their participation in the seven-figure event.
High-stakes veteran Jason Koon will once again be taking part in the Big One For One Drop, while newer high-stakes grinders Aleksejs Ponakovs, Artur Martirosian, Orpen Kisacikoglu and Santhosh Suvarna will all make their Big One debuts.
Koon, who sits fourth on the all-time money list with $52.6 million in live earnings, played the 2018 One Drop but failed to cash.
Previous Big One for One Drop Winners
| YEAR | ENTRANTS | WINNER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 48 | Antonio Esfandiari | $18,346,673 | |
| 2014 | 42 | Dan Colman | $15,306,668 | |
| 2016 | 28 | Elton Tsang | $12,248,912 | |
| 2018 | 27 | Justin Bonomo | $10,000,000 |
Join WPT Global Today
The launch of WPT Global means that poker players around the world now have the chance to win their way to WPT events, win prizes and enjoy exciting games such as Poker Flips. As one of the world's largest cash game poker networks, WPT Global is available in over 50 countries and territories around the world.
WPT Global offers a large deposit match bonus: 100% on deposits up to $1,200 (using any payment method). New players depositing a minimum of $20 automatically receive this match bonus which is unlocked in $5 increments (credited straight to the cashier) for every $20 of rake contribution.
Both tournaments and cash games count towards bonus unlocking; new players have 90 days from the date of first deposit to unlock and claim their full bonus amount.
*Images courtesy of WPT.
Another day, another huge win at the poker table for Garrett Adelstein.
The Los Angeles high-stakes poker legend competed on Friday in a World Poker Tour (WPT) Cash Game live-streamed on YouTube, his second appearance this week in his return to poker for the first time in nearly 15 months.
Adelstein admitted after his Dec. 13 appearance on Bally Live Poker at Tropicana, where he won over $130,000, that he played solid but made some mistakes. In the WPT Cash Game, however, he appeared to be more on his game throughout the lengthy session.
Three Big Winners in World Poker Tour Cash Game
Adelstein wasn't the only big winner in the game. Charles Yu, a regular on Hustler Casino Live, has posted multiple massive losses in recent weeks. But the wealthy investor who entered the game in the middle of the session, bought in for $100,000 and ended the stream with $431,000, the largest profit at the table.
Andrew Robl, one of the top high-stakes cash game players ever, won $188,600, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has followed his career.
Adelstein was the second biggest winner with a $254,800 profit, bringing his overall tally to over $380,000 profit this week in his first two poker games since Sept. 29, 2022, when he infamously accused Robbi Jade Lew of cheating him out of a six-figure pot on Hustler Casino Live, a claim he still sticks behind to this day.
Coincidentally, Lew was in attendance at Wynn Las Vegas in the same room as Adelstein competing in Day 1d of the $10,400 World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship $40 million guaranteed tournament.
Early Cooler Helps Spark Adelstein
On the second hand of the eight-hour stream, Sosia Jang opened to $1,500 from under the gun with K?5?. Han, who lost multiple buy-ins before leaving the game, called from the hijack with Q?10?. Adelstein, on the button with A?A?, made it $7,000, and Han was the only player to call.
The flop came out Q?A?9?, top set for "G-Man," who checked it back. When the 7? appeared on the turn, action checked to the set of aces, who then fired out a bet of $8,000. A call was made, and off to the river they went, which was the Q?, a cooler card as it gave Han a set against aces full.
Han bet out this time for $14,000, leaving $71,000 behind. Adelstein made him play for it all and Han could not find a fold. He called it off and surrendered the $203,000 pot. Adelstein was never down at any point during the $300/$600 no-limit hold'em cash game.
He did, however, lose a chunk of his stack after being up more than $400,000 during the Stand-Up Game, a game in which the player who never wins a hand during the game pays the rest of the table a bounty.
Santhosh Suvarna, a casino owner from India who regularly plays in the highest stakes cash games, had quite a rough night. When the cameras stopped rolling, Santhosh was down $724,700, the biggest loss at the table by a wide margin.
One of the craziest hands of the day involved a three-way all in with a wild runout. Sean, with A?K?, put his last $66,400 in the middle against the A?Q? of Han and the A?Q? of Santhosh, both had Sean covered.
The flop came out 10?4?Q?, a bad break for Sean. But the J? on the turn gave him a straight. Unfortunately, for him, the 6? on the river complete a flush for Han, who had very little good luck go his way the rest of the day. Santhosh claimed the $141,200 side pot.
*Image courtesy of World Poker Tour.
$10,400 WPT World Championship
Day 2 Started