Following Thursday's momentary lull where no new WSOP winner's bracelets were awarded, action returned to full stride on Friday with action in five events, including two ending with champion's ceremonies.
Scott Clements claimed the title in Event #23, $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha, an event where early interest was also on Johnny Chan, who was trying to collect an 11th career bracelet and tie the new mark set by Phil Hellmuth, Jr. several days earlier. Chan, though, bowed out early. Clements opened a commanding lead midway through the final table and picked off the last opponents in short order, with runner-up Eric 'Rizen' Lynch the final challenger to fall. Clements picked up $194,206 for the PLO title.
A similar tale evolved in Event #22, $5,000 No Limit Hold 'Em, where young James Mackey steamrolled a final table with several more well-known names. Tex Barch, Michael Binger, Michael Gracz and Nick Schulman were all in the running here. Mackey started the day in a strong second place behind Day Two leader Karga Holt, but Mackey was willing to mix it up with the chip lead and put the other players away. Mackey collected $730,740 for the win, with Stuart Fox finishing second and Binger in third.
The second day of Event #24, $3,000 Seven Card Stud High/Low Split, saw half the original field on hand, with the field pared all the way down to the final eight-player table. Eli Elezra will begin that final table as the chip leader, though the board is compressed; David Sklansky, Dutch Boyd, Thor Hansen and Scotty Nguyen are also here, seeking the Stud title.
Two events began on Friday. Event #25, $2,000 No Limit Hold 'Em, attracted 1,800 players for its noon start. Peter Auer holds the lead at the end of the first day's play, with Justin Pechie, Kazuki Ikuechi, Jordan Morgan and Brandon Schaefer rounding out the top five. The 130 remaining players are already in the money and will play today until Sunday's final-table lineup is set.
The 5pm starting slot went to Event #26, $5,000 H.O.R.S.E. 192 players entered, the field top-heavy with well-known pros. 115 players moved on to today's Day Two action, with Sam Grizzle the Day One leader over Jim Bechtel, Toto Leonidas and Chris Reslock.
Today brings the kickoff of another big tourney, Event #27, $1,500 No Limit Hold 'Em. For all ongoing events, the latest updates are always available in the 'Live Reporting' section here on PokerNews.com.
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