A huge pot was brewing on Table 620 between Ivan Stankov and Matt Davenport.
There was around 1,600,000 in the pot on the K♣2♥6♦8♣9♣ board.
Stankov bet 725,000 from the cutoff, and Davenport called.
Stankov tabled 9♠9♦ for a set of nines.
"Jesus f****** christ," said a frustrated Davenport as he left his seat. He took a few steps away from the table before returning, where he and Stankov continued to stare each other down. As he returned to his seat, Davenport tabled his no good A♦K♦.
The pot left Davenport with around 650,000, and his chips were soon in the middle. He was all in and at risk to compatriot Carl Shaw.
Davenport had KxQx and was up against 7♥7♦. The board ran out with low cards for Shaw to down Davenport.
Soon after, Shaw banked another bust out, sending Christopher Staats to the rail for his chip stack to eclipse the 5,000,000 mark.
Masaki Nakano opened to 40,000 from under the gun before Nacho Barbero three-bet jammed for 294,000 from middle position. The action folded to Sasha Sabbaghian, who was in the big blind. He moved all in for around 650,000, which folded out Nakano and his 7♦7♣.
Nacho Barbero: AxKx
Sasha Sabbaghian: KxKx
Barbero found two aces on the A♦A♥6♣ flop to lock up the hand ahead of the 10♥ turn and 2♥ river.
Sergi Reixach opened to 40,000 from the cutoff and called when Andre Akkari three-bet to 120,000 from the small blind.
Akkari continued for 85,000 on the A♣8♠6♣ flop. Reixach clicked it to 170,000 and was quickly called.
The 2♣ turn checked through to the J♣ river. Akkari checked once more and Reixach went deep into the tank for several minutes. The clock was called, which sprung Reixach into life as he chucked out a bet of 215,000.
Akkari, who had 397,000, moved all in as the smaller stack to put the action back on the Spaniard. Reixach returned to his deep thoughts and once again the clock was called. And like last time, he immediately made his decision and flicked in calling chips.
Akkari tabled K♣K♦ for the nut flush, besting his opponent's 10♣10♥.
Michael Moncek—better known under his moniker "Texas Mike" and frequently seen in the highest cash games—was one of the top stacks in this tournament. The emphasis here is on 'was,' as suddenly, Moncek was seen making his way to the payout desk with David Guay stacking up more than 3 million in chips.
According to Guay, Moncek had opened two seats to his right and Sebastion Toro, seated between them, put in a three-bet. Guay picked up pocket queens and put in a cold four-bet, which brought the action back on Moncek.
"Texas Mike" five-bet shoved all in for around 1,500,000, and Guay called. Moncek had pocket eights and didn't find help against the queens.
Phil Ivey opened to 55,000 from the cutoff before Matthew Cosentino moved all in for around 260,000 from the small blind. The 2014 WSOP Main Event winner Martin Jacobson called off his stack of a little more than 100,000 from the big blind. Ivey called to put the two players at risk.
Martin Jacobson: 6♥6♦
Matthew Cosentino: 3♦3♠
Phil Ivey: 10♣10♦
Jacobson made a set on the 6♣5♦2♣ flop, while Cosentino needed a four for a straight. The 6♠ turn locked up the main pot for Jacobson while the 8♥ river awarded Ivey the side pot and the remainder of Cosentino's stack.
Samuel Bernabeu, the defending champion, has been eliminated in the early goings of the day.
The Spaniard has been denied the opportunity to run it back, meaning a fresh face will be atop the podium when the event reaches it's conclusion tomorrow.
While all eyes were on KidPoker's long-awaited seventh bracelet triumph, Event #68: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em quietly kicked off inside Paris, Las Vegas, where a stacked field tried their luck at penning the first chapter of their own winner's story.
Andrew Chang's quill used up the most ink, as he locked up the chip lead from the 335 players, out of 2,229 runners, who made it over the first hurdle. Chang ended Day 1 with 1,022,000 and was the only player to wrap up the opening session with a seven-figure stack.
The Virginia resident is best placed to seize the lion's share of the $4,959,525 prize pool, where $667,963 awaits the eventual champion.
Chang faces plenty of obstacles on his path to glory, as online specialists Alisson Piekazewicz (832,000) and PokerNews'Mike Holtz (755,000) look to steal to spotlight for themselves.
Mike Holtz
Piekazewicz comes into Day 2 second in chips and is better recognized under his screen name "heyalisson". The Brazilian has more than $3 million in online earnings and is a player many stay clear of in the online realm.
Sitting in third is Holtz, who is also known to strike fear into opponents' hearts on the virtual felt. The co-host of the PokerNews Podcast is the reigning WSOP online player of the year, a feat he also pulled off in 2021.
Holtz has entered the winner's circle on many occasions, as his one bracelet and six circuit rings prove. However, these achievements have all come from online events and Holtz would undoubtedly love to make his first major splash in the live setting.
Just a few big blinds behind Holtz sits Phil Ivey. Like Negreanu, the poker icon ended his bracelet drought at the 2024 WSOP, where he reigned supreme in the $10,000 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship. Ivey has been in hot form over the last few weeks, notching 11 cashes along with his 11th bracelet win. He's also in the conversation for the Player of the Year race and another deep run here could see him take the top spot.
Phil Ivey
Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chips
Big Blinds
1
Andrew Chang (VA)
United States
1,022,000
85
2
Alisson Piekazewicz
Brazil
832,000
69
3
Mike Holtz
United States
755,000
63
4
Kai Cohen
United States
749,000
62
5
Damien Luis
France
748,000
62
6
Bart Lybaert
Belgium
739,000
62
7
Dongwoo Ko
Canada
728,000
61
8
Phil Ivey
United States
719,000
60
9
Miguel Lopes
Portugal
701,000
58
10
Alexandre Arnold
Australia
680,000
57
Day 2 is set to begin on Friday, June 28, at 12 p.m. local time. Play will resume on Level 19, which features 6,000/12,000 blinds with a 12,000 big blind ante. Levels will increase to one hour from Day 2 onwards, and players will be sent on 15-minute breaks after every two levels. Day 2 will conclude after ten additional levels have been played.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you all the no-limit action leading to the final table and eventual next bracelet winner!
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