2023 WSOP Day 15: Arends Leads the $100K; Lamb and Deeb Capture Gold Bracelets

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Jun 14, 2023 6 min read Last updated Apr 16, 2025

The 15th day of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas is in the bag, and what a fantastic advertisement for poker it was. A trio of grinders got their hands on coveted WSOP bracelets, including two of the game's superstars, while another six events filled the vast tournament areas.

It didn't take long for the first bracelet of the day to find its owner. Event #26: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack finished with only two players on June 12, Renji Mao and Matthew Elsby. Twenty minutes after the start to the impromptu third day, Mao had overturned a chip deficit and become the latest champion of the 2023 WSOP.

Some 789 mixed game specialists bought into Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix a couple of days ago, and the one and only Shaun Deeb outlasted them all. Deeb defeated Aloisio Dourado heads-up to capture this event's bracelet, his sixth, and a $198,854 top prize.

Ben Lamb became a WSOP champion for the second time after coming out on top in Event #25: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. Lamb overcame a stacked final table to clinch a bankroll-boosting $492,795 payout, ending a 12-year wait for his second bracelet.

Only 17 Remain in the $1,500 NLHE Freezeout; Hunt Leads

British pro and coach Matthew Hunt (9,380,000) is the player to catch in Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout, where only 17 players remain in contention for the title and the $406,403 top prize.

Hunt holds a significant chip advantage over the chasing pack, which includes Benjamin Hector (5,690,000), fellow Brit Dean Hutchison (4,000,000), and German star Dietrich Fast (2,595,000).

Cards are back in the air from 12:00 p.m. local time on June 14, so return to PokerNews then for all the action as this event crowns its worthy champion.

Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout Day 3 Top 10 Counts

Arends Leads Six High Rollers Into Battle on the Final Day

Dutchman Jans "Graftekkel" Arends (16,625,000) leads the way in Event #29: $100,000 High Roller as he hunts down his second WSOP bracelet. Only five opponents stand between Arends and his second piece of WSOP hardware, but that quintet of players are some of the best players in the business.

Cary Katz (12,775,000) is Arends' nearest opponent in terms of chips, with Biao Ding (8,800,000) rounding off the podium places.

Four-time bracelet winner Adrian Mateos (7,175,000) returns in fourth place, Jeremy Ausmus (5,750,000) fifth, and although Chance Kornuth (4,600,000) is bringing up the rear, he's not there to only make up the numbers.

The six superstars return to the action from 12:00 p.m. local time on June 14, with the grand finale streamed via PokerGO. This results in a 60-minute delay in the coverage for security reasons.

Event #29: $100,000 High Roller Final Day Seat Draw

$1,500 2-7 Triple Draw Reaches Third Day With Glaser Leading

Having won his tenth PokerStars Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP) title a few weeks ago, Benny Glaser (1,185,000) is now on course to reel in the fifth WSOP bracelet of his career.

Glaser bagged up a tournament-leading stack in Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw at the end of Day 2. Although Glaser is supremely talented, he will have to work hard for his fifth bracelet because there are some dangerous foes hot on his heels.

John Monnette (1,155,000), Michael Rodrigues (1,100,000), and Patrick Leonard (1,090,000) return with top five stacks, while Allen Kessler (900,000), Carol Fuchs (595,000), Ryan Hughes (275,000), and Tom Schneider (250,000) know their way around a poker table.

Join PokerNews from 1:00 p.m. local time on June 14 to discover if Glaser can get the job done once again.

Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Top 10 Chip Counts

Another Huge Field Turns Out for the $600 NLHE/PLO Mix

Some 2,758 players turned out for Event #31: $600 No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack but only 122 of those starters had chips in front of them at the end of the 22nd level.

Troy Nowlin (2,200,000) emerged with the chip lead once the dust had settled; Nowlin was the only Day 1 player to finish with more than two million chips.

Charlie Combes (1,405,000) bagged and tagged enough chips for 11th place at the restart, with fellow Brit and two-time bracelet winner Barny Boatman (900,000) also progressing to Day 2.

Others to look out for in the PokerNews live updates include the likes of Ian O'Hara (1,020,000), Matthew Wantman (870,000), Irish Open champion Patrick Clarke (675,000), Michael Moncek (545,000), and Phillip Hui (300,000).

Day 2 shuffles up nice and early at 10:00 a.m. on June 14, and PokerNews will be on the ground throughout proceedings until the champion is known.

Event #31: $600 No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack Top 10 Chip Counts

Hunichen Bags $3,000 NLHE 6-Max Day 1 Chip Lead

Chris "Big Huni" Hunichen bagged the largest stack of the 57 surviving players in Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em (6-Handed). Hunichen crammed 2,405,000 chips into an overnight bag, and has given himself every chance to becoming a WSOP bracelet winner.

Short-handed events always attract seasoned professionals, and this tournament was no different. Asher Conniff (2,170,000), Ian Matakis (1,560,000), Roman Hrabec (1,515,000), and Noah Schwartz (1,450,00) each bagged and tagged top ten stacks.

Ben Diebold (1,035,000), Jareth East (975,000), Maria Ho (860,000), Eric Baldwin (795,000), Paul Volpe (765,000), Alex Foxen (750,000), and WSOP Main Event winners Martin Jacobson (465,000) and Ryan Riess (390,000) also return for another spell at the felt.

Noon local time on June 14 is when the battle recommences. Join PokerNews then for all the updates from this star-studded event.

Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em (6-Handed) Top 10 Chip Counts

Thung Tops the $10,000 Razz Championship Day 1 Field; Owen in the Top 3

Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship saw 102 players buy in and 54 progress, although those numbers are subject to change because late registration remains open until Day 2 starts. We already know Shaun Deeb is keen to jump into this event after his fifth bracelet win, so that is one extra player for Day 2.

High-stakes non-hold'em events attract elite players like moths to a flame. Although Roy Thung (303,000) bagged up the chip lead, the likes of Scott Bohlman (271,000), Adam Owen (252,000), Bryce Yockey (244,500), Brian Yoon (241,500), Brad Ruben (214,000), and Dan Zack (203,000) are not going to let Thung have everything his own way.

Further down the overnight chip counts is where you find such stars as Ben Yu (160,000), Dutch Boyd (137,000), Talal Shakerchi (136,500), John Hennigan (127,000), Brandon Shack-Harris (86,500), Anthony Zinno (83,000), Brian Rast (80,500), and Nick Schulman (77,000).

Day 2 kicks off at 1:00 p.m. local time sharp on June 14, the PokerNews live reporting team will see you then.

Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship Top 10 Chip Counts

What to Expect on Day 16 of the 2023 WSOP

There are three new events for you to feast your eyes on, each kicking off at various points of June 14. Event #34: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha should attract yet another large field, as should the super-exciting Event #35: $10,000 Secret Bounty, which is a new event for 2023, one where $3,000 from each buy-in goes into the bounty prize pool.

Event #36: $3,000 Nine Game Mix is not to be missed if you love your mixed game tournaments.

Of course, running alongside these new tournaments are Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout, Event #29: $100,000 High Roller, Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw, Event #31: $600 No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack, Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em (6-Handed), and Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship.

It is going to be a busy one, so make sure you do not miss any of the action from the 2023 WSOP.

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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• Tags Adam Owen Adrian Mateos Alex Foxen Allen Kessler Anthony Zinno Barny Boatman Ben Lamb Benny Glaser Brian Rast Brian Yoon WSOP23 Jeremy Ausmus John Monnette Martin Jacobson Phillip Hui Scott Bohlman Shaun Deeb Tom Schneider
• Related Players Shaun DeebAllen KesslerTom SchneiderBrian RastJohn MonnetteBen Lamb

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