The Race to the Final Table on Day 2 of Event #36: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship
During the third week of the 2021 World Series of Poker, mixed game specialists can showcase their talents in Event #36: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship. The first tournament day attracted a field of 86 players of which 42 advanced and the late registration remains open until the cards are back in the air at 2pm local time in the Amazon Gold section.
Jose Ignacio "Nacho" Barbero leads the field into Day 2 with a massive stack of 425,500 after knocking out Jared Bleznick very late on Day 1. There is already a significant gap to Joao Vieira (250,000) and Christopher Claassen (224,000), who occupy the last two spots on the overnight podium.
Other well-known players with big stacks include Mike Gorodinsky, David Benyamine, Nathan Gamble, and Ray Henson.
Top 10 Chip Counts Day 1 in Event #36: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | 425,500 |
| 2 | Joao Vieira | Portugal | 250,000 |
| 3 | Christopher Claassen | United States | 224,000 |
| 4 | Mike Gorodinsky | United States | 221,500 |
| 5 | David Benyamine | France | 217,000 |
| 6 | Nathan Gamble | United States | 206,500 |
| 7 | Ray Henson | United States | 185,500 |
| 8 | Chris Vitch | United States | 184,000 |
| 9 | Chip Jett | United States | 171,000 |
| 10 | Brett Richey | United States | 164,000 |
Six-time WSOP champion and GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu entered late and advanced with 153,500 as well.
In the meanwhile, Adam Friedman is seeking an unprecedented third consecutive WSOP gold bracelet in this very event after his victories in 2018 and 2019. He will be returning with a stack of 97,500, which is not far away from the average with half the field remaining.
The mixed game contest with 20 different poker variants will be playing 90-minute levels as of Day 2 and seven of them are scheduled for the penultimate tournament day. Cards will be in the air at 2pm local time at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide all the action until a winner has been crowned.
Eric Kurtzman checked and Nacho Barbero fired out a bet of 45,000. This sent Kurtzman into the tank for a few, but he opted to fold, and Barbero was awarded the pot.
and he drew one card versus the 
of Vitch's and he also drew one card. 
and Scott Seiver was deep in the tank versus the bet of Jack Rice. 
bested the 
of Glantz's that took it down and secured his double up, while Seiver mucked before the dealer could show his hand with the all-in player, but he stated that he had an eight-seven low.
as his final card.
was being pushed the pot against the all-in player Allan Le who had held 
. This hand eliminated Le from the tournament and catapulted Benyamine to 230,000 chips.
Phil Hellmuth had raised pot to 61,500 versus Mike Gorodinsky. After Gorodinsky tanked for a few, he opted to fold and Hellmuth took it down.
