WSOP Day 13: Eli Elezra and Anthony Zinno Lead $1,500 Stud Final Table

8 min read
WSOP Day 13: Eli Elezra and Anthony Zinno Lead $1,500 Stud Final Table

Yesterday's Day 12 of the World Series of Poker witnessed seven events in action with two bracelets awarded. The biggest story of the day was American Frankie O'Dell coming back from less than one big blind with three players remaining to win Event #18: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for $443,641 and his third WSOP gold bracelet.

Event #21: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship was originally scheduled to play for four days. However, tournament organizers will give players a day off after yesterday's Day 2 action played down to just seven players with WSOP bracelet winner Jean-Robert Bellande in pole position for the $253,817 top prize. The action in this event will resume on Tuesday, June 11 at noon PDT with both PokerGO and CBS All Access providing a live stream of the remainder of the event starting at 1 p.m. PDT.

Three new bracelet events, including the popular Event #26: $2,620 No-Limit Hold'em Marathon, kick off today making it another 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 #19: Millionaire Maker - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

The event attracted 8,817 entries to obliterate the previous record of this event established in 2014 when Jonathan Dimmig outlasted a field of 7,977 entries to win $1,319,587. This year's winner will walk home with even more with a $1,344,930 top prize announced on yesterday's Day 2.

Sam Cosby
Sam Cosby bags over 3 million on Day 2 of the Millionaire Maker.

A total of 309 players will be coming back to compete on Day 3 at noon PDT. Sam Cosby, a tournament reporter who took a summer off to play at the WSOP, is the chip leader after he emerged at the end of the day with a massive stack of 3,023,000.

The big story could be that 2015 WSOP Main Event champion Joe McKeehen is in the hunt for his third bracelet with a stack of 2,416,000. Not too far behind is bracelet winner Ryan Leng with 2,277,000.

Joe McKeehen
Joe McKeehen in the hunt for his third WSOP bracelet.

Other notable players heading into Day 3 with big stacks include two-time bracelet winner Calvin Anderson (1,674,000), bracelet winner Kathy Liebert (1,375,000), and three-time bracelet winner Scott Clements (1,155,000). Clements is aiming for his second bracelet this year after previously triumphing in Event #10: $1,500 Dealers Choice for $144,957.

Another ten hour-long blind levels are scheduled for play today starting with 8,000/16,000 and a big blind ante of 16,000. Those bagging chips today will battle it out for two more days on June 11-12 until a winner is crowned. PokerGO will be live streaming the final six players at 1 p.m. on June 12 to poker fans around the world.

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 noon PDT. Live updates can be found here.


Event #20: $1,500 Seven Card Stud

It was a short penultimate day of less than two hours in this event with the Day 3 field of ten players playing down to six after the eliminations of Rod Pardey Jr (tenth - $6,510), Timothy Frazin (ninth - $6,510), two-time bracelet winner Scott Seiver (eighth - $8,337), and Joshua Mountain (seventh - $10,920).

Today's final day of action kicks off at noon PDT and will play down to a winner in front of a live-streamed audience with CBS All Access broadcasted starting at 1 p.m. PDT in Australia, Canada, and the United States and PokerGO doing the same for poker fans located elsewhere.

Anthony Zinno
Anthony Zinno in the hunt for another bracelet.

WSOP bracelet winner Anthony Zinno entered yesterday's action in the chip lead and bagged a huge stack of 1,219,000. This places him just behind three-time bracelet winner Eli Elezra who will kick off the day with the chip lead with 1,221,000 in chips.

There is a huge gap between this dynamic duo and the rest of the field in what could wind up being an ICM battle with players holding between one and eleven big blinds. Still in contention are twelve-time WSOP gold ring winner Valentin Vornicu (262,000), three-time WSOP bracelet winner Rep Porter (61,000), Phongthep Thiptinnakon (60,000), and two-time bracelet winner David Singer (30,000).

Event #20: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Final Table Seat Draw

SeatPlayerCountryChip CountBig Bets
1Phonghtep ThiptinnakonUnited States60,0002
2Valentin VornicuUnited States262,00011
3Rep PorterUnited States61,0002
4Anthony ZinnoUnited States1,219,00051
5Eli ElezraUnited States1,221,00051
6David SingerUnited States30,0001

Event #20: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Final Table Payouts

Each of the remaining six players is guaranteed at least a $14,619 payout with the winner walking away with the coveted bracelet and the $93,766 top prize.

SeatPlayerCountryPrize
1  $93,766
2  $57,951
3  $39,830
4  $27,993
5  $19,996
6  $14,619
7Joshua MountainUnited States$10,920
8Scott SeiverUnited States$8,337
9Timothy FrazinUnited States$6,510

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 noon PDT. Live updates can be found here.


Event #22: $1,000 Double Stack No-Limit Hold'em

The Double Stack is another new event on the schedule. Although it is scheduled for two days, we could see a third one added similar to what took place in Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack when another day was added before Jeremy Pekarek outlasted a field of 6,151 to win $398,281.

This new event proved to be a big hit with 3,253 ponying up the $1,000 buy-in to create a $2,927,700 prize pool on yesterday's Day 1. After 20 blind levels of 30 minutes each, the field was trimmed down to just 430 players, each guaranteed a payout of at least $1,501 with the eventual winner walking home with $420,693 and the gold bracelet.

Today's action restarts at noon PDT with blinds at 8,000/16,000 and a big blind ante of 16,000. Levels go up every 40 minutes. Day 2 is on the schedule for being the final day of play but this could change with a large field of players still remaining.

Timur Margolin
Timur Margolin enters Day 2 in second place.

Bulgaria's Ivan Uzunov will head into Day 2 with the chip lead with a stack of 1,912,000, according to the official counts. He's followed by Israel's Timur Margolin (1,333,000), Portugal's Jose Carlos Brito (1,147,000), and Americans Sridhar Natarajan (1,096,000) and Jorden Fox (1,075,000). Margolin is the only one of the bunch to find WSOP gold in the past with two gold bracelets to his name.

Other big names in action today will include British former Heavyweight boxing legend Audley Harrison (563,000), Blair Hinkle (526,000), Andrew Lichtenberger (422,000), Bernard Lee (360,000), Jennifer Tilly (330,000), Maria Ho (298,000), and Maria Konnikova (229,000).

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


Event #23: $1,500 Eight Game Mix

This three-day event is another test of poker versatility with eight games in motion including all of the games of H.O.R.S.E. along with No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw.

  • Limit Hold'em
  • Razz
  • Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
  • Seven Card Stud
  • Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better
  • No-Limit Hold'em
  • Pot-Limit Omaha
  • 2-7 Triple Draw

Yesterday's Day 1 attracted 612 entrants to create an $826,200 prize pool. This is a new attendance record for the fifth rendition of this event with the previous record taking place in 2016 when Paul Volpe finished on top of a field of 491 entrants to win the $149,943 top prize.

A total of 225 players will return for today's Day 2 at 2 p.m. PDT led by Russia's Aleksandr Gofman with 95,800 in chips. Latvia's Mihails Morozovs (77,100), four-time bracelet winner Michael Mizrachi (74,500), three-time bracelet winner John Cernuto (74,000), and Canada's Keeth Beharrell (73,500) all bagged top five chip stacks.

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. PDT. Live updates can be found here.


Event #25: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack

The Deepstack tournaments are new bracelet events added for this year's 50th annual WSOP. American Jeremy Pekarek shipped the first Deepstack event for $398,281 after navigating through a huge field of 6,151 entrants in Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack.

This event is scheduled as a two-day event starting at 11 a.m. PDT and will play 20 blind levels of 30 minutes each. Players start off with 30,000 in chips and will have plenty of time to build a massive stack with unlimited reentries permitted until late registration closes after Level 12.

Players bagging chips are scheduled to battle it out for one more day starting at noon PDT on June 11. The first Deepstack event was originally scheduled for two days before organizers added a third and the same could happen here depending on how large the field gets and the pace of play.

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 noon PDT. Live updates can be found here.


Event #26: $2,620 No-Limit Hold'em Marathon

The Marathon provides one of the deepest structures of the festival and is aptly named due to the endurance test players will undertake if they want to win the bracelet.

As most running enthusiasts know, a marathon consists of 26.2 miles. So to go along with this theme, the event features a $2,620 buy-in and an uneven starting stack of 26,200 in chips.

The first of the five days of this event features 100-minute blind levels. The action begins today at noon PDT and will end after six blind levels. Players can opt to skip today as late-registration will remain open until the conclusion of Level 8 (the second blind level of Day 2.)

Joseph Di Rosa Rojas
Joseph Di Rosa Rojas wins the first bracelet of this event in 2017.

This first two editions of this event have provided some excitement. in 2017, Joseph Di Rosa Rojas became the first Venezuelan to win a bracelet after he outlasted a field of 1,759 to win the $690,469 top prize. Australia’s High Roller Michael Addamo claimed his first bracelet last year in this event after finishing on top of a field of 1,637 runners to win the $653,581 top prize.

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 noon PDT. Live updates can be found here.


Event #27: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better

The first exclusively seven-card stud split-pot tournament gets underway today at 3 p.m. PST. Last year, England Benjamin Dobson found WSOP gold for the first time after he outlasted a field of 596 entrants to win the $173,528 top prize.

Benjamin Dobson
Benjamin Dobson wins this event last year.

Players begin with 10,000 in chips and will play ten hour-long blind levels on Day 1. This will make for a deeper tournament than last year when players started off with 7,500 in chips.

Late registration will close after Level 8 and the total prize pool along with the payouts will be announced shortly after. Players bagging chips are scheduled to play for three more days on June 11-13 until a winner is crowned.

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 noon PDT. Live updates can be found here.


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