Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout
Day 2 Completed
Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout
Day 2 Completed
Day 2 of the much-anticipated Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold'Em Freezeout of the 2024 World Series of Poker lived up to the hype at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
A total of 3,485 players entered the tournament with 523 entrants making the money. A total of 151 players resumed action at 11 a.m. this morning and played down to the final eight before breaking for the day. A chance to turn $500 into $175,578 and a coveted bracelet is becoming more of a reality.
Daniel Willis leads the pack with 23,725,000 followed by Shawn Smith (16,150,000) and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael Wang (12,625,000). Wang is in contention to potentially win his third WSOP bracelet.
Willis rode the momentum to become the chip leader. One hand in particular saw Willis win 14,000,000 chips.
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shawn Smith | United States | 16,150,000 | 32 |
| 2 | John Marino | United States | 7,000,000 | 14 |
| 3 | David Niedringhaus | United States | 3,350,000 | 7 |
| 4 | Michael Wang | United States | 12,625,000 | 25 |
| 5 | Steven Borella | United States | 10,425,000 | 21 |
| 6 | Yoshinori Funayama | Japan | 7,700,000 | 15 |
| 7 | Daniel Sherer | United States | 6,275,000 | 13 |
| 8 | Daniel Willis | United Kingdom | 23,725,000 | 47 |
Day 1 chip leader Qiang Xu finished in 37th place for $4,596. The tournament field had many notables make a deep run including Ryan Riess (63rd - $2,679), Marco Johnson (47th - $3,805), Daniel Negreanu (16th - $8,541) and Jason Wheeler (14th - $8,541).
| Position | Prize (USD) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $175,578 | ||
| 2 | $117,046 | ||
| 3 | $86,820 | ||
| 4 | $64,920 | ||
| 5 | $48,938 | ||
| 6 | $37,194 | ||
| 7 | $28,501 | ||
| 8 | $22,022 |
Final table play will resume Friday, May 31, at 1 p.m. local time. Players will return to blinds of 250,000/500,000 with a 500,000 big blind ante and action will resume with 11:30 remaining in Level 35. PokerGo is scheduled to stream the final table starting at 3:00 p.m. PDT.
The PokerNews team will be there providing all the updates until a champion is crowned.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
23,725,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
16,150,000
2,150,000
|
2,150,000 |
|
|
12,625,000
1,830,000
|
1,830,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
10,425,000
1,524,470
|
1,524,470 |
|
|
7,700,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
|
7,000,000 | |
|
|
6,275,000 | |
|
|
3,350,000
650,000
|
650,000 |
With the final elimination of the day, the remaining eight players have bagged for Day 3.
Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of the action.
Daniel Sherer raised from middle position to 1,300,000, Aaron Aldy called the raise putting him all in for approximately 1,100,000.
Aaron Aldy: 6♠6♣
Daniel Sherer: 9♦9♥
Aldy did not improve on a runout of 3♣Q♠5♥3♠K♣ and was eliminated in ninth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,275,000
1,275,000
|
1,275,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Daniel Willis in the cutoff raised to 1,100,000 and John Marino in the big blind moved all in for 3,250,000.
Willis called but Marino's Queens held on the 7♠J♠8♦4♠8♣ board to keep him alive.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
23,725,000
5,275,000
|
5,275,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
7,000,000
3,000,000
|
3,000,000 |
It didn't take long for action to pick up after the dinner.
Players folded to two-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael Wang, who was at the cutoff position, and Wang raised to 100,000.
Steven Borella took a brief moment before calling, prompting both players in the blinds to fold.
The dealer then fanned 6♥Q♦2♠ on the board, and Wang led out with a 530,000 bet.
Borella took his time, then announced a raise before he moved 2,000,000 into the betting area. Wang quickly folded and the dealer pushed the pot to Borella.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
14,455,000
845,000
|
845,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
8,900,530
325,530
|
325,530 |
Cards are back in the air and players are playing down to the final eight.
Level: 35
Blinds: 250,000/500,000
Ante: 500,000