2013 World Series of Poker

Event #55: The $50,000 Poker Players' Championship
Day: 1
Event Info

2013 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
k10
Prize
$1,774,089
Event Info
Buy-in
$50,000
Prize Pool
$6,336,000
Entries
132
Level Info
Level
26
Blinds
0 / 0
Ante
0

Event #55: The $50,000 Poker Players' Championship

Day 1 Started

Day 1 of the $50K Poker Players' Championship Awaits

Michael Mizrachi holds aloft the David "Chip" Reese Trophy after winning his second $50,000 Poker Players' Championship in 2012
Michael Mizrachi holds aloft the David "Chip" Reese Trophy after winning his second $50,000 Poker Players' Championship in 2012

Welcome to Event #55: $50,000 Poker Players' Championship, the tournament that combines a high buy-in with a variety of different disciplines to occupy a special place on the WSOP schedule. This marks the eighth year the WSOP has included the prestigious $50K tourney, with the tournament consistently proving one of the most compelling of the summer thanks to the always tough fields it attracts.

It began in 2006 as a $50K H.O.R.S.E. event, with the late David "Chip" Reese memorably prevailing over a 143-player field in a tournament that concluded with an especially lengthy heads-up battle with Andy Bloch. With Reese's passing late the following year, the memory of his win and the Poker Hall of Famer's important contributions to poker have been preserved with the awarding of the David "Chip" Reese Trophy to each year's winner of the $50K event.

It remained a H.O.R.S.E. tourney for the next three years, with Freddy Deeb, Scotty Nguyen, and David Bach each earning titles. Then in 2010 the format was expanded to cover eight different games — 2-7 triple draw, limit hold'em, Omaha-8, razz, stud, stud-8, no-limit hold'em, and pot-limit Omaha.

Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi won the first "8-game mix" version of the event in 2010, newly dubbed the "Poker Players' Championship." Brian Rast would win in 2011, then Mizrachi would come back to earn a second title in the event last year.

YearEvent NameWinnerFirst PrizeEntrantsPrize Pool
2006$50K H.O.R.S.E.David "Chip" Reese$1,716,000143$6,864,000
2007$50K World Championship H.O.R.S.E.Freddy Deeb$2,276,832148$7,104,000
2008$50K World Championship H.O.R.S.E.Scotty Nguyen$1,989,120148$7,104,000
2009$50K World Championship H.O.R.S.E.David Bach$1,276,80295$4,560,000
2010$50K Poker Players' ChampionshipMichael Mizrachi$1,559,046116$5,568,000
2011$50K Poker Players' ChampionshipBrian Rast$1,720,328128$6,144,000
2012$50K Poker Players' ChampionshipMichael Mizrachi$1,451,527108$5,184,000

The journey to find the next $50K Poker Players' Championship winner begins at 5 p.m. local time, with the schedule calling for players to play five 100-minute levels on this first day of the five-day event. Come back here to PokerNews then for start-to-finish coverage of this annual highlight of the WSOP schedule.

Tags: Michael Mizrachi

Level: 1

Triple Draw 2-7 - Limit Hold'em - Omaha-8 - blinds 300-600; limits 600-1,200
Razz - Stud - Stud-8 - ante 100; bring-in 200; complete 600; limits 600-1,200
No-Limit Hold'em - Pot-Limit Omaha - ante (NLHE only) 100; blinds 100-300

Shuffle Up and Deal

Level 1

The traditional announcement has been made and play is underway here in Event #55: The $50,000 Poker Players' Championship. Players are still finding their seats as the first hands of 2-7 triple draw are being dealt. Back soon with details regarding this "who's who" field of elite players presently gathering in the back corner of the Amazon Room.

More Notables

Level 1
Player Chips Progress
Jeff Lisandro au
Jeff Lisandro
WSOP 6X Winner
150,000
Jason Mercier us
Jason Mercier
150,000
Bill Chen us
Bill Chen
WSOP 2X Winner
150,000
Scott Seiver us
Scott Seiver
WSOP 4X Winner
150,000
David Benyamine fr
David Benyamine
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000
Cary Katz us
Cary Katz
150,000
David Williams us
David Williams
150,000
Andy Bloch us
Andy Bloch
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000
George Danzer de
George Danzer
150,000
Phil Ivey us
Phil Ivey
WSOP 10X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
150,000
David Chiu us
David Chiu
WSOP 5X Winner
150,000
Jonathan Duhamel ca
Jonathan Duhamel
150,000
Mike Matusow us
Mike Matusow
WSOP 4X Winner
150,000
Josh Arieh us
Josh Arieh
WSOP 6X Winner
150,000
John Monnette us
John Monnette
WSOP 5X Winner
150,000
Daniel Negreanu ca
Daniel Negreanu
150,000
Vanessa Selbst us
Vanessa Selbst
150,000
Mike Leah ca
Mike Leah
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000
Brian Hastings us
Brian Hastings
WSOP 6X Winner
150,000
Eugene Katchalov ua
Eugene Katchalov
150,000
Tom Schneider us
Tom Schneider
WSOP 4X Winner
150,000

Oppenheim Finds His Seat

Level 1

"Is this the $1,500 no-limit?"

So cracked David Oppenheim as he approached his table at which Jennifer Harman, Doyle Brunson, and David Bach are gathered at the other side. The table laughed as Oppenheim took his seat.

Clearly Oppenheim is in the right place, as he's made a habit of making deep runs in past $50K Poker Players' Championships, having finished third in the event in 2010 and ninth last year.

Player Chips Progress
David Oppenheim us
David Oppenheim
Poker Hall of Famer
150,000 150,000

Tags: David Oppenheim

Team PokerStars Lighting Up Table 373

Level 1

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:

PlayerAll-Time EarningsWSOP BraceletsWSOP Cashes
Daniel Negreanu$18,079,920566
Jonathan Duhamel$11,567,026113
Eugene Katchalov$7,399,351129
Vanessa Selbst$7,398,453218

Tags: Daniel NegreanuEugene KatchalovJonathan DuhamelVanessa Selbst

Deep Field Gets Deeper

Level 1
Player Chips Progress
Yuval Bronshtein il
Yuval Bronshtein
WSOP 2X Winner
150,000 150,000
Justin Smith us
Justin Smith
150,000 150,000
Daniel Alaei us
Daniel Alaei
WSOP 5X Winner
150,000 150,000
Matt Glantz us
Matt Glantz
150,000 150,000
Dan Kelly us
Dan Kelly
150,000 150,000
Bertrand Grospellier fr
Bertrand Grospellier
150,000 150,000
Adam Friedman us
Adam Friedman
WSOP 5X Winner
150,000 150,000
Allen Bari us
Allen Bari
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000 150,000
John D'Agostino us
John D'Agostino
150,000 150,000
Sebastian Ruthenberg de
Sebastian Ruthenberg
150,000 150,000
John Racener us
John Racener
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000 150,000
David "ODB" Baker us
David "ODB" Baker
WSOP 3X Winner
150,000 150,000
Jason Lester us
Jason Lester
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000 150,000
Konstantin Puchkov ru
Konstantin Puchkov
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000 150,000

More Take Their Seats

Level 1
Player Chips Progress
Greg Mueller ca
Greg Mueller
WSOP 3X Winner
150,000 150,000
David Singer us
David Singer
150,000 150,000
Sergii Baranov ua
Sergii Baranov
150,000 150,000
Robert Mizrachi us
Robert Mizrachi
WSOP 4X Winner
150,000 150,000
Andrey Zaichenko ru
Andrey Zaichenko
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000
Brian Rast us
Brian Rast
WSOP 6X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
150,000
Artem Litvinov ru
Artem Litvinov
150,000
Shawn Buchanan ca
Shawn Buchanan
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000 150,000
Alexander Kostritsyn ru
Alexander Kostritsyn
150,000 150,000
David "Bakes" Baker us
David "Bakes" Baker
WSOP 3X Winner
150,000 150,000
Ismael Bojang de
Ismael Bojang
WSOP 1X Winner
150,000 150,000
Todd Brunson us
Todd Brunson
WSOP 1X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
150,000 150,000
Justin Bonomo us
Justin Bonomo
WSOP 3X Winner
150,000 150,000
Nacho Barbero ar
Nacho Barbero
150,000 150,000
Barry Greenstein us
Barry Greenstein
150,000 150,000
Allen Kessler us
Allen Kessler
150,000 150,000