Christina Renz started the action with a. raise to 1,600 and picked up calls from Scotty Nguyen on the button and Randall Emmett in the big blind.
The flop appeared 5?4?Q? and Emmett checked to Renz who continued for 5,000. Nguyen replied with a raise to 15,000 and only Renz called.
When the 4? hit the turn, Renz check-called Nguyen for 12,000.
The K? completed the board and Renz check-called again Nguyen for a bet of 15,000. Nguyen tabled K?Q? for two pair but Renz revealed A?A? for a better two pair and took down the nice pot.
The board 2?5?9?3?3? was already dealt with a pot containing more than 33,000 when Lea Nehme checked to William Kassouf. The latter bet 15,000 and Nehme went deep into the tank.
A long discussion ensued with Kassouf, who declared "Whatever you have on the board you're behind", adding "If you show, I show".
"So much talking, I'm even more lost now" said Nehme after a few minutes. However, she ended up sending a chip for the call and Kassouf revealed Q?4? for a bluff.
Nehme tabled A?J? and took down the pot with ace-high.
Michael Pepe opened the cutoff to 1,800 before Conrad Simpson three-bet 6,200 in the small blind. The big blind got out of the way and Pepe made the call.
The dealer fanned a flop of A?A?2? and Simpson continued for 1,200. Pepe called.
The Q? fell on the turn and both players checked to see the 6? river.
Simpson tossed 6,000 across the line and Pepe mucked his hand.
A completed board of 7?5?2?J?K? was spread across the felt with a little over 30,000 in the middle. Joseph Ritzie led out with a bet of 16,500 after also leading out on the turn. Brittney Stout was sitting on his left and jammed all in as the bigger of the two stacks.
"Oh god," Ritzie said being put to the test for his last 47,000 chips.
"You can call me Brittney, actually," Stout reminded him but she couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Ritzie went into the tank and tried to get a read on Stout by talking to her. "I don't know what you want me to say. I'm all in, I can't do anything else," Stout continued as she tied her hoodie tight around her face.
Ritzie eventually laid his hand down, noting that he folded seven-five for two pair. Stout also showed her hand with K?J? going face up into the middle of the table.
The action was picked up in a pot of close to 8,000 on a completed board showing 10?3?3?7?10?. Jamie Smith bet out 3,200 from the big blind and his opponent on the button went in the tank.
After close to 30 seconds, the button made the call and Smith tabled 8?8?. The button mucked their cards and the pot was sent to Smith close to the end of Day 1d.
It was a record-setting day at the 2023 World Series of Poker as Day 1d, the final starting flight, amassed over 4,100 entries in Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship. The old mark of 8,773 entries in 2006 was shattered in the early stages today, with the current number of entries sitting at around 9,337 and counting.
It was nothing short of a frenzy throughout the day, with tables open in all parts of the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas ballrooms, and the energy was certainly felt today more than any other. Chris Moneymaker, widely regarded for starting the initial poker boom back in 2003, kicked things off by welcoming all players to the WSOP Main Event. He was joined by Gene Calden, the oldest player to ever play the Main Event at the ripe age of 100 years young.
End of Day 1d Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Nicholas Rigby
United States
408,800
511
2
Brittney Stout
United States
375,500
469
3
Neel Murthy
United States
323,100
404
4
Chris Hunichen
United States
321,200
402
5
Carlos Leiva
Argentina
318,700
398
6
Brandon Mincher
United States
317,000
396
7
Jeffrey Weil
United States
308,100
385
8
Matthew Adams
United States
307,200
384
9
Vincent Pistorino
United States
306,000
383
10
Harish Ananthapadmanabha
United States
305,400
382
As is often the case, the bigger the starting flight, the bigger the chips stacks. Today was no different as Nicholas Rigby finished Day 1d with a whopping stack of 408,000 chips. Rigby, who became known for the "dirty diaper" a couple of years ago, will enter Day 2 as the overall chip leader and as the only player to accumulate more than 400,000 chips. The Pennsylvania native doesn't have many tournament results on his resume, but this is one tournament that he excels in. Back in 2019, Rigby finished in 52nd place in the Main Event for $136,100 and gained plenty of recognition for playing his favorite hand, deuce-three offsuit.
Chasing the leader on Day 1d was Brittney Stout, who had a very entertaining day at the felt. Stout was full of laughter and jokes throughout the day, and who wouldn't be after bagging a stack of 375,500 chips. Neel Murthy (323,100), high-roller Chris Hunichen (321,000), and Brandon Mincher (317,000) were among the others that topped the leaderboard.
Brittney Stout
A Three Ring Circus Broke Out
Some people often describe chaos and lots of extracurricular activities as a circus. On Day 1d, there was not only that, but an actual circus made an appearance as well. Phil Hellmuth made his grand appearance at the Main Event as a Stage Master dragging Daniel "Jungleman" Cates dressed as a lion in a cage behind him. Hellmuth was also joined by 17 models, representing the 17 WSOP gold bracelets he has won in his career.
Hellmuth was met with mixed emotions upon his entrance - cheers and applause from his fans who couldn't wait to snap a picture and murmurs and complaints from those who were just trying to play some poker. Every year it's a spectacle when Hellmuth enters the Main Event and this year was nothing different. Hellmuth was moved to the feature table, where he finished the night with 108,500, whereas Cates was eliminated just after the dinner break.
Phil Hellmuth and Dan Cates Make Entrance at 2023 WSOP
Another thing that never changes is the cold deck that often finds its way into one of the first hands of the day. This year, it happened to be the very first hand. Jamie Smith flopped top set with pocket queens while Mikolaj Zawadzki flopped middle set with pocket eights. All of the chips went into the middle by the river and Zawadzki was eliminated after not improving. That's a $10,000 hand!
As for Calden, who made his own history at the WSOP today, his run at the poker table didn't last very long. The World War II veteran flopped two pair, but his opponent turned a straight when all of the chips went in the middle. Calden was unable to improve, and his Main Event ended in the second level. Calden not only got applause for his service but also for making history on the felt.
Another fan-favorite is the 2005 Main Event champion Joe Hachem (125,300). The Aussie was once again back at the WSOP and was joined by his son Daniel Hachem (22,400), who, as his dad says, is the best poker player in the family. Both players earned healthy stacks in the early going and will be returning for Day 2d.
Hossein Ensan, Qui Nguyen (121,800), Moneymaker (143,100), and Scotty Nguyen (8,400) were the other previous Main Event champions in the field today and Ensan was the only one that failed to advance to Day 2.
Joe Hachem
A circus is not a circus without some shenanigans as well. Midway through the day, Gaston Miculitzki was the beneficiary of a floor ruling that ultimately resulted in a double-up. Miculitzki was facing a bet and put in the wrong amount and then attempted to fold. After the floor ruled that he must call, Miculitzki then went on to turn a set of kings and double up through his opponent.
On the next level, Stephanie Wang was all in on the flop with pocket eights and called by Brian Wilson with just queen-high, no draw. Wilson rivered a pair and started celebrating, which grabbed the attention of the entire ballroom. However, that was soon followed by the celebration of Wang when she realized that she had rivered a flush. Both players laughed it off, and Wang collected the 250 big blind pot.
Everyone that advanced from Day 1d today will have a day off to collect themselves and will be returning to the felt on Saturday, July 8th at 12 noon local time. Friday, July 7, is Day 2abc, where the remaining players from Day 1a, Day 1b, and Day 1c will combine for the next five levels of poker. The action is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. local time, with tables being set up in the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas ballrooms.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor in full force to bring you all of the updates and highlights from around the tournament room.
