WSOP Day 29: Benjamin Ector Leads the Final Six in the Monster Stack

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Jun 26, 2019 8 min read Last updated Dec 19, 2019

Day 29 of the 2019 World Series of Poker will be a big one with five continuing events and two new ones including the COLUSSUS which should attract a monster field.

A big bracelet is scheduled to be awarded today with just six players left in the Monster Stack. Benjamin Ector enters the action with the chip lead in hopes of parlaying it into winning the $1,008,850 top prize.

Meanwhile, Phil Ivey is in the hunt for his eleventh career bracelet with the chip lead in the Poker Players Championship with just 36 players remaining.

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

Event #50: Monster Stack - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

The massive field of 6,035 entrants is down to a final table of just six players with Benjamin Ector in the lead with a stack of 84,300,000.

It's common when players bag big stacks on earlier days that they are unable to parlay that into a final table appearance. This wasn't the case in this event with Day 2 chip leader Kainalu McCue-Unciano (68,300,000) and Day 3 chip leader Vincent Chauve (36,700,000) both advancing. Also still competing for WSOP gold in this event are Gregory Katayama (55,100,000), Bart Hanson (40,600,000), and Igor Yaroshevskyy (17,000,000).

Short-stacked Yaroshevskyy is the most experienced of the bunch with nearly $3.7 million in live tournament earnings leading into this event. While none of the other final tablists have won a bracelet, Yaroshevskyy has come close before finishing in second place in the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Turbo in 2015 for $303,767. Bart Hanson has finished seventh in a WSOP event twice, already improving that here this year.

The action will resume at noon PDT today with the final 32 minutes of Level 40 with blinds at 600,000/1,200,000 and a big blind ante of 1,200,000. After the conclusion of this blind level, blinds will increase every hour as they have throughout the event. The final day of action will be live streamed at CBS All Access in the United States, Canada, and Australia and at PokerGO in the rest of the world starting at 1 p.m. PDT.

Event #50: Monster Stack - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Seat Draw

Event #50: Monster Stack - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Payouts

The remaining six players are each guaranteed $195,687 after the eliminations late yesterday of Javier Zarco (ninth - $88,817), Andre Haneberg (eighth - $114,694), and Bryan Kim (seventh - $149,247). The pay jumps are steep the rest of the way with the winner walking home with a huge seven-figure prize of $1,008,850 and the coveted trophy.

Event #57: $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'em

Emotions have run high in this four-day event that attracted 976 teams to generate an $878,400 prize pool and a $168,395 top prize with teammates cheering on or sharing the dismay bad beats.

The field is down to just 35 teams heading into today's penultimate day with all returning teams guaranteed at least a $3,970 payout.

Team Geiger, consisting of Ohad Gieger, Daniel Dayan, and Barak Wisbrod, lead with 1,340,000 in chips. Several other teams are breathing down their neck with big chip stacks. Other teams heading into today with a seven-figure stack are Tuan Le and Thanh Tran (1,141,000), Kenny Hallaert and Steven van Zadelhoff (1,129,000), Jason Koon and Sosia Jiang (1,072,000), Nicolas Betbese, Leandro Bianchini, and Martin Pineiro (1,003,000), and Ryan Leng, Lisa Leng, Nikki Grandt, and Ilana Grandt (1,001,000).

The action will resume today at 1 p.m. with blinds at 8,000/16,000 and a big blind ante of 16,000 and will conclude at the tournament director's discretion.

Event #58: $50,000 Poker Players Championship

The five-day Poker Players Championship added ten players on yesterday's Day 2 to create a total field of 74 players and a $3,552,000 prize pool. While this is the smallest field in the event's history, it is one to watch with so many big names still in contention with 35 players battling it out for three more days in hopes for the bracelet, the David "Chip" Reese Memorial Trophy, and the $1,099,311 top prize.

Ten-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey has made himself heard in this event in a big way and heads into today's Day 3 in the chip lead with 1,254,000 in chips.

You can read more about this event in our dedicated $50,000 Poker Players Championship Day 2 recap.

Event #59: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Championship

The Rio Convention Center was packed yesterday with this event attracting a massive field of 6,140 entrants on its opening day yesterday. As predicted by even the worst of gamblers; the $500,000 guarantee was smashed with the prize pool reaching $3,223,500 and first place set to win a $397,903 top prize. In addition to the big money and the bracelet, the last player standing will also be awarded a WSOP Main Event seat valued at $10,000, which was added to the prize pool by festival organizers.

There has already been a change in the schedule with perhaps more to come. Yesterday was initially scheduled to play 15 blind levels. However, instead 17 blind levels were played, and the money bubble was reached with 921 players guaranteed at least an $875 payout.

Another change could be on the horizon as this event was originally scheduled to be a three-day affair. However, with 917 players remaining it wouldn't be surprising if a fourth day was tacked onto the end.

Bracelet winner (and 2019 WSOP $600 mixed hold'em/PLO runner-up) Dan Matsuzuki leads with 868,000 in chips before Dian Lei Zhang (790,000), Bobby Oboodi (764,000), Mohammed Suhail (729,000), and Eric Rivkin (718,000).

Bracelet winners Benjamin Moon (601,000), Asi Moshe (544,000), and Kathy Leibert (440,000) are among the players to bring big stacks into today's action.

The action resumes today at 2 p.m. PDT with blinds at 4,000/8,000 and a big blind ante of 8,000 and will increase every hour. The day is scheduled to end after ten blind levels. However, there could be another change in the tournament structure based on the tournament director's discretion.

Event #60: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better

This three-day event attracted 1,117 entrants on its opening day yesterday to create a $1,507,950 prize pool and a $279,920 top prize. This crushes the 935 entrants last year when Joseph Couden won the bracelet and the $244,730 top prize.

Nine-time WSOP Circuit gold ring winner Ari Engel, who is fresh off winning his first WSOP bracelet after shipping Event #48: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em for $427,399, is among the chip leaders after bagging a big stack of 216,200. Ray Medlin (240,100), Richard Bai (225,200), and Danny Woolard (217,500) are the only ones amongst the 417 Day 1 survivors who bagged more.

Other notables to bag chips include Mike Sexton (82,800), Daniel Negreanu (77,200), Joseph Cheong (73,900), Mike Matusow (73,500), Barry Greenstein (61,200), Erik Seidel (45,400) Barny Boatman (36,600), Joe Hachem, (34,000), Joao Vieira (29,700), Kristen Bicknell (29,400), and Chris Ferguson (7,100).

Today is scheduled to play ten blind levels of an hour each starting at 800/1,600 at 2 p.m. PDT. It is possible that this could change with 417 players remaining and the tournament scheduled to end tomorrow.

Event #61: COLOSSUS - $400 No-Limit Hold'em

If you thought the field in the Deepstacks was huge, get ready for something even bigger with the COLUSSUS likely to attract a field even bigger. Last year witnessed Roberly Felicio outlasted a massive field of 13,070 entrants to win the bracelet and a cool $1 million.

It's not unlikely that this tournament will attract fewer players than last year as the number of opening flights has been reduced from six to two, and the fact that there are many more low-buy-in events on offer. Other changes in the tournament structure include the buy-in reduced from $565 to $400, and the starting chips increased eight-fold from 5,000 to 40,000 in chips.

Both of the opening flights, starting with today's Day 1a, will kick off at 10 a.m. PDT and play for 16 blind levels. Players have four chances to bag a big stack with each flight allowing for one reentry up until late registration closes at the conclusion of Level 12.

Surviving players from both opening flights are scheduled to play for two more days on June 28-29 until a winner is crowned.

Event #62: $10,000 Razz Championship

The latest Championship event kicks off the first of its four days today at 3 p.m. PDT where the object of this seven-card game is to have the lowest five cards possible with a wheel consisting of ace-two-three-four-five being the nuts. Players start with 60,000 in chips and will bag for the day after ten blind levels of an hour each.

While no re-entry is allowed in this freezeout event, the final tally on entrants and the prize pool won't be known until tomorrow with late registration closing just before cards are in the air on Day 2.

Players bagging chips and those entering late will compete for three more days with more extended 90-minute blind levels until one player is left with all of the chips.

History of the $10,000 Razz Championship

This will be the sixth rendition of the $10,000 Razz Championship with George Danzer winning the inaugural event for $294,792 after finishing on top of a field of 112 players. The field was smaller the next three years when Phil Hellmuth (2015 - $271,105), Ray Dehkharghani (2016 - $273,338), and James Obst (2017 - $265,138) all won bracelets.

The event rebounded in a big way last year with a record field of 119 players when Calvin Anderson triumphed in the event for his second career bracelet and the $309,220 top prize.

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