PNDC Updates Week 2 | 2024 WSOP PokerNews Deepstack Challenge

06-06-2024 13:00 UTC-8

Raminder "Raminor" Singh's Top Tips and Exclusive Interview

Calum Grant

At this summer's World Series of Poker (WSOP), we're thrilled to sponsor the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship alongside the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge, which will send 40 qualifiers into the bracelet event via the leaderboard promotion.

Running from May 28 to June 24, the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge will see the players who take part in the daily $200, $250, or $400 deep stack tournaments at the WSOP earn points towards the leaderboard, where the top ten point earners each week will receive complimentary seats for the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship.

So, in our bid for you to conquer the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge, we've drafted in tournament crusher Raminder "Raminator" Singh, who knows a thing or two about grinding it out and getting the job done in these lower buy-in events, to give you a helping hand.

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As well as giving out some handy advice, Singh sat down with PokerNews' for Connor Richards' new podcast: Life Outside Poker.

For the fifth episode, Connor spoke with the South Florida crusher about his nearly one hundred live tournament victories, moving to the US from India and running a business full time. He also shared his strategies for various tournament stages and gave Connor a tour of his one-of-a-kind poker trophy collection.

This interview took place inside Singh's South Florida home during the World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in Hollywood, Florida.

The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Raminder Singh by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel.

Be sure to follow Raminder Singh and Connor Richards on X.

06-06-2024 14:30 UTC-8

Get Ready for the 4 p.m. $400 Daily Deepstack

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Calum Grant

Get ready for some poker action! The second Daily Deepstack of the day shuffles up and deals at 4 p.m. This single-day extravaganza comes with a $400 buy-in, giving you a hefty 30,000 starting stack to play with.

Feeling adventurous? Late registration is open until the start of Level 9, around 7:35 p.m., and you can reenter as many times as you like. Each level is a quick 20 minutes, with plenty of 15- and 20-minute breaks to catch your breath and strategize.

Blinds kick off at 100/100, and the big blind ante is in play from the get-go.

Level	BB Ante	Blinds	Breaks & Notes
1	100	100-100
2	200	100-200
3	300	200-300
4	400	200-400
5	600	300-600
6	800	400-800	Remove 100 Chips (20-Minute Break)
7	1,000	500-1,000
8	1,500	1,000-1,500
9	2,000	1,000-2,000	Remove 500 Chips (15-Minute Break) (Reg. ends)
10	3,000	2,000-3,000
11	4,000	2,000-4,000
12	6,000	3,000-6,000
13	8,000	4,000-8,000
14	10,000	5,000-10,000
15	16,000	8,000-16,000
16	20,000	10,000-20,000	Remove 1,000 Chips (15-Minute Break)
17	30,000	15,000-30,000
18	40,000	20,000-40,000
19	60,000	30,000-60,000
20	80,000	40,000-80,000
21	100,000	50,000-100,000
22	150,000	100,000-150,000	Break (15-Minute Break)
23	200,000	100,000-200,000
24	300,000	150,000-300,000
25	400,000	200,000-400,000
26	600,000	300,000-600,000
27	800,000	400,000-800,000
28	1,000,000	500,000-1,000,000	Break (15-Minute Break)
29	1,500,000	1,000,000-1,500,000
30	2,000,000	1,000,000-2,000,000
31	3,000,000	1,500,000-3,000,000
32	5,000,000	2,000,000-5,000,000

06-06-2024 15:02 UTC-8

Tournament Report: $250 Daily Deepstack (June 5)

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Calum Grant

Kurt Taphorn, a 32-year-old professional poker player from St. Louis, Missouri, took down the 1 p.m. $250 Daily Deepstack for a career-best payout of $17,412. The score saw his tournament earnings cross the $75,000 mark. His previous highest cash was for just $7,114, which came in a WSOP Circuit event back in 2020.

The tournament had 493 entries, creating a $98,600 prize pool that saw the top 74 players make the money.

Willie Smith ended up as the runner-up, collecting $12,035. Niall Costigan rounded out the podium finishes, boosting his bankroll with a further $8,473.

Rank	Player	Payout	Points
1	Kurt Taphorn	$17,412	749
2	Willie Smith	$12,035	374
3	Niall Costigan	$8,473	337
4	Klas Klinker	$6,075	299
5	Jose Ortizascencio	$4,437	281
6	Tyler Hurman	$3,302	262
7	Muruz Yohannes	$2,506	225
8	Lance King	$1,939	206
9	Hani Awad	$1,531	187
10	Jason Aden	$1,233	150
11	Chun Lung Wong	$1,233	150
12	Dong Ji	$1,015	150
13	Christopher Garner	$1,015	150
14	Alexis Hayek	$853	150
15	Jeremy Johnson	$853	150
16	Mariusz Burnat	$853	150
17	Nicholas Carmichael	$853	150
18	Lu Wang	$732	150
19	Luis Armando Gonzalez Martinez	$732	150
20	Reuben Phillips	$732	150
21	Kostantinos Gennaios	$732	150
22	David Belasco	$732	150
23	Christopher Fraley	$732	75
24	Michael Wojtkowiak	$732	75
25	Tony Woo	$732	75
26	Mark Macdonald	$732	75
27	Michael Ibekwe	$643	75
28	John Schraufnagel	$643	75
29	Marian Mihai	$643	75
30	Jeffrey Parcher	$643	75
31	Jerry Pearlstein	$643	75
32	Wen Lin	$643	75
33	Nikola Mircetic	$643	75
34	Peter Molina	$643	75
35	David Perry	$643	75
36	Frank Schaepers	$578	75
37	Stuart Tuvey	$578	75
38	Robert Eustice	$578	75
39	Williard Rifer	$578	75
40	Junjie Wu	$578	75
41	Bernard Nicholas	$578	75
42	Jeremy Standiford	$578	75
43	Stephen Scott	$578	37
44	Vy Tran	$578	37
45	Jair Augusto	$531	37
46	Jason Velasco	$531	37
47	Richard Machnik	$531	37
48	Alexis Calbry	$531	37
49	Scott Podolsky	$531	37
50	Kevin Balcom	$531	37
51	James Meono	$531	37
52	Alan Symonds	$531	37
53	Brandon Tindel	$531	37
54	Keith Hinkle	$506	37
55	David Becerril	$506	37
56	Brian Vo	$506	37
57	Michael Maruna	$506	37
58	Eugene Durante	$506	37
59	Nicholas Evdos	$506	37
60	Daniel Lee	$506	37
61	Conrad Co	$506	37
62	Jared Stearns	$506	37
63	Eddy Asady	$506	37
64	Karim Kerroui	$506	37
65	James Korbilas	$506	37
66	Arkadi Bruchis	$506	37
67	Nathaen Blankenship	$506	37
68	Cecile Pardinilla	$506	37
69	Daniel Peramaki	$506	37
70	Ricardo Sousa	$506	37
71	Karim Musani	$506	37
72	Armen Poghosyan	$506	37
73	James Gallagher	$506	37
74	Timothy Ashner	$506	37

06-06-2024 15:45 UTC-8

Join the Fun: PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge Leaderboard

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Calum Grant

Ready to show off your skills and compete for amazing prizes? The PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge is here from May 28 to June 24, and it’s your time to shine! Play in daily WSOP deep stack tournaments, earn points, and score fantastic rewards—including seats to the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship and some cool memorabilia.

Want to see how you’re doing? Track your progress, check out the latest standings, and get all the updates on our leaderboard page. Click the link below to dive into the action!

Check Out the Leaderboard Now!

06-06-2024 16:15 UTC-8

PokerNews Deepstack Championship FAQs

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Calum Grant

What is the buy-in for the PokerNews Deepstack Championship?

The buy-in for the PokerNews Deepstack Championship event at the 2024 WSOP is $600 - among one of the lowest buy-ins in the Series. We looked to give low-stakes grinders an opportunity to win their way to a coveted WSOP bracelet, and the $600 entry fee is both affordable and offers the chance to win big money from an expected large prize pool.

When is the PokerNews Deepstack Championship?

The PokerNews Deepstack Championship event will be held between June 25 and June 28 2024. It's the 62nd event in the 2024 WSOP and takes place just less than one month into the Series and three weeks before its conclusion.

Where is the PokerNews Deepstack Championship?

The PokerNews Deepstack Championship will be held is a new, vibrant venue near the Horseshoe poker room, Las Vegas. It's located on the Las Vegas Strip, less than a 10-minute drive from Harry Reid International Airport.

How Can I Play the PokerNews Deepstack Championship?

Like any other event at the Series, to play the PokerNews Deepstack Championship simply register from one of the multiple registration desks at the venue.

What is the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge?

The PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge is a leaderboard promotion running from May 28 to June 24. Players participating in the daily $200, $250, or $400 deep stack tournaments at the WSOP will earn points. The top 10 point earners each week will receive complimentary seats for the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship.

What is the leaderboard system?

The leaderboard system will follow the same formula used for the WSOP Player of the Year

06-06-2024 16:20 UTC-8

Tournament Report: $400 Daily Deepstack (June 5)

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Calum Grant

Patrick Smith collected his PNDC winner's card protector, after he reigned supreme in yesterday's $400 Daily Deepstack.

The retired 61-year-old was awarded $19,273 for topping the 284-entry field, which is good for 744 points on the weekly leaderboard.

French pro and grinder Dorian Melchers came second, adding $13,243 to his $775,705 live tournament earnings. Melchers, a two-time circuit ring winner, was by far the most accomplished player to cash the event, which saw the top 43 get a return on their investment.

Yotam Shmuelov got third and was the recipient of $9,276.

Rank	Player	Payout	Points
1	Patrick Smith	$19,273	744
2	Dorian Melchers	$13,243	372
3	Yotam Shmuelov	$9,276	335
4	Andre Stelling	$6,628	298
5	Leon Burstein	$4,833	279
6	Vinicius Monteiro	$3,598	260
7	Donald Himpele	$2,736	223
8	Nathaniel Zoller	$2,127	205
9	Kevin Mack	$1,690	186
10	Fady Khabbaz	$1,373	149
11	Zachary Bassett	$1,373	149
12	Jason Courtney	$1,142	149
13	Christian Calcano	$1,142	149
14	Cody Kim	$973	149
15	Brandon Sunshine	$973	149
16	Mark Lacoste	$973	149
17	Olen Bratton	$973	74
18	Radu Iuhas	$849	74
19	Edgar Gabrielyan	$849	74
20	David Versteeg	$849	74
21	Michael Terhune	$849	74
22	Anthony Askey	$849	74
23	Renmei Liu	$849	74
24	Barrie Gotch	$849	74
25	Peter Mercadante	$849	74
26	Jose Luqui	$849	74
27	Sergei Morkovine	$809	37
28	Mattias Hansen	$809	37
29	Antonio Imson	$809	37
30		$809	37
31	Yosef Fox	$809	37
32	Moshe Ovadya	$809	37
33	John Quarnstrom	$809	37
34	Luis Alfonso	$809	37
35	Ken Han	$809	37
36	Alan Berlin	$809	37
37	Ronald Blasczyk	$809	37
38	Gianluca Pace	$809	37
39	Christopher Thennis	$809	37
40	Ivan Ruban	$809	37
41	Christopher Hansel	$809	37
42	Jeffrey Crump	$809	37
43	Agustin Cabrera	$809	37

06-06-2024 17:30 UTC-8

Congratulations to Raymond Chiu - The First PNDC Weekly Leaderboard Winner

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Calum Grant

The opening week of the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge was completed on June 3, and with that, the first top ten players to qualify for the $600 PokerNews Deepstack have been determined.

Taking the top spot was Raymond Chiu, whose back-to-back Deepstack victories propelled him to first place. Along with the ticket, he'll be awarded his very own PNDC trophy.

For those still looking to take part, there are plenty of opportunities over the next three weeks to qualify for the PokerNews Deepstack Championship bracelet event.

The Week 2 leaderboard started today and runs until Monday, June 10 and is then followed by Week 3 (June 11-17) and Week 4 (June 18-24).

Week 1 Top Ten Leaderboard

Rank	Player	Points
1	Raymond Chiu	1,075
2	William Plitz	952
3	Jesse Gardner	821
4	Clark Robertson	795
5	Cory Biddle	782
6	Connor Woodland	767
7	Russell Brooks	765
8	Edgar Mascorro	762
9	Georgios Skarparis	747
10	Jingwei Qi	747

06-06-2024 18:00 UTC-8

Simmy Mok's PokerNews Daily Deepstack Triumph Propels Her to First-Ever Bracelet Event

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Calum Grant

Several of the PokerNews Deepstack Challenge winner card protectors have already been handed out, with Canada's Simmy Mok being the first beneficiary. She triumphed in the opening Daily Deepstack of the series, but it's been quite the journey for Mok, whose passion for poker came from very humble beginnings.

Mok's route into poker began 24 years ago when she was nursing her son. With a newborn, Mok found herself awake through various stages of the night, and while tending to her baby's needs, she started channel-flicking through the television.

Poker then became a saving grace for the Canadian as a major event seven caused huge changes in her day-to-day life.

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06-06-2024 18:30 UTC-8

Time for a Night Cap in the 8 p.m. $200 Daily Deepstack

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Calum Grant

Wrap up your day with some thrilling poker action! The final Daily Deepstack of the day kicks off at 8 p.m. as a single-day showdown. With a $200 buy-in, you'll start with a 20,000 stack of chips.

For those who like to make a dramatic entrance, late registration is open until the start of Level 6 (approx 10:20 p.m.), and you can reenter as many times as you want until then. Each level lasts 20 minutes, with plenty of 15-minute breaks throughout the evening.

Blinds start at 100/100, and the big blind ante is in play right from the start. If this event runs long, the tournament director reserves the right to suspend play and resume the following day.

Level	BB Ante	Blinds	Breaks / Chip Removals
1	100	100-100
2	200	100-200
3	300	100-300
4	400	200-400
5	600	300-600
6	800	400-800	Remove 100 Chips (20 Minute Break)
7	1,000	500-1,000
8	1,500	1,000-1,500
9	2,000	1,000-2,000	Remove 500 Chips (15 Minute Break) (Reg. ends)
10	3,000	2,000-3,000
11	4,000	2,000-4,000
12	6,000	3,000-6,000
13	8,000	4,000-8,000
14	10,000	5,000-10,000
15	16,000	8,000-16,000
16	20,000	10,000-20,000	Remove 1,000 Chips (15 Minute Break)
17	30,000	15,000-30,000
18	40,000	20,000-40,000
19	60,000	30,000-60,000
20	80,000	40,000-80,000
21	100,000	50,000-100,000
22	150,000	100,000-150,000	15 Minute Break
23	200,000	100,000-200,000
24	300,000	150,000-300,000
25	400,000	200,000-400,000
26	600,000	300,000-600,000
27	800,000	400,000-800,000
28	1,000,000	500,000-1,000,000	15 Minute Break
29	1,500,000	1,000,000-1,500,000
30	2,000,000	1,000,000-2,000,000
31	3,000,000	1,500,000-3,000,000
32	5,000,000	2,000,000-5,000,000
33	6,000,000	3,000,000-6,000,000
34	8,000,000	4,000,000-8,000,000

06-06-2024 19:05 UTC-8

Tournament Report: $200 Daily Deepstack (June 5)

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Calum Grant

The final Daily Deepstack of June 5 was a $200 buy-in and saw 236 entries. The top 36 players made the money and shared a slice of the $36,580 prize pool.

Claiming the lion's share went to 27-year-old professional sports bettor Joseph Esbenshade. The Boston native claimed the $7,911 up top and the pictured PNDC winner's card protector.

Before his victory, Esbenshade had $41,723 in tournament earnings, with his former best live cash being $5,161.

David McGivney came second for $5,237, and Hunter Cole took third for $3,563.

Rank	Player	Payout	Points
1	Joseph Esbenshade	$7,911	661
2	David Mcgivney	$5,237	331
3	Hunter Cole	$3,563	298
4	David Poltorak	$2,494	265
5	German Frotocantu	$1,798	248
6	Rodrigo Gurgel	$1,336	231
7	Andrew Todhunter	$1,024	298
8	Christopher Land	$810	182
9	Steven Leventhal	$663	165
10	Sebastian Zubek	$561	132
11	David Schaerf	$561	132
12	Fabio Toledo	$492	132
13	Andres Sanchez	$492	132
14	Andrew York	$448	132
15	Jose Deandrade	$448	66
16	William Gannon	$448	66
17	Karen Miles	$448	66
18	Alan Hughes	$424	66
19	Nicholas Kalinich	$424	66
20	Christopher Martin	$424	66
21	William Chattaway	$424	66
22	Joseph Sharpe	$424	66
23	Dennis Senibaldi	$424	33
24	Philip Brocoum	$424	33
25	Oliver Menck	$424	33
26	Luca Salvemini	$424	33
27	Joel Cleary	$403	33
28	Anthony Maiorano	$403	33
29	Theodore Bigham	$403	33
30	Jason Spurgetis	$403	33
31	Paulo Schneider	$403	33
32	John Barbera	$403	33
33	Shifeng Zhang	$403	33
34	Luis Alfonso	$403	33
35	Jeffrey Wechsler	$403	33
36	Chris Tidmarsh	$403	33