Barry Greenstein raised to 3,000 from middle position, the cutoff called, as did Yunkyu Song, on the button. The small blind squeezed to 23,000, leaving themselves 8,000 behind the line. Greenstein moved all in for 55,000, the cutoff folded and Song moved all in over the top. The small blind called off the bet for the remainder of their stack.
Small Blind: 8♣8♠
Barry Greenstein: A♠K♠
Yunkyu Song: 7♠7♥
The board ran out Q♠J♣6♣9♥Q♥; the small blind won the hand to triple up, however, Song won the side pot and eliminated Greenstein in the process. Song was the beneficiary of Greenstein's bounty of $2,011.
"Freerolling" Song gleefully announced to the table.
Scotty Nguyen moved all in for 13,500 from the hijack, the cutoff moved all in for 33,000 and Atanas Kavrakov, in the big blind, went into the tank. With a $2,012 bounty on the line, Kavrakov made the call.
Every player at the table not involved in the hand started to call for a jack to keep both Nguyen and their own bounty interests alive. The J♣9♦2♦ flop saw Nguyen take the lead and the table erupted into cheer.
The J♥ river confirmed Nguyen's triple up. The neutral players at the table got up and out of their seats to high-five Nguyen. The 4♣ river saw Kavrakov win the side pot to ensure he didn't lose any chips during the hand while also eliminating the cutoff.
A total of 1,119 entries generated a total prize pool of $1,944,760, with 168 places being paid. A minimum cash is worth $3,923 while the winner will walk away with $313,370 and a gold WSOP bracelet.
The action was caught with a massive 170,000 already in the middle with two players looking at a full board of 6♥7♠9♦9♠4♣. Lukas Hafner, in the big blind, checked the action to a player in early position, who checked back. Hafner tabled Q♣Q♠ to win this monster pot.
Hand Two:
The very next hand the button was all in and at risk for their last 38,000 against Hafner, in the small blind.
Button: K♣7♣
Lukas Hafner: Q♦Q♥
The board ran out A♥3♦2♠3♠2♦ Hafner's back-to-back queens saw him eclispe the 500,000 chip mark, sending the button to the rail in the process.
Shannon Shorr limped in from the small blind. Alejandro Queijeiro, in the big blind, moved all in to put Shorr to the test for his effective stack of approximately 90,000. Shorr made the call.
Shannon Shorr: A♥Q♠
Alejandro Queijeiro: K♦8♣
Shorr was in the lead but the K♠5♠6♠ flop reversed their fates. The 3♥ turn and 7♥ river confirmed Shorr's departure.
The action started with an open from the player in the hijack to 10,000. Players folded to Ren Lin in the small blind, and he went all in for 79,000. Leo Fernandez was in the big blind and thought for a long time before re-raising all in. Hijack folded.
Ren Lin: 3♠3♣
Leo Fernandez: A♣8♦
Lin was amazed at the action with ace-eight, but that was not the end of the drama and excitement.
The flop came J♠J♥J♦, giving Lin a full house, while Fernandez had six outs to a better one.
The turn was the 3♦, changing nothing despite hitting Lin’s pocket pair.
The dealer then revealed the river 8♣ for the big turnaround, and Lin, who needed a moment to notice what happened, was eliminated. He marveled at the hand but kept up the good mood, wishing his opponent the best of luck before hitting the rail.
Day 1 of Event #95: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), hosted at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, concluded with notable action and personalities taking the spotlight.
Leading the pack is Preston McEwen from Memphis, amassing a commanding 780,000 in chips. With nearly $2,000,000 in tournament earnings, McEwen seeks his first WSOP bracelet, setting the stage for an exciting Day 2.
Preston McEwen
Event #95: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold'em Top 10 Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chips
Big Blinds
1
Preston McEwen
United States
786,000
98
2
Luan Coelho
Brazil
699,000
87
3
Yang Lei
New Zealand
616,000
77
4
Xiaowen Zhao
China
614,000
77
5
Daniel Marques
Brazil
609,000
76
6
Daisuke Ogita
Japan
593,000
74
7
Martin Finger
Germany
554,000
69
8
Roman Korenev
Russia
529,000
66
9
Yuzhou Yin
China
525,000
66
10
Naseem Salem
United States
470,000
59
However, it was Poker Hall of Famer Jack McClelland who stole the show, finishing strong with 209,000 in chips. McClelland has had a lengthy career as a Tournament Director and player. He was the World Series of Poker Tournament Director in the 1980s, forever changing this prestigious event's operation with his meticulous work ethic and attention to detail.
McClelland also has an impressive poker resume with tournament winnings well over $400,000. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2014. . McClelland made waves early on by securing a significant pot among four players.
Also in contention is Erik Seidel, another Poker Hall of Famer boasting an impressive track record with ten bracelets and over $46 million in winnings. Seidel, known for his transition from professional backgammon to poker, remains a formidable force in the tournament.
Mori Eskandani (46,000) was the only other HOF member to make it through to Day 2.
Out of the 1,124 initial players, only 167 will return tomorrow at noon to vie for the prestigious bracelet and the top prize of $313,370. Since the money bubble burst at the end of Day 1, all returning players are in the money, guaranteed a minimum payout of $3,923. The total prize pool is $1,979,713, ensuring intense competition as players battle for the coveted title, priceless bracelet, and $313,370 first-place money.
Noteworthy chip leaders include Luan Coelho from Brazil with 699,000 chips, followed closely by Zhao Xiaowen with 640,000 chips at the end of Day 1. A few of the players returning tomorrow are $25K Fantasy Draft pick Adam Hendrix with 373,000 chips and bracelet winner Rafael Reis (365,000).
Thirteen Hall of Famers started the day, including Billy Baxter, who was the first bounty eliminated when his set got crushed by Dara O’Kearney’s straight. Then his bounty was taken by Adam Croffut, who risked his whole starting stack to isolate the bounty, and it worked.
Barry Greensteinwas eliminated when his suited ace-king ran into two medium pocket pairs in a three-way all in.
Atanas Kavrakov won Scotty Nguyen's bounty when he became short-stacked and was forced to move all in with king-jack offsuit.
Phil Hellmuthdonated his bounty to Santiago Plante in a three-way all in when he lost to a flush on the river.
Other Hall of Famers who busted before the money included Johnny Chan, Berry Johnston, Barbara Enright and Tom McEvoy.
Action resumes in the Grand Ballroom at noon local time, with blinds starting at Level 17 (4,000/8,000) and a big blind ante of 8,000. The tournament will proceed until a champion emerges, with scheduled breaks every two levels and a dinner break at approximately 6:30 p.m.
For live updates and detailed coverage of the WSOP, stay tuned to PokerNews and catch every thrilling moment from this event.
