2019 World Series of Poker

Event #19: Millionaire Maker - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1a
Event Info

2019 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
q7
Prize
$1,344,930
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$11,892,150
Entries
8,809
Level Info
Level
43
Blinds
1,250,000 / 2,500,000
Ante
2,500,000

Anderson Among Top Stacks After Day 1a of Event #19: Millionaire Maker - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em, Greer Leads

Level 11 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante
Calvin Anderson
Calvin Anderson

A large total of 3,930 entries filled the Brasilia, Pavilion and Amazon Rooms at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino for Day 1a of Event #19: MILLIONAIRE MAKER -$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Out of all those entries, 968 players have made it through to Day 2 that will be playing out on Sunday, June 9. Taking the chip lead honors for Day 1a is Garrett Greer with 570,600, closely followed by Calvin Anderson who bagged and tagged 563,600 in chips at the end of the day.

Anderson already had a big stack as the day was winding down but his stack increased exponentially when he eliminated two opponents in a massive pot on the last hand of the day, putting him closely behind Greer in the end-of-day counts.

A few other well known players who bagged large stacks were Keith Lehr (383,000) who ended up playing today’s Day 1a after his participation in the semifinals of the $10,000 NL Hold’em Heads Up Championship was delayed until Saturday, as well as Chris Hunichen (366,800), Michael Dyer (251,100), and Joe McKeehen (204,300).

Several of the biggest names in poker participated in today’s action and among those who bagged a stack were Ben Heath (147,400) who is looking for his 2nd bracelet of the summer, Melanie Weisner (98,500), Chris Ferguson (71,700), Justin Bonomo (28,500) and Phil Hellmuth (122,600) who entered the day late and quickly ran up his stack to a nice number before the day expired.

Not everyone was able to make it through to the next day of play. Players like Allen Cunningham, Toby Lewis, Jamie Gold and Scott Davies saw their stacks run down to zero before the conclusion of play.

But they and others will all be able to try again on Saturday, June 8 for Day 1b, which starts at 10am local time. The players that manage to survive either of these starting flights will be returning to play on Day 2 on Sunday, June 10, at 12 pm local time.

PokerNews will continue to provide live updates for the Millionaire Maker in its entirety as we will see who will realize their dream to become the next poker millionaire and win a WSOP bracelet!

Tags: Calvin AndersonChris HunichenKeith LehrMichael DyerMillionaire MakerPhil Hellmuth

Calvin Anderson Rises High in Very Last Hand of the Day

Level 11 : 800/1,600, 1,600 ante
Calvin Anderson
Calvin Anderson

After almost every table had already bagged their chip and headed out of the room, a three-way massive hand was developing.

The flop read {j-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{4-Diamonds}. After each player thought it over for a while, they ended up all in.

Calvin Anderson had both of his opponents covered as he held the {10-Clubs}{9-Clubs}. One of the all in players held {j-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds} while Marton Czuczor had a set with {4-}{4-}.

The turn launched Anderson into the lead when it came the {7-Clubs}. And the river did not pair the board and remained diamond free as the {q-Hearts} fell to send two players home busted on the last hand while Anderson amassed their surrendered chips.

Player Chips Progress
Calvin Anderson us
Calvin Anderson
WSOP 4X Winner
563,600 458,600

Tags: Calvin Anderson

Defending Champ Loses a Flip

Level 8 : 400/800, 800 ante
Arne Kern
Arne Kern

Arne Kern was in the big blind, facing a raise from the button and a three-bet shove for 18,700 from the small blind. Kern slid a pile of chips in front of him to force the opener out.

Kern would have prefered a high board with {a-Hearts}{k-Diamonds} versus {j-Clubs}{j-Spades} but he didn't get one as the {8-Diamonds}{7-Clubs}{2-Clubs}{9-Hearts}{2-Hearts} runout remained safe for the paired hand. Kern doubled his opponent but he still maneuvers a solid stack of around 65,000.

Player Chips Progress
Arne Kern de
Arne Kern
65,000 18,000

Tags: Arne Kern

Raymer Rivers Huge Double Against Berkey

Level 3 : 100/200, 200 ante
Greg Raymer (as seen in a previous event)
Greg Raymer (as seen in a previous event)

On the flop of {5-Spades}{2-Spades}{9-Clubs}, Greg Raymer was all in for 27,800 and Matt Berkey reraised all in. There was a third player who looked to have a bet of around 7,000-bet in front of him, but he decided to leave it to Raymer and Berkey.

Berkey: {5-Hearts}{5-Clubs}
Raymer: {4-Spades}{3-Spades}

Berkey had flopped a set of fives but Raymer was still drawing very live with an open-ended straight flush draw. The {3-Hearts} turn held Berkey ahead but the {k-Spades} river filled Raymer's draw and the gigantic pot was shipped his way.

Player Chips Progress
Greg Raymer us
Greg Raymer
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner
69,000 44,000
Matt Berkey us
Matt Berkey
32,000 -26,000

Tags: Greg RaymerMatt Berkey

Somebody Is About to Become a Millionaire

Another seven-figure prize is set to find its owner
Another seven-figure prize is set to find its owner

Since its introduction in 2013, the Millionaire Maker has become a staple for the World Series of Poker schedule, earning its reputation as one of the most popular tournaments on the planet. Recent years saw six champions emerge in the gigantic player-fields to take home handsome seven-figure prizes.

It all starts as a long shot, but the WSOP provides ground for the dream to loom once again around the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino facilities with the Event #19: Millionaire Maker - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em running June 7-12, 2019. One player is destined to find their way to the glory through a combination of skill, endurance, and, of course, luck.

No matter who eventually claims the title, they first have to navigate through one of the two starting flights. Day 1a takes place today at 10 a.m. local time, but those who aren't fans of setting the alarm early can stay calm; late registration will remain open through the first ten hours of play, closing at approximately 10:30 p.m.

A long grind awaits the participants on Day 1 with 11 one-hour levels scheduled for the day. Every runner will receive a starting stack of 25,000 chips—as opposed to last year's 7,500. The tournament structure has undergone a significant change and the worldwide trend of big blind ante has affected the Millionaire Maker as well. The first level will be 100-100, meaning that the early birds will get to start with 250 big blinds. Players are allowed to fire two bullets per flight.

PokerNews will be on the ground to provide live updates from the Millionaire Maker from 10 a.m. local time. Here's a look at the previous winners of this event.

Millionaire Maker history:

YearWinnerCountryFirst prizeEntries
2013Benny ChenUnited States$1,199,1046,343
2014Jonathan DimmigUnited States$1,319,5877,977
2015Adrian BuckleyUnited States$1,277,1937,275
2016Jason DeWittUnited States$1,065,4037,190
2017Pablo MarizCanada$1,221,4077,761
2018Arne KernGermany$1,173,2237,361

Tags: Arne KernMillionaire MakerWorld Series of PokerWSOP