2023 World Series of Poker

Event #79: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1
Event Info

2023 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Prize
$682,436
Event Info
Buy-in
$2,500
Prize Pool
$4,601,300
Entries
2,068
Level Info
Level
37
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Players Info - Day 1
Entries
2,068
Players Left
310

Huge Field and Prize Pool Expected for Event #79: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Sebastien Aube
Sebastien Aube

Day 1 kicks off in Event #79: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em, with play of this three-day event beginning at 10 a.m. local time at Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas. The second-year event at the 2023 World Series of Poker is sure to attract a star-studded field.

Last year, Sebastien Aube endured three long days of play in the debut edition of this event which was stacked with notables. Aube bested a field of 1,364 entries in 2022 to take home a first-place prize of $499,636 and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.

2022 Final Table Results

PlacePlayerCountryPrize (USD)
1Sebastien AubeCanada$499,636
2Julien LoireFrance$308,817
3Brian Keith EtheridgeUnited States$222,762
4Axel HallayFrance$162,627
5Leandro VlastarisUnited States$120,177
6Santiago PlanteCanada$89,905
7Matt BerkeyUnited States$68,102
8Ran KollerIsrael$52,240
9Jonathan ZarinUnited States$40,588

Just like the rest of the series, this event is expected to break records and with a lot of notable players still looking to capture their first WSOP bracelet of the summer.

Players will begin with 35,000 in chips with blinds starting at 100/100 and a 100 big blind ante. Blinds will increase every 40 minutes with a 15-minute break after every three levels. A 75-minute dinner break will begin after Level 12 at approximately 7 p.m. and registration will close at the end of that break (approximately 8:15 p.m.). The remaining players will play until Level 18 before bagging up for Day 2.

Stay locked into PokerNews for all the updates on this event and everything else that happens at the 2023 World Series of Poker.

Tags: Axel HallayBrian Keith EtheridgeJonathan ZarinLeandro VlastarisMatt BerkeyRan KollerSantiago PlanteSebastien Aube

Marquez Shows the Bluff

Level 5 : Blinds 300/500, 500 ante
Anthony Marquez
Anthony Marquez

The player on the button raised to 1,000 and the small blind three-bet to 4,100. Anthony Marquez called from the big blind and the button folded. The flop came out 9K2 and the small blind place a bet of 3,500 that Marquez called.

The turn came the 4 and the small blind led again for 3,800. Marquez came over the top, raising to 9,000.

The small blind attempted to elicit information from Marquez but in the end made the fold. Marquez flipped over AJ for the bluff and said with a smile, "I did it for PokerNews."

Player Chips Progress
Anthony Marquez us
Anthony Marquez
52,000
52,000
52,000
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Anthony Marquez

Moshe Knocks a Player to the Curb

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Asi Moshe
Asi Moshe

The player under the gun raised to 1,600 and the early position player and the big blind, Asi Moshe both called. The flop came out J43 and Moshe checked, the player under the gun bet 7,000 and the early position player shoved all in for 17,000 and Moshe made the call.

Early position player: 36
Asi Moshe: 24

The early position player had a pair of threes and Moshe had the pair of fours heading to the turn. The turn and the river were the 2J and Moshe had the best two pair with jacks and fours.

Moshe stated afterwards that the player had been super splashy the entire time he was at the table, hence why he made a loose call.

Player Chips Progress
Asi Moshe il
Asi Moshe
48,500
48,500
48,500
WSOP 4X Winner

Tags: Asi Moshe

Henson Heats Up; Hinkle Heads Out

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Ray Henson
Ray Henson

After an open from Ray Henson, short-stacked Blair Hinkle moved all in preflop and Henson snap called to put him at risk.

Blair Hinkle: AK
Ray Henson: AA

"Well I was hoping for a much better flip than this," Hinkle sighed as the board ran out 66959 for Henson's aces to hold and Hinkle was sent to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Ray Henson us
Ray Henson
71,000
16,000
16,000
$25K Fantasy
Blair Hinkle us
Blair Hinkle
Busted
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Blair HinkleRay Henson

Ilani Stays Remains in the Game

Level 10 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Ran Ilani
Ran Ilani

Cliff Josephy raised from under the gun to 3,000 and the player in middle position called. The player on the button, Ran Ilani, pushed in his last 7,000 for the three-bet and Josephy also shoved for about 34,000. The clock was called on the middle position player who could not decide what was the optimal play in this scenario and he eventually mucked.

Ran Ilani: A8
Cliff Josephy: JK

The board came out 359A10 and Ilani survived to play more poker due to his pair of aces.

Ilani jokingly said, "That will be $7,000 please."

Josephy responded, "How about 7,000 chips?"

Player Chips Progress
Cliff Josephy us
Cliff Josephy
27,000
27,000
27,000
WSOP 2X Winner
Ran Ilani il
Ran Ilani
24,000
24,000
24,000

Tags: Cliff JosephyRan Ilani

Smooth Sailing for Anderson

Level 11 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Calvin Anderson
Calvin Anderson

Michael Sklenicka moved all in preflop for his last 13,000 and Calvin Anderson made the call while mid-conversation with the player in seat one. The other players quickly got out of the way and the cards were tabled, with Sklenicka at risk.

Michael Sklenicka: 77
Calvin Anderson: AQ

Anderson still was having a full-blown conversation on the side, completely unphased by the flip he was going into.

The flop and turn of 26KK were safe for Sklenicka, but the A on the river gave Anderson the win and Sklenicka was eliminated.

"Good game, man," Anderson calmy said as he scooped up his chips to add them to his stack.

Player Chips Progress
Calvin Anderson us
Calvin Anderson
60,000
60,000
60,000
$25K Fantasy
WSOP 4X Winner
Michael Sklenicka cz
Michael Sklenicka
Busted

Tags: Calvin AndersonMichael Sklenicka

Kharman Almost Knocks out a Player

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Adam Kharman
Adam Kharman

A player in late position pushed his stack in for 33,000 effective when the cutoff, Adam Kharman made the call.

Adam Kharman: AA
Late position player: 44

The board played out with KJ8105 and the late position player walked away when the players called him back as he had a chip and a chair with 2,000 left.

Player Chips Progress
Adam Kharman au
Adam Kharman
82,000

Tags: Adam Kharman

Lech Defeats Two Players in All-in Fest

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Michael Lech
Michael Lech

It was a good time to wake up with pocket jacks in the small blind when a late position player raised to 6,000 and the button went all in for 28,000. Michael Lech looked down at two jacks and four-bet all in for 53,000 and the late position player with the most chips made the call.

Button: A10
Michael Lech: JJ
Late position player: AK

The board ran out 939J6 and the jacks made Lech the victor with a full house.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Lech us
Michael Lech
170,000
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Michael Lech

Prize Pool and Payouts

Level 15 : Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
WSOP Cards, Chips, Branding
WSOP Cards, Chips, Branding

The 2,070 total runners for this event have generated a prize pool of $4,601,300 with 311 players being paid. The min-cash for this event will be $4,022 and the grand prize will be a whopping $682,436 along with that shiny gold bracelet.

PlacePayoutPlacePayout
1$682,43627-35$20,199
2$421,76136-44$16,734
3$310,52845-53$14,010
4$230,77254-62$11,854
5$173,12163-71$10,139
6$131,11172-80$8,765
7$100,25281-89$7,662
8$77,40190-98$6,772
9$60,34699-134$6,052
10-11$47,516135-170$5,471
12-13$37,788171-206$5,002
14-17$30,356207-258$4,377
18-26$24,635259-311$4,002

Davies Jacks Up into Chip Lead

Level 16 : Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Seth Davies
Seth Davies

After a preflop betting war with the player on the button, Seth Davies moved all in for close to 500,000 and his opponent went deep into the tank.

After a bit, the clock was called and the floor walked over but that's when he made the call, putting himself at risk of elimination as Davies barely had him covered.

Button Player: AK
Seth Davies: JJ

The board ran out 65977 for Davies' jacks to hold and he secured the huge pot for an essential double-up.

After confirming that he was indeed covered, his opponent then stood up and walked away, shaking his head.

With this victory, Davies is now the clear chip leader of the tournament with a little over 1,000,000.

Player Chips Progress
Seth Davies us
Seth Davies
1,005,000
1,005,000
1,005,000
Day 2 Chip Leader
$25K Fantasy

Tags: Seth Davies