Final Day of $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em Begins at 1 p.m.; Madanzhiev and Ramos Return
The final day of Event #52: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em commences at 1 p.m today at the World Series of Poker hosted in the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
The event drew a huge 2,320 field, creating a total $3,077,145 prize pool, but only 29 players return today to fight for the top prize of $410,426. Yesterday saw a mammoth day of play as the day started with 353 players, of which 348 made the money. There was an epic money bubble which saw three players, including Joe Cada, burst the bubble splitting two minimum cashes between them, which all happened within the first level of the day.
Today players will return just two eliminations off the three table redraw, and there are a number of short stacks in play, so it's expected to move quickly.
Julio Belluscio tops the counts going into Day 3, shortly followed by fellow bracelet winner Asher Conniff. Kurt Fitzgerald is sitting comfortably in third place, and is one of the lesser-known players in the field.
Top Ten Chip Counts According to the WSOP+ App
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julio Belluscio | Argentina | 6,900,000 | 115 |
| 2 | Asher Conniff | United States | 5,650,000 | 94 |
| 3 | Kurt Fitzgerald | United States | 3,960,000 | 66 |
| 4 | Stoyan Madanzhiev | Bulgaria | 3,955,000 | 66 |
| 5 | Carlos Kinil | Mexico | 3,425,000 | 57 |
| 6 | Carlos Leal Kinil | Mexico | 3,425,000 | 57 |
| 7 | Mauro Francolini | Italy | 3,355,000 | 56 |
| 8 | Samuel Rosborough | United States | 3,220,000 | 54 |
| 9 | Matan Mesika | Israel | 2,875,000 | 48 |
| 10 | Bryan Piccioli | United States | 2,395,000 | 40 |
After Day 2 started with nine 25K Fantasy players, only one remains in contention, Felipe Ramos (1,215,000). Ramos returns with around 20 big blinds to start the day.
There are five WSOP bracelet holders retaking their seats on this final day, all of which will be looking to secure another title and the coveted gold bracelet: Belluscio, Conniff, Stoyan Madanzhiev, Bryan Piccioli and Jeremy Saderne.
Madanzhiev saw lots of action during Day 2 and stole a number of pots. In one of the final hands of the day, he secured another pot after eliminating 2006 Main Event champion Jamie Gold by out-kicking him.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $410,426 | 8 | $48,892 |
| 2 | $273,545 | 9 | $38,047 |
| 3 | $200,173 | 10-11 | $23,788 |
| 4 | $147,952 | 12-13 | $29,923 |
| 5 | $110,463 | 14-17 | $19,117 |
| 6 | $83,318 | 18-26 | $15,533 |
| 7 | $63,494 | 27-29 | $12,762 |
Play will resume at 1 p.m. local time at Level 26 with 30,000/60,000 blinds and a 60,000 big blind ante. Players will take a 15-minute break every two 60-minute levels, with a dinner break still to be determined.
Stay with Pokernews as we follow all the action for this final day battle, until a winner is crowned.