Welcome to Day 2 of Event #21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em. Play resumes today with just 168 players left from a field of 2,043 returning and plans to play 10 levels or to a final table of nine.
Most of those returning will be looking far up the leaderboard at Dave D’Alesandro who comes back with 154,400 and a massive chip lead over a field that includes just two other players over the 100,000 mark.
Of course, there are some relatively scary names within striking distance, including online legend Thayer “THAY3R” Rasmussen, World Series of Poker final table participants Zo Karim and Jonathan Neckar, multiple-bracelet winners Erik Seidel and JC Tran, and 2014 WSOP National Championship winner Dominik Nitsche. Also returning to sizable stacks are 2010 WSOP Main Event final table participants Soi Nguyen and Jason Senti and WPT Season XII Player of the Year Mukul Pahuja.
However, with 168 players already in the money and chasing the $335,659 and WSOP gold bracelet up top, it’s still anybody’s ball game.
A clear picture of the real contenders for this $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em crown should emerge as the day goes on and PokerNews will be tableside to capture all the action. Stay tuned for live updates from the floor from the 1 p.m. start to the late-night finish.
As the calls for payouts beckon around this side of the Amazon Room with short stacks giving up their chairs all across the floor, Gabriel Nassif managed to find a way to survive the carnage.
Nassif just now got his last 15,200 in good with versus Adam Hsu's .
Lance Harris has taken the lead here and looks poised for another deep run just days removed from his final table appearance in the $1,500 Six-Handed event.
He just made short work of a shorter stack at his table, flopping a set of sixes, betting it, and making the easy call when the shorty shoved sevens.
Jonathan Dimmig made an offer he believed his opponent would never refuse.
On a board of , Jonathan Dimmig bet every street in position, he said. On the river, Jonathan Neckar had shoved to put Dimmig all in for his last 22,000 over the 13,000 or so he had bet.
"I have so few chips, I just don't think you would ever do this with a bluff," Dimmig said. He mucked face up. "I'll give you $100 if you can show me a bluff."
Neckar smiled and shook his head slightly as he flicked his cards to the dealer.
Dee Dozier three-bet a Gabriel Nassif open from the small blind and they went heads-up to a flop.
Both players checked, but the action heated up on the turn as Dozier led out for 8,700. Nassif called and the river was revealed.
Dozier fired again, betting 12,500, and Nassif went deep into the tank. It was a good three or four minutes of intense study with Dozier staying as still as she could before he emerged with a fold and she could breathe again.
"That was invasive," she exclaimed. "You really had me sweating. Don't do that again."
Start-of-day chip leader Dave D'Alesandro has had a busy couple of levels, but you wouldn't know it from the size of his stack.
We've watched him weave his way in and out of half a dozen small pots so far today and with his table next to break, he's sitting on about the same 156,000 with which he started the day.
Today's draw had him starting at a table with very few chips on it and he should be happy to find a new home where he can try to start building again as the afternoon plays out.
Dave D'Alesandro had just been moved to a new table when he found the kind of action he'd been missing all day.
He bumped it 3,500 and Timothy Emmerton, starting the hand with about 135,000, three-bet, making it 7,500. D'Alesandro four-bet to 19,500 and Emmerton called.
D'Alesandro then fired 24,000 at the flop, Emmerton shoved and D'Alesandro called immediately with .
Emmerton held and he was drawing pretty thin with his tournament life and a huge pot on the line. The turn brought the and the river was the , ending Emmerton's run and putting D'Alesandro above 300k and back into the lead in with the biggest hand of the tournament so far.
Soi Nguyen opened for a raise from the cutoff, and Jason Senti shipped it for about 22,000. Nguyen made what sounded like a reluctant call, and his fellow former November Niner turned over .
"You've got me crushed," Nguyen said, turning over .
Phil Delaney opened for 5,500 in the cutoff, and James Mackey shipped it for about 35,000 on the button. Delaney thought for a bit then dropped in calling chips.
Mackey:
Delaney:
Mackey slid back in his seat even though the dealer gave him some additional outs on the flop. The turn was a brick, and Delaney was the one to improve on the river.
Domimik Nitsche has moved into top spot on the leaderboard with some aggressive plays and a little run-good sauce.
It was no surprise to see him defend his big blind against a short stack shoving for just 11,500. What was rather shocking was to see his make a comback against when they both flopped a pair and Nitsche made trip deuces on the river.
![[user127999]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
versus Adam Hsu's 
.
run out, he doubled up.
and Harris now has 160k-plus.
, Jonathan Dimmig bet every street in position, he said. On the river, Jonathan Neckar had shoved to put Dimmig all in for his last 22,000 over the 13,000 or so he had bet.
face up. "I'll give you $100 if you can show me a bluff."
flop.
river was revealed.
, ending Emmerton's run and putting D'Alesandro above 300k and back into the lead in with the biggest hand of the tournament so far.
.
flop. The 
river.
make a comback against 
when they both flopped a pair and Nitsche made trip deuces on the river.
