WSOP 2021 Day 32: Yockey Bags $50k Poker Players Championship Day 1 Chip Lead
There were spooks, frights and costumes galore on October 31st at the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.
This year's Halloween saw two champions crowned, with Robert McMillan triumphing in Event #52: $1,000 Seniors Championship, while Ben Yu won his fourth bracelet in Event #56: $10,000 6-Handed NLH Championship.
The prestigious $50,000 Poker Players Championship started today, while the final table is set in Event #57: $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw Championship. There are also just 49 players are left in Event #55: $400 Colossus.
And if that wasn't enough, there was also a surprise appearance from poker royalty, as Hall of Famer and ten-time bracelet winner Doyle Brunson jumped into the Super Seniors Event which got underway today.
Follow all the live-action as it happens from the 2021 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas!
Yockey Claims the Lead After $50,000 Poker Players Championship Day 1; Sammartino, Elezra and Deeb Bag Big Stacks
One of the highlights of the 2021 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas has kicked off as Day 1 of Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship has concluded. The pinnacle mixed game of the year attracted a field of 43 entries so far and 39 players bagged up chips.
Leading the way after six levels of 140 minutes each is Bryce Yockey (pictured), who turned his starting stack of 300,000 into 653,000. During the last edition of the Poker Players Championship in 2019, Yockey finished in 4th place and will aim to finish a few spots higher this time around. Another two players claimed more than half a million in chips including Dario Sammartino (520,500) and Chris Vitch (504,500).
Eli Elezra and Randy Ohel both bagged up healthy stacks and four repeat bracelet winners during the current festival also finished in the top 10 as well.
Top 10 Counts Day 1 Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryce Yockey | United States | 653,000 |
| 2 | Dario Sammartino | Italy | 520,500 |
| 3 | Chris Vitch | United States | 504,500 |
| 4 | Eli Elezra | Israel | 460,500 |
| 5 | Randy Ohel | United States | 457,000 |
| 6 | Shaun Deeb | United States | 448,500 |
| 7 | Yuval Bronshtein | Israel | 440,500 |
| 8 | Chad Campbell | United States | 439,000 |
| 9 | Brian Rast | United States | 437,000 |
| 10 | Ryan Leng | United States | 433,000 |
Only four players were eliminated during Day 1 of the pinnacle mixed game contest of the year. The 2013 Poker Players Championship winner Matthew Ashton was the first casualty of the day, with Michael Noori, Jake Schwartz and Albert Daher all also busting.
Read More: Looking Back At The Illustrious History of the Poker Players Championship
Day 2 continues at 2 p.m. local time and the late registration for the event remains open until the end of Level 10 and following break on Day 2, which will be at approximately 10.20 pm local time on Monday, November 1, 2021.
Rafael Fernandes Leads; Anatolii Zyrin Looking for More Gold in Event #55: $400 Colossus
A total of 1,181 players took their seats this morning at the start of Day 2 in the World Series of Poker Event #55: $400 Colossus, but only 49 advanced to Monday’s final day. They are all guaranteed at least $6,120 but all have their eyes on the $314,705 top prize and the prestigious gold bracelet.
The chip lead is held by Rafael Fernandes (pictured), who ended the day with 23,300,000 in chips and already cashed in two WSOP events in this series. Second in chips stands Elad Kubi with 18,675,00 and closing the podium right behind him is John Trinh with a nice 18,500,000.
Also still in the hunt are WSOP bracelet winners Anatolii Zyrin (9,675,000), Vincas Tamasauskas (6,025,000), Brett Apter (3,000,000) and Carlos Chang with a short stack of 1,775,000.
Among the notables who will be back for the final day are are Avi Cohen (12,675,000), Arie Kliper (11,150,000) and Korean Inkyu Choi (5,025,000). The chip leader at the start of the day, Frankie Flowers, also found a bag tonight and will be returning tomorrow with 2,775,000.
Event #55: $400 Colossus Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Name | Country | Chip Counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rafael Fernandes | United States | 23,300,000 |
| 2 | John Trinh | United States | 18,850,000 |
| 3 | Elad Kubi | Israel | 18,675,000 |
| 4 | Michael Lee | United States | 16,900,000 |
| 5 | Avi Cohen | Israel | 12,675,000 |
| 6 | Matthew O'Meara | United States | 12,400,000 |
| 7 | Penh Lo | United States | 12,175,000 |
| 8 | Yonatan Basin | Israel | 12,000,000 |
| 9 | Lucas Kulbe | United States | 11,925,000 |
| 10 | Alexander Malod | France | 11,900,000 |
Wong Takes Huge Chip Lead Into $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw Championship Day 3
Danny Wong cruised through the day in dominating fashion to take an almost 600,000 chip cushion into Monday’s final day of Event #57: $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw Championship.
The day began with 43 players following the end of late registration, making for a total of 90 entries and a prize pool of $746,000. Only eight players remain, with just one besides Wong over a million in chips. Brian Yoon holds that distinction (1,170,000), while Wil Wilkinson is not far behind with 945,000.
Event #57: $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw Championship Final Table
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danny Wong | United States | 1,755,000 |
| 2 | Brian Yoon | United States | 1,170,000 |
| 3 | Wil Wilkinson | United States | 945,000 |
| 4 | Don Nguyen | United States | 565,000 |
| 5 | Jordan Siegel | United States | 300,000 |
| 6 | Joao Vieira | Portugal | 290,000 |
| 7 | Brandon Shack-Harris | United States | 275,000 |
| 8 | Mike Thorpe | United States | 110,000 |
Play will resume at 2:00 pm local time on the outer feature tables of the Thunderdome. They’ll begin on Level 18 with blinds of 10,000 and 20,000 and betting limits of 20,000 and 40,000, and play down to a winner, who will take home $240,341 and that highly sought after WSOP gold bracelet.
Doyle Brunson Returns; Sam Farha Bags Big on Day 1 of Event #58: $1000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1 of Event #52: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em was a memorable one, with the legend Doyle Brunson making a surprise (but quick) appearance, and Sammy Farha bagging a big stack.
The gold bracelet event, only open to those aged 60 and above, drew 1,893 entries, creating a prize pool of $1,684,770. First place will walk away with $255,623 on Thursday.
Some highly-decorated and veteran players made the Day 2 cut, with Farhad Davoudzadeh leading the way with 414,000 in chips. Only 490 players bagged a stack to take into Day 2 on Monday, which begins at 10:00 a.m. PT.
However, Brunson, who last appeared in a WSOP event in 2018, won't be among those coming back for Day 2. The 10-time bracelet winner lasted less than an hour before heading to the exits. But his presence inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino convention center created a buzz throughout the building.
Farha, on the other hand, dominated play on Day 1 and left the table with 204,100, putting him among the chip leaders. The runner-up to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP Main Event doesn't compete much in World Series of Poker events these days, but was back to his old tricks on Sunday.
Event #58: $1,000 Super Seniors Top 10 Chip Counts
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farhad Davoudzadeh | United States | 414,000 |
| 2 | Stephen Schneider | United States | 300,000 |
| 3 | Kulwant Singh | United States | 249,700 |
| 4 | Joel Clarke | United States | 240,100 |
| 5 | Gary Bain | Canada | 235,500 |
| 6 | Robert Presman | United States | 232,200 |
| 7 | Ronald Lemco | United States | 231,600 |
| 8 | Scott Zakheim | United States | 229,200 |
| 9 | Arthur Schiavo | United States | 222,800 |
| 10 | Scott Sukstorf | United States | 218,200 |
Read More: Long-Time Pro Don Zewin Passes Away; Finished 3rd to Hellmuth & Chan in 1989
Team Ruter, Team Werner Dominate Halloween-Themed Day 1 in Event #59: $1,000 Tag Team
Day 1 in Event #59: $1,000 Tag Team at the World Series of Poker attracted 140 teams, with just 64 advancing to Day 2.
Leading the way are Mike Ruter and Samy Dighlawi of Team Ruter with a stack of 338,000. Team Ruter sits ahead of fellow big stacks Haven Werner and Thomas Taylor of Team Werner (pictured) with 295,000 and Keith Doering and Bill Schaeffer of Team Doering with 235,500.
Other teams advancing include Team Platt, consisting of Jeff Platt and Brent Hanks, and Team Watson, made up of Mike Watson and Sarah Goddard. Team Platt ended the day with 166,500 chips while Team Watson bagged a stack of 169,500. Four-time bracelet winner Asi Moshe and partner Uri Yochelman also made it through the day with a short stack of 37,000.
The mood was festive throughout the 11 hours of play on Halloween, complete with players dressed up as pirates, witches, and fellow poker players — most notably Platt and Hanks showing up as Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth, respectively.
