2022 WSOP Day 32: Eli Elezra Wins Again, Hellmuth Chasing a Bracelet
Friday was a busy day at the 2022 World Series of Poker with four players being awarded gold bracelets, including Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra, who tacked on his fifth WSOP title.
Elezra, the Israeli-born high-stakes legend, took down Event #63: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for $611,362, beating out 284 players, including Chino Rheem, the runner-up. He won his fifth career bracelet, further validating his 2021 Poker HOF induction.
Konstantin Angelov won a bracelet, his first, on Friday when he took down Event #64: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack for $199,466. Shota Nakanishi was the third to win a bracelet on Day 32 when he shipped Event #60: $10,000 Short Deck No-Limit Hold'em for $277,212.
Last but not least is Massoud Eskandari, the champion of the five-day Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors for $330,609, outlasting a field of 2,669 players.
Hof Among Final Eight in Ladies Event
Event #61: $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em began with 1,074 entrants, second most in the history of the tournament. Heading into Saturday's Day 4 session, only eight players remain, all vying for the gold bracelet and the $166,975 that comes with it.
Natalie Hof has an opportunity to win her first bracelet and more than double her Hendon Mob results ($111,556). Play resumes at 2 p.m. and won't conclude until a champion is crowned.
Event #61: Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship Final Table Seat Draw
| SEAT | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIPCOUNT | BIG BLINDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natalie Hof | Germany | 965,000 | 9 |
| 2 | Felisa Westermann | Germany | 2,910,000 | 29 |
| 3 | Sandy Tran | United States | 2,555,000 | 25 |
| 4 | Meikat Siu | United States | 3,020,000 | 30 |
| 5 | Jessica Teusl | Austria | 985,000 | 9 |
| 6 | Lynh Nguyen | United States | 3,870,000 | 38 |
| 7 | Christina Gollins | United States | 3,845,000 | 38 |
| 8 | Julie Le | United States | 3,100,000 | 31 |
Hellmuth Could Win 17th Bracelet on Saturday
Phil Hellmuth is among the final 26 players in Event #65: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em, which began with 1,359 players. The "Poker Brat" holds the record with 16 WSOP titles, and could tack on one more on Saturday.
Hellmuth is fifth in chips with 3,290,000 heading into the final day of play. Keiji Ito, a Japanese poker player, held the chip lead after Day 2, good for 80 big blinds. The action on Day 3 should move fast as the blinds are getting big. Play will continue at 2 p.m. PST in Las Vegas.
Event #65: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em Top Ten Chip Counts
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIPS | BIG BLINDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keiji Ito | Japan | 6,360,000 | 80 |
| 2 | Richard Scardina | United States | 4,835,000 | 60 |
| 3 | David Jackson | United States | 4,700,000 | 59 |
| 4 | Jeffrey Lo | Hong Kong | 4,585,000 | 57 |
| 5 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | 3,290,000 | 41 |
| 6 | Timothy Sullivan | United States | 2,615,000 | 33 |
| 7 | Neel Joshi | India | 2,215,000 | 28 |
| 8 | Samy Dubonnet | France | 2,045,000 | 26 |
| 9 | Chad Brewer | United States | 1,975,000 | 25 |
| 10 | Onur Unsal | Turkey | 1,875,000 | 23 |
Mini Main Event a Rousing Success
If you spent any time at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas on Friday, you probably noticed a packed house. That's largely due to the massive field and lines in Event #66: $1,000 Mini Main Event, which attracted a whopping 5,833 entries.
At the end of the day, only 487 advanced to Day 2. Jake Bluston from the United Kingdom bagged the chip lead at 2,825,000, and James Dike, an American player, in second place with 2,505,000. Day 2 kicked off at 2,505,000.
Event #66: $1,000 Mini Main Event Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| RANK | PLAYER | CITY / STATE / COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake Bluston | United Kingdom | 2,825,000 | 71 |
| 2 | James Dike | United States | 2,505,000 | 63 |
| 3 | Jaeyoung Choi | South Korea | 2,380,000 | 60 |
| 4 | Vincent Li | China | 2,315,000 | 58 |
| 5 | Jake Schwartz | United States | 2,275,000 | 57 |
| 6 | Andres Vasquez | United States | 2,275,000 | 57 |
| 7 | Kyle Montgomery | United States | 2,200,000 | 55 |
| 8 | Kenneth O'Donnell | United States | 2,100,000 | 53 |
| 9 | Nektarios Vasilakis | Greece | 2,090,000 | 52 |
| 10 | Victor Choupeaux | France | 2,035,000 | 51 |
Barbero Leads at $10k Super Turbo Bounty Final Table
Event #67: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em kicked off Friday with 419 players and played down to the final six. The final table will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Nacho Barbero bagged the biggest stack following Day 1 with 12,225,000, a massive chip lead over Ilya Nikiforov (4,875,000). But with only 49 big blinds, Barbero's lead is far from insurmountable.
Event #67: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | 12,225,000 | 49 |
| 2 | Ilya Nikiforov | Estonia | 4,875,000 | 20 |
| 3 | Rob Hollink | Netherlands | 3,250,000 | 13 |
| 4 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | 2,500,000 | 10 |
| 5 | Maria Ho | United States | 1,875,000 | 8 |
| 6 | Fabiano Kovalski | Brazil | 425,000 | 2 |
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