Heads-up on a board of 10♥J♥2♣8♦, Joe McKeehen bet from the hijack and James Obst raised in the big blind. McKeehen called, and the K♦ fell on the river.
Obst then led out with a bet, and McKeehen called. Obst turned over 9♣7♠ for a straight, and McKeehen mucked.
The 40 returning players have been joined by 12 new arrivals, and Day 2 is underway.
Level: 11
Blinds: 2,000-4,000
Limits: 4,000-8,000
It was a small, intimate affair yesterday on the opening day of Event #38: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship, but the remaining field of 40 who return for Day 2 at 1 p.m. local time certainly isn’t lacking for star power.
Jeremy Ausmus, the six-time bracelet winner and Hall of Fame candidate who’s already made two final tables at the 2026 World Series of Poker, leads the way with 319,000. Josh Arieh, whose win in this event in 2023 stands as just one of his seven WSOP bracelets, also begins the day inside the top five with 268,000. Ryan Johnson (285,000), Kyle Ray (275,000), and Maximilian Schindler (255,000) complete the rest of the top of the leaderboard.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 319,000 | 40 |
| 2 | Ryan Johnson (AZ) | United States | 285,000 | 36 |
| 3 | Kyle Ray | United States | 275,000 | 34 |
| 4 | Josh Arieh | United States | 268,000 | 34 |
| 5 | Maximilian Schindler | United States | 255,000 | 32 |
| 6 | Batmunkh Unubukh | Mongolia | 240,000 | 30 |
| 7 | Ryuta Nakai | Japan | 182,000 | 23 |
| 8 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | 182,000 | 23 |
| 9 | Charles Thomas | United States | 172,000 | 22 |
| 10 | James Obst | Australia | 171,000 | 21 |
The rest of the leaderboard is littered with Hall of Famers and some of the biggest names in poker. Daniel Negreanu, who proclaimed yesterday his own personal “Wine Night,” came back from a short stack and takes 182,000 into Day 2. Other big stacks include James Obst (171,000), Brian Rast (160,000), and Shaun Deeb (142,000).
Further down the leaderboard are Jesse Lonis (96,000), John Hennigan (95,000), David Baker (90,000), Gus Hansen (90,000), Joe McKeehen (82,000), Scott Seiver (60,000), and Chris Brewer (7,000).
A total of 87 players have entered the event so far, but that number will surely increase today as late registration remains open for the first level of the day. The action on Day 2 picks up on Level 11 with blinds of 2,000/4,000 and limits of 4,000/8,000. The plan is to play 10 60-minute levels, with a break after every two levels and a 60-minute dinner break at the end of Level 15.
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Stay tuned as PokerNews follows all the action and provides live updates from this talent-packed field.
Please note: Late registration is available on Day 2, so the seat draw will change, with late registrants added to the empty seats.
Event #38: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship 7-Handed
Day 2 Started
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