WSOP Day 30: Gamble, Matusow, Negreanu in $1,500 PLO Hi-Lo Final 20
It will be a busy day at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino on Thursday. Event #53: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better moves to Day 3 with only 20 players left, among them defending champion Nathan Gamble (pictured above) seeking back-to-back titles. Other big names returning in the event include Mike Matusow, Eli Elezra, and Daniel Negreanu.
In Event #56: $10,000 Razz Championship, John Hennigan returns as chip leader. Meanwhile 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up Jay Farber returns as one of the final four remaining in Event #51: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty. In other action, Event #55: $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'em enters a second day.
Event #51: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty
A fourth day was added to this event with only four players returning to battle it out for the bracelet and $272,504 first prize. Ryan Leng returns as chip leader with 5,440,000. Leng has $771,181 in tournament winnings, but looking for his first bracelet.
The other three players returning include Ranno Sootla (3,835,000), Christian Nolte (3,405,000), and Jay Farber (2,195,000).
The final table resumes at 12 noon and PokerNews will have every hand until a champion is crowned. Check back for all the updates.
Event #53: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Out of the 191 players who returned for Day 2, defending champion Nathan Gamble was one of the 20 who made it through to Day 3 to continue his quest for back-to-back titles. Gamble took home his first career bracelet in this event last year and has the chip lead currently with 834,000.
Gamble will have his work cut out for him in order to claim the bracelet and $244,370 top prize, with Joseph Couden (776,000), Robert Campbell (565,000), Brad Albrinck (564,000), and four-time bracelet winner Mike Matusow (436,000) all on his heels.
Matusow is pleased with his play thus far and is hoping for that fifth bracelet:
We all get a 1 time in poker. I will ask to use my 1 time for Tomorrow! This is my best game, plus I'm super hungry… https://t.co/1r5z122dh0
— Mike Matusow (@themouthmatusow)
Other notables remaining hoping to unseat Gamble include Eli Elezra (419,000), Bryce Yockey (400,000), Chris Conrad (364,000), Garrett Garvin (347,000), Quinn Do (300,000), Bruno Fitoussi (262,000) and Daniel Negreanu (96,000).
The split pots resume on Thursday at 12 noon. Check back with PokerNews to see who from these final 20 emerges as champion.
Event #54: Big Blind Antes $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em
After two days, only 31 players remain from the 1,020 total entries in this one, with Jonathan Abdellatif holding a sizable chip lead with 2,725,000.
Also in the current top five are Barry Hutter (953,000), Marciano Cruz (807,000), Todd Ivens (780,000), and [Removed:17] (714,000).
A few other notables returning include Nikita Luther (392,000), Kristen Bicknell (298,000), Anna Antimony (200,000), Kevin Song (675,000), and Ryan Hall (603,000).
The tournament resumes at 2 p.m. and PokerNews will have all the live updates. PokerCentral will also stream the final table via Twitch — click here to watch.
Event #55: $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'em
This popular event featured a cool vibe with plenty of players railing their teammates throughout the day. The tournament drew 1,032 teams, more entries than each of the previous two years, to create a total prize pool of $928,800.
Of those, only 242 teams advanced yesterday and still have a shot at the the first-place prize of $175,805. Of those just 155 teams will make the money. The team of Juan Ramirez, Isai Coello, and Dustin Pattinson are currently atop the chip counts with 193,000.
Just behind them is the team of Michael Wang, Dan Zack, and Ajay Chabra with 113,800. Rounding out the top three is the team of multiple WSOP Circuit Ring winner Alex Rocha, his girlfriend Megan Milburn, and her mother Joanne Milburn with 102,400.
Day 2 gets underway at 12 noon and PokerNews will continue to bring all tag team fun. Click here to follow along.
Event #56: $10,000 Razz Championship
After the first day of play in this event, John Hennigan currently leads the remaining 52 players from the 112 who have entered so far. Hennigan bagged 302,000 followed by Ted Forrest (221,500), Per Hildebrand (221,000), Julien Martini (193,000), and Bart Hanson (187,000).
Other notables advancing include defending champion James Obst (166,500), Robert Mizrachi (183,500), Allen Kessler (183,000), Dzmitry Urbanovich (179,000), Larry Wright (167,000), Mike Leah (126,500), Paul Volpe (116,500), Shaun Deeb (82,500), and Calvin Anderson (79,500).
Late registration is available through the start of Day 2, which should add a bit to the prize pool. The restart begins at 2 p.m. and PokerNews will have every wheel and missed draw.
Event #57: $1,000/$10,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Today is the day the always popular ladies event gets underway. While there seems to be a man or two jumping on the action each year, men will have to pay the full $10,000 entry fee, while women have a discounted buy-in of $1,000.
The tournament begins at 11:00 a.m. and players begin with 5,000 starting chips. Levels with last 60 minutes in this three-day event with late registration running through the first eight levels.
New Zealand's Heidi May won the bracelet and $135,098 a year ago in an event that attracted 718 runners for a prize pool of $654,300. PokerNews will have all your updates.
Event #58: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed
Finally, Thursday offers players a chance to get their short-handed game on. This six-handed tournament features a mid-range price, which should make for a nice prize pool. Players start with 25,000 chips with 60-minute levels in the four-day event. Late registration is allowed until the beginning of Day 2.
Nadar Kakhmazov took home the bracelet and $580,338 in 2017. Check back with PokerNews for all the live updates.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions. He is also the host of the True Gambling Stories podcast, available on iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn Radio, Spotify, Stitcher, PokerNews.com, HoldemRadio.com, and TrueGamblingStories.com.
