The big board showing the number of entrants just nudged up over the 100-player mark for Event #55: The $50,000 Poker Players' Championship.
Late registration actually extends all of the way to the start of Level 6 (i.e., before the beginning of Day 2), so there's still plenty of time for more to join this one.
Pot-Limit Omaha
Jennifer Harman opened with a raise to 800 from the cutoff and found Shawn Buchanan toss out a three-bet to 2,000 from the small blind. The big blind released and Harman took a moment before opting to flat call.
The flop brought down 
and Buchanan continued out for 2,100. Harman called the bet and the 
fell down on the turn. Buchanan slowed down with a check and Harman checked it back to see the 
finish off the board. Buchanan checked once more and Harman checked it back again.
Buchanan tabled 
for kings and queens but was ultimately behind Harman's 
for a straight to the king. Harman dragged in the pot and now sits on what looks to be 156,000 in chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
156,000 | 6,000 |
|
142,000 | -8,000 |
Pot-Limit Omaha
Three players -- Event #23: $2,500 Seven-Card Stud winner David Chiu, Mike Leah, and Scott Seiver — had reached the river in a PLO hand with the board showing 
and a pot of about 10,000 having been built between them.
Chiu fired a bet of 7,500, and after a bit of a think Leah called the bet while Seiver instantly folded. "Ten-high straight," said Chiu, showing 
, and after rechecking his cards Leah mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
146,000 | -4,000 |
|
142,000 | -8,000 |
Omaha-8
Michael Mizrachi is here. "The Grinder" is not only trying to defend his 2012 victory in this event, but also to win his third Poker Players' Championship in four years.
Just now came an Omaha-8 hand in which George Lind III raised the button and Mizrachi defended from the small blind. The pair saw the flop come 
. Mizrachi check-raised a bet from Lind and Lind called, then when Mizrachi led at the 
turn, Lind stepped aside.
Mizrachi showed one of his hole cards — the 
— and Allen Kessler commented from across the table that he'd folded a hand containing the other three fives.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
155,000 | 5,000 |
Stud
| Shawn Buchanan |  /    / |
| David Bach | /  / |
We picked up with the action on fourth street to find Shawn Buchanan sparring with 2009 champion of this very event, David Bach. Bach checked over to Buchanan who fired out a bet. Bach came over the top with a raise and Buchanan called to see fifth street. Buchanan picked up three spades showing on fifth and led out once more after a check from Bach.
Sixth street gave Bach a pair of tens but he checked over to the aggressor. Buchanan fired out a bet once again and Bach called. The players were dealt their final card and Bach tapped the table for one final time. Buchanan fired out a bet and Bach called.
Buchanan fanned 
for aces full of eights which prompted a chuckle from Bach. Before mucking his cards Bach flashed the 
to show that he held at least a set of tens. Buchanan dragged in the pot and saw a small victory early here in this prestigious event.
Greg Mueller recently took his seat at a table including Mike Sexton, Tom Schneider, and Alexander Kostritsyn among other tough foes. He soon picked up the stack of black placards indicating the games being played and quickly sorted through them, stopping for a moment at one.
"Oh my God… Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw?!" he said with mock horror, grinningly adding a "FML" for good measure.
The Poker Players' Championship, of course, requires players to rotate through eight different poker variants — 2-7 triple draw, limit hold'em, Omaha-8, razz, stud, stud-8, no-limit hold'em, and pot-limit Omaha — spending an orbit on each.
No-Limit Hold'em
John D'Agostino opened for 700 from the button, then Sergii Baranov reraised to 1,700 from the big blind and D'Agostino called. The flop came 
, Baranov led for 1,700, and D'Agostino called. Both then checked the turn.
The river brought the . Baranov reached out from beneath the sweater draped over both shoulders to bet 2,500, and after thinking a couple of beats D'Agostino called. Baranov flipped over , and D'Agostino mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
155,000 | 5,000 |
|
145,000 | -5,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | |
|
150,000 | |
|
150,000 | |
|
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
|
150,000 | 150,000 |
While every table is an absolutely stacked table in this event, just as it is every single year, Table 373 is a little bit extra special given that not one, not two, not three, but four Team PokerStars Pros are seated together. Jonathan Duhamel, Vanessa Selbst, Eugene Katchalov and Daniel Negreanu are the four, and that's one heck of a list.
Here's a little snapshot of their poker careers:
| Player | All-Time Earnings | WSOP Bracelets | WSOP Cashes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Negreanu | $18,079,920 | 5 | 66 |
| Jonathan Duhamel | $11,567,026 | 1 | 13 |
| Eugene Katchalov | $7,399,351 | 1 | 29 |
| Vanessa Selbst | $7,398,453 | 2 | 18 |
