Cheung Leads; Matusow and Rast in The Hunt Going into Day 3 of Event #55: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Welcome to the third and final day of Event #55: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Out of a field of 566 hopefuls, only 18 are left in contention for the first-place prize of $755,610 and the coveted gold bracelet that awaits the winner at the end of the night.
Entering Day 3 as chip leader is James Cheung, who managed to bag up 1,805,000 last night. The next closest player is Seattle-based player Kao Saechao, who will bring 1,250,000 to battle with on the green felt.
Cheung is a relative unknown in the poker world, having only one other cash on his poker resume from Event #47: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. from a few days ago (wherein he placed 85th for $3,007). Nevertheless, Cheung has guaranteed himself a career-best cash and is currently best positioned to make a run at his first WSOP gold bracelet today.
Also in contention is four-time bracelet winner Mike Matusow and six-time bracelet winner Brian Rast, who is coming hot off a win from this year's $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Both Rast and Matusow are considered top contenders for this year��s WSOP Poker Hall of Fame and will surely be looking to pad their poker resumes with a win today.
Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Cheung | United Kingdom | 1,805,000 |
| 2 | Kao Saechao | United States | 1,250,000 |
| 3 | Patricia Yannuzzi | United States | 1,240,000 |
| 4 | James Juvancic | United States | 1,185,000 |
| 5 | Kyle Hinnerichs | United States | 1,175,000 |
| 6 | Michael Estes | United States | 1,120,000 |
| 7 | Mike Matusow | United States | 890,000 |
| 8 | Brian Rast | United States | 870,000 |
| 9 | Jose Paz-Gutierrez | Bolivia | 815,000 |
| 10 | Denny Axel | United States | 755,000 |
Play is set to begin at 1 p.m. local time and play down until a winner. Play will resume on level 26, which features a 10,000 ante, a 10,000 bring-in, and 40,000/80,000 limits. Levels will continue to last 60 minutes each and players will get a 15-minute break after every two levels. Any extended breaks will be determined by players and tournament staff.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews as Event #55: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better races toward a final table and the newest WSOP bracelet winner is named!