Todd Brunson Near Top of Event #40: $10,000 Stud 8 or Better Championship Day 1 Leaderboard
The latest Championship event at the 53rd World Series of Poker, Event #40: $10,000 Seven Card Stud 8 or Better saw another elite field of poker pros and mixed game gurus take to the felt with WSOP bracelet winner Peter Gelencser of Hungary topping the day’s final chip count with 371,500. Eric Kurtzman (359,000) was the only other player to finish over 300,000 chips.
However, not far behind him is Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson who built a top ten stack of 209,500 chips to take into play Sunday.
Bracelet winners Jason Gola (288,000), John Monnette (196,000), and Perry Friedman (186,000) were also among the larger stacks to end the day.
Event #40: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Championship Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Gelencser | Hungary | 371,500 |
| 2 | Eric Kurtzman | United States | 359,500 |
| 3 | Jason Gola | United States | 288,000 |
| 4 | Per Hildebrand | Sweden | 218,500 |
| 5 | Ziya Rahim | United States | 213,000 |
| 6 | Todd Brunson | United States | 209,500 |
| 7 | John Monnette | United States | 196,000 |
| 8 | Perry Friedman | United States | 186,500 |
| 9 | Chris Tryba | United States | 184,000 |
| 10 | Daniel Zack | United States | 180,000 |
Action Recap
A total of 127 entries filled the room throughout the day, with play finishing with nine remaining eight-handed tables. With registration open until the start of Day 2, a few more last-minute entries are likely, but the record field of 151 entries from 2019 may not be surpassed.
Some other notables to bag on Saturday were GGPoker Ambassadors Daniel Negreanu (159,500) and Felipe Ramos (153,500), with Negreanu getting a boost late in the day with the elimination of Jeff Madsen. Defending champion Brian Hastings (125,000) and 2019 champion Robert Campbell (73,500) also advanced to Day 2.
Among those not fortunate enough to find a bag included 2005 Main Event champion Joe Hachem, four-time bracelet winners Benny Glaser and Mike Matusow, and recent $1,500 HORSE champion Steven Albini.
A couple more players to watch on Day 2 are Ziya Rahim (213,000) and Daniel Zack (180,000), who were each down to less than a single big bet before staging incredible comebacks to build not just healthy, but imposing stacks going forward.
Play will resume in the purple section of the Paris Ballroom at 2 p.m. local time Sunday, with play now switching to seven 90-minute levels, with a dinner break after Level 14.
PokerNews will have all the action as the players reach the money and then move closer to a champion being crowned on Monday. Keep it right here for all the excitement from the 53rd World Series of Poker at its new home at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas.