Event #88: $1,500 The Closer
Day 1a Completed
2023 World Series of Poker
Event #88: $1,500 The Closer
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2023 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$4,713,885
Entries
3,531
Level
43
Blinds
2,500,000 / 5,000,000
Ante
5,000,000
Entries
1,141
Players Left
76
Benson Tang at Top of Leaderboard at the End of Day 1a in Event #88: $1,500 The Closer
Level 22
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Day 1a of Event #88: $1,500 The Closer is now on the books at the 2023 World Series of Poker. Benson Tang bagged the lead with 2,185,000 in chips. The Californian native had an incredible Day 1A, putting on a clinic.
After dinner break, Tang crossed the 1,700,000-chip mark when he made a straight against three-time WSOP bracelet winner Ryan Leng.
Tang has secured two WSOP cashes this summer and is looking to capture his first WSOP gold bracelet.
A total of 1,141 players entered the fray, creating a prize pool of $1,523,235. This will be added to flight 1b’s prize pool. Only 76 players remained as bags were handed out to advance to Day 2, which will be played on Sunday, July 16th at 10 a.m. local time.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benson Tang | United States | 2,185,000 | 73 |
| 2 | Alan Hamza | United States | 1,910,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Jeffrey Tanouye | United States | 1,865,000 | 62 |
| 4 | Lisa Hamilton | United States | 1,605,000 | 54 |
| 5 | Faizal Khoja | United States | 1,580,000 | 53 |
| 6 | Mohommed Khan | United States | 1,475,000 | 49 |
| 7 | Yann Perron | France | 1,445,000 | 48 |
| 8 | Renmei Liu | Canada | 1,445,000 | 48 |
| 9 | Jason Wheeler | United States | 1,360,000 | 45 |
| 10 | Michael Noori | United States | 1,355,000 | 45 |
The bubble burst shortly after the final break of the night when three players were eliminated at once during the hand-for-hand period. These three players split the minimum cash of $2,400.
An unknown player who disappeared after the dinner break was blinded down to just 5,000 and was set to be all-in the very next hand when the bubble burst, officially getting them into the money.
Several big names played in this event, one of the last of the series. However, these big names failed to make the money, including Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein,Robert Mizrachi, Lexy Gavin-Mather, and Jeremy Wien.
Many well-known players did manage to find a bag though, including Michael Noori (1,355,000), Preston McEwen (1,115,000), Chris Moorman (835,000), and Ethan Yau (565,000).
Day 1b will begin at 10 a.m. local time in Paris with 22 30-minute levels. There will be a 20-minute break after every four levels and a 75-minute dinner break after level 12. Registration will close at the end of the dinner break. As always, PokerNews will be first with all of the latest news from the World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Official End of Day 1a Chip Counts (full)
Level 22
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,185,000 | 85,000 |
|
1,910,000 | 1,910,000 |
|
1,865,000 | 1,865,000 |
|
1,605,000 | 1,605,000 |
|
|
1,580,000 | 1,260,000 |
|
|
1,475,000 | 1,475,000 |
|
1,445,000 | 1,170,000 |
|
1,445,000 | 195,000 |
|
1,360,000 | 5,000 |
|
1,355,000 | 55,000 |
|
1,235,000 | 1,235,000 |
|
1,175,000 | 1,175,000 |
|
1,170,000 | -390,000 |
|
1,115,000 | -285,000 |
|
1,100,000 | 1,100,000 |
|
1,060,000 | 185,000 |
|
|
1,060,000 | -140,000 |
|
|
1,050,000 | -35,000 |
|
1,020,000 | 45,000 |
|
985,000 | 985,000 |
|
|
980,000 | 980,000 |
|
865,000 | 865,000 |
|
850,000 | 850,000 |
|
835,000 | 185,000 |
|
|
830,000 | 668,000 |
Play Ended
Level 22
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Players are currently bagging their chips as play has officially ended for the night. Day 2 will resume Sunday at 10 a.m.
McEwan Comes Out on Top of Wild Four-Way All in
Level 22
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Action was picked up just before the flop with four players already all in and the big blind covering all opponents.
Big Blind: 2♣2♥
Matthew McEwan: A♥J♣
Middle Position: 9♦3♥
Early Position: A♣4♣
The board ran out 10♠5♠K♠Q♣6♥, giving McEwan a Broadway straight to scoop a massive pot towards the end of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,085,000 | 1,085,000 |
Dong Takes a Big One Without Showdown
Level 22
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
With about 370,000 in the middle and the board reading 2♣5♦4♣6♣10♦, Jinwoo Kim bet 300,000 and after about 90 seconds of consideration, Victor Dong raised all in, forcing a fold from Kim and taking down a big pot uncontested.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,200,000 | 1,200,000 |
|
375,000 | 375,000 |
Four Hands Remaining
Level 22
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
The tournament director has announced the final four hands of the night. All players who put chips in the bag will not be permitted to play Day 1b.
Petronio Eliminates One with Kings
Level 22
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
All of the chips went into the middle before the flop, and Robert Petronio had his opponent at risk for about 300,000.
Robert Petronio: K♠K♣
Opponent: A♦Q♠
Petronio was able to fade the ace as the board ran out 7♠6♥3♦Q♥9♠, sending his opponent to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
500,000 |
Luo Gets There by the River
Level 22
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
A player from early position opened to 80,000 and another player in the small blind raised all in to 240,000. Renmei Liu reraised all in for about 850,000, sending the early position player into the tank.
After about two minutes the early position stated he had pocket sevens and folded, leaving the small blind player at risk against Liu.
Small Blind: A♥Q♠
Renmei Liu: A♠K♣
Liu was ahead preflop but the 2♥Q♥4♠ left him drawing thin against the small blind's top pair. The J♣ turn improved Liu to a gutshot which came in on the 10♦ river to secure the elimination for Liu who surpassed 1,000,000 chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,250,000 | 100,000 |
Some Big Stacks Around the Room
Level 22
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,100,000 | 390,000 |
|
|
1,560,000 | |
|
|
1,300,000 | |
|
|
1,230,000 | |
|
|
1,150,000 | |
|
|
1,100,000 | |
|
|
975,000 | 185,000 |