WSOP Day 8: Benny Glaser Leads Dealer's Choice Heading into Final Day

10 min read
Benny Glaser

Yesterday's Day 7 of the World Series of Poker featured seven events with three bracelets scheduled to be awarded.

Instead, Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack added a third day to the event with the final table to be streamed on Wednesday at CBS All Access in the United States and at PokerGO in the rest of the world.

Yesterday, Alex Epstein won his first WSOP bracelet after outlasting a field of 114 entrants in Event #8: $10,000 Short Deck No-Limit Hold'em to claim the top prize of $296,277. This continues the American dominance thus far in bracelet events with players from the United States claiming six of the seven bracelets.

Also winning a bracelet was Daniel Park after finishing on top of a huge field of 2,452 players to win the one-day Event #12: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty marathon event for $226,243.

In addition to the five continuing events on Day 8, three new ones will kick off making it a busy day at the Rio Convention Center.

Here's what's on tap today, in the daily What to Watch For on PokerNews, sponsored by 888poker.


Event #3: BIG 50 - $500 No-Limit Hold'em

The fourth and final Day 2 flight featured the 2,110 survivors from an original field of 9,121 entrants trimmed down to 553 players. When the final tallies were done, the event attracted a record-breaking field of 28,371.

Each of the four opening flights could have been a massive tournament by themselves with prize pools bigger than many other bracelet events. Here is a look at the day-by-day breakdown:

Day 1a entries:6,095
Day 1a unique players:5,159
Day 1a prize pool:$2,986,660
  
Day 1b entries:5,972
Day 1b unique players:3,784
Day 1b prize pool:$2,843,780
  
Day 1c entries:7,183
Day 1c unique players:3,861
Day 1c prize pool:$3,375,570
  
Day 1d entries9,121
Day 1d unique players5,166
Day 1d prize pool:$4,303,425

The massive field is down to just 1,594 players with three more days of action to come starting with today's Day 3 at 11 a.m. PST. The final table will be streamed live at CBS All Access in the United States and at PokerGO in the rest of the world on Friday, June 7.

Zachary Ackley bagged the Day 2d chip lead with 2,925,000 but will find himself in ninth place heading into today's Day 3 with all four opening fields merging into one.

Jerald Williamson
Jerald Williamson enters Day 3 with the chip lead.

Day 2b chip leader Jerald Williamson, who chatted with PokerNews here, is the leader of the pack entering Day 3 with a big stack of 4,105,000 in chips. Williamson will be followed by Saya Ono (second - 3,810,000) and Benjamin Dobson (third - 3,560,000), both of whom emerged from the Day 2c flight.

Here is a look at the top ten on the leaderboard entering Day 3.

BIG 50 Day 3 Big Stacks

PlacePlayerCountryChipsBig Blinds
1Jerald WilliamsonUnited States4,105,000137
2Saya OnoUnited States3,810,000127
3Benjamin DobsonUnited Kingdom3,560,000119
4Mikhail VilkovRussia3,475,000116
5Joshua ThibodauxUnited States3,215,000107
6Daniel HughesUnited States3,200,000107
7Azad ArazmUnited States3,030,000101
8Amer TorbeyVenezuela3,025,000101
9Zachary AckleyUnited States2,925,00098
10Nelson RoseCanada2,915,00097
10Jose ChavezUnited States2,915,00097

Follow PokerNews as our Live Reporting team will be covering the event from start to finish with live updates, beginning with today's Day 3 action at 11 a.m. PST. Live updates can be found here.


Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack

This new event has turned into a small marathon with event organizers adding a third day to the schedule which will be streamed live today at CBS All Access in the United States and at PokerGO in the rest of the world.

Yesterday's penultimate day began with 581 hopefuls out of the 6,150 hungry to advance to the final day in good enough shape to snag the bracelet.

Just nine players kept their hopes alive after a long day of play, each guaranteed a $35,183 payday with the winner walking home with a huge $398,281 top prize on their $600 investment.

Paul Jain
Paul Jain enters the final table with a big chip lead.

Paul Jain advanced to the final table with a big chip lead with 41,700,000 in chips or nearly double that of his nearest competitor Jeremy Pakarek with 21,800,000. Rounding out the top five are David Elet with 21,300,000, Noomis Jones with 21,100,000, and Juan Magana with 19,500,000.

Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Final Table Seat Draw

SeatPlayerCountryChips
1Paul JainUnited States41,700,000
2Tan NguyenUnited States18,400,000
3John SkrovanUnited States11,600,000
4Juan MaganaUnited States19,500,000
5Dan KuntzmanUnited States11,600,000
6Benjamin UnderwoodCanada17,600,000
7Noomis JonesUnited States21,100,000
8David EletUnited States21,300,000
9Jeremy PakarekUnited States21,800,000

Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Final Table Payouts

PlacePrize
1$398,281
2$245,881
3$182,173
4$135,959
5$102,216
6$77,418
7$59,075
8$45,418
9$35,183

Follow PokerNews as our Live Reporting team will be covering the event from start to finish with live updates, beginning with today's final day of action at 3 p.m. PST. Live updates can be found here.


Event #10: $1,500 Dealers Choice

The dealer's choice game is a true test of poker for mixed game players with the action constantly changes. The player on the button is allowed to choose between the following games:

  • Limit Hold'em
  • Razz
  • Seven Card Stud
  • Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better
  • Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Regular
  • Pot-Limit Hold'em
  • Pot-Limit Omaha
  • Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
  • Big O
  • Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Limit
  • 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw
  • Pot-Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw
  • A-5 Lowball Triple Draw
  • Badugi
  • Badeucy
  • Badacy
  • No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
  • No-Limit Five-Card Draw High

Yesterday's Day 2 began with 155 entrants out of the original field of 470 battling it out. After ten levels of play, the field was trimmed down to just 21 players led by three-time WSOP champion Benny Glaser.

Benny Glaser
Three-time WSOP champion Benny Glaser Enters the final day with the chip lead.

Rounding out the top five in chip counts are Rob Campbell (second - 454,500), WSOP bracelet winner Michael Chow (third - 443,000), two-time bracelet winner Frankie O'Dell (fourth - 342,000), and Wes Self (fifth - 324,000).

In addition to Glaser, Chow, and O'Dell, there are a number of other bracelet winners in the hunt for another including John Cernuto (300,000), Scott Clements (270,500), Naoya Kihara (202,000), Jesse Martin (153,000), John Monnette (149,500), Robert Mizrachi (140,500), Josh Arieh (134,500), and Andrey Zhigalov (114,500).

The final day kicks off today at 2 p.m. PST where we will see another WSOP champion crowned. The returning players are each guaranteed a $4,754 payout with the eventual winner banking $144,957.

The opening blind and ante level will depend on the game chosen by the player on the button. Limit flop and draw games will feature 5,000/10,000 blinds, while Stud games will have a 2,000 ante, 3,000 bring-in, and 10,000 completion. No Limit and Pot Limit games will be played at 2,500/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante, with draw games having an 7,500 big blind ante.

Follow PokerNews as our Live Reporting team will be covering the event from start to finish with live updates, beginning with today's final day of action at 2 p.m. PST. Live updates can be found here.


Event #11: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em

This event witnessed the 343-entry field grow to 400 entrants by the time late registration closed four blind levels into Day 2. The 137 opening day survivors and the 57 to join on Day 2 battled it out for ten hour-long blind levels until just 27 players were remaining.

Finland's Pauli Ayras will be on the hunt for his first bracelet after bagging a cool 1,000,000 in chips for the chip lead. Ognjen Sekularac (second - 909,000) isn't too far behind with both players having a gap on the rest of the field with Daniel Strelitz (third - 694,000), Pete Chen (fourth - 691,000), and Maria Mcalpin (fifth - 648,000) rounding out the top five in chip stacks.

Maria Ho
Maria Ho in the hunt for her first WSOP bracelet.

Several bracelet winners will be looking to add a second to their collection with Giuseppe Pantaleo (597,000), Anthony Zinno (249,000), Jeremy Ausmus (208,000), and Niall Farrell (162,000) all in the hunt. Maria Ho is in better shape to win her first bracelet after bagging a sixth-place chip stack of 632,000.

Among the players not to survive the second day included Day 1 chip leader Dan Smith, Event #5: 50th Annual High Roller - $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em winner Ben Heath, three-time WSOP champion Adrian Mateos, and 15-time WSOP champion Phil Hellmuth.

The penultimate day of this event kicks off at 2 p.m. and will play down to a final table of six players, which will be live streamed simultaneously at PokerGO and CBS All Access. Blinds will begin at 6,000/12,000 with a big blind ante of 12,000.

Follow PokerNews as our Live Reporting team will be covering the event from start to finish with live updates, beginning with today's Day 3 action at 2 p.m. PST. Live updates can be found here.

Event #13: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw

This event made WSOP history for the biggest turnout for a $1,500 NL 2-7 single draw event after 296 entrants joined in on the action to generate a $399,600 prize pool. A total of 63 players survived with 45 guaranteed at least a min-cash of $2,242 with Thursday's winner slated to walk home with the $96,278 top prize.

Frank Kassela
Frank Kassela enters Day 2 in second place.

Steven Tabb emerged from the opening day as the chip leader with 185,400 in chips. Frank Kassela (136,600), four-time WSOP bracelet winner Shaun Deeb (119,500), three-time bracelet winner Michael Gathy (116,000), and Jon Turner (113,600) are the closest players on Tabb's tail.

Also bagging chips were last year's champion Daniel Ospina (67,500) and six-time WSOP bracelet winners Daniel Negreanu (59,000) and Chris Ferguson (10,800).

The penultimate day of this event will kick off at 2 p.m. PST with blinds at 500/1,000 along with a big blind ante of 1,500. The action will continue until there are just six players.

Follow PokerNews as our Live Reporting team will be covering the event from start to finish with live updates, beginning with today's Day 2 action at 2 p.m. PST. Live updates can be found here.

Event #14: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.

The mixed-game fun continues on Wednesday with the H.O.R.S.E. making its first return this summer to the Rio. The action rotates between Limit Hold'em, Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 8 or Better.

  • Limit Hold'em
  • Razz
  • Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
  • Seven Card Stud
  • Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better

The action in this four-day event commences today at 11 a.m. with players starting off with 10,000 in chips and blinds increasing every 60 minutes. Players will bag chips after ten levels of play with late registration closing after the conclusion of Level 8.

Last year's event attracted 731 players to generate a $986,850 prize pool. Russia's Andrey Zhigalov claimed his only WSOP bracelet after shipping the event for $202,787.

Follow PokerNews as our Live Reporting team will be covering the event from start to finish with live updates, beginning with today's Day 1 action at 11 a.m. PST. Live updates can be found here.


Event #15: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship

The best heads-up tournament players in the world will be battling it out in this Championship event starting at 3 p.m. PST. The event is capped at 512 entrants but there should be room for everyone with last year's event attracting 114 entrants for a $571,600 prize pool with many of the players getting half their buy-in back by playing in a $5,000 satellite in a "play-in" round.

Justin Bonomo - 2018 $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship Winner
Justin Bonomo - 2018 $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship Winner

Last year, Justin Bonomo won the first of his two 2018 WSOP bracelets before also shipping The Big One For One Drop later in the festival for his third career bracelet.

Here is a breakdown of the heads-up tournaments over the years at the WSOP:

YearBuy-inEntriesChampionEarningsRunner-Up
2007$5,000392Dan Schreiber$425,594Mark Muchnik
2008$10,000256Kenny Tran$539,056Alec Torelli
2009$10,000256Leo Wolpert$625,682John Duthie
2010$10,000256Ayaz Mahmood$625,682Ernst Schmejkal
2011$25,000128Jake Cody$851,192Yevgeniy Timoshenko
2012$10,000152Brian Hastings$371,498Jason Mo
2013$10,000162Mark Radoja$331,190Don Nguyen
2014$10,000136Davide Suriano$335,553Sam Stein
2015$10,000143Keith Lehr$334,440Paul Volpe
2016$10,000153Alan Percal$320,574John Smith
2017$10,000129Adrian Mateos$336,656John Smith
2018$10,000114Justin Bonomo$185,965Jason McConnon

Today's action is scheduled for three heads-up matches with start times at 3 p.m. PST, 6 p.m. PST, and 9 p.m. PST with each match featuring 20-minute blind levels.

Follow PokerNews as our Live Reporting team will be covering the event from start to finish with live updates, beginning with today's Day 1 action at 11 a.m. PST. Live updates can be found here.


Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed

This three-day event is the last new one to kick off on Day 8 of the 2019 WSOP with a starting time of 4 p.m. PST. The event is a deep-stacked affair with players will starting off with 25,000 in chips with blinds at just 100/100.

The first day of action will feature 14 blinds levels of 40 minutes each with late registration closing at after nine blind levels. Those bagging chips will have more time to react with blind levels increasing by 50 percent to one hour in length until a winner is crowned.

Ognyan Dimov - 2018 WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed Winner
Ognyan Dimov - 2018 WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed Winner

Last year's event attracted 1,663 entrants to generate a $2,245,050 prize pool. Ognyan Dimov proudly raised the Bulgarian flag after he shipped the event for $378,743.

Follow PokerNews as our Live Reporting team will be covering the event from start to finish with live updates, beginning with today's Day 1 action at 11 a.m. PST. Live updates can be found here.


2019 WSOP Bracelet Winners

Ben Heath is still the only player from outside the United States to win one of the six bracelets awarded thus far after taking down Event #5: 50th Annual High Roller - $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em for $1,484,085.

Joining Heath on winning their first bracelets were Nicholas Haynes (Event #1 - $62,345), Brian Green (Event #2 - $345,669), Derek McMaster (Event #4 - $228,228), Dan Zack (Event #6 - $160,447), and Yong "LuckySpewy1" Kwon (Event #7 - $165,263).

Event EntrantsPrize PoolWinnerCountryTop PrizeWSOP Bracelets
Event #1:$500 Casino Employees Event686$297,975Nicholas HaynesUnited States$62,3451
Event #2:$10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty204$1,917,600Brian GreenUnited States$345,6691
Event #4:$1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better853$1,151,550Derek McMasterUnited States$228,2281
Event #5:50th Annual High Roller - $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em110$5,280,000Ben HeathUnited Kingdom$1,484,0851
Event #6:$2,500 Limit Mixed Triple Draw296$666,000Dan ZackUnited States$160,4471
Event #7:$400 WSOP.com ONLINE No-Limit Hold'em2,825$1,017,000Yong "LuckySpewy1" KwonUnited States$165,2631
Event #8:$10,000 Short Deck No-Limit Hold'em114$1,071,600Alex EpsteinUnited States$296,2271
Event #12:$1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty2,451$1,471,200Daniel ParkUnited States$226,2431
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