button in SafariMaher Achour Leads the Pack into Day 3 of Event #62: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Day 2 of Event #62: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em is in the books. A total of 1,736 entries started the event at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, generating a total prize pool of $3,864,825. Of the 312 players who returned for Day 2, only 34 remain in contention, each guaranteed a payout of at least $11,702.
But that’s not what the remaining players are chasing. All eyes are fixed on the huge top prize of $555,198 and the coveted World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet.
The closest to achieving that goal is Maher Achour, who bagged 6,435,000. Achour caught Mauro Ferreira’s bluff in a big hand, pushing him up the chip counts.
Following Achour is Corentin Soulier with 4,975,000. And closing out the podium positions in third is Robbie Bull with 4,755,000.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | 6,435,000 | 107 |
| 2 | Corentin Soulier | France | 4,975,000 | 83 |
| 3 | Robbie Bull | United Kingdom | 4,755,000 | 79 |
| 4 | Jose Latorre | Spain | 4,090,000 | 68 |
| 5 | Spyridon Apartoglou | Greece | 3,380,000 | 56 |
| 6 | Myles Mullaly | United States | 3,225,000 | 54 |
| 7 | Mauro Ferreira | Portugal | 2,275,000 | 38 |
| 8 | Cameron Widergren | United States | 2,250,000 | 38 |
| 9 | Hang Xu | China | 1,750,000 | 29 |
| 10 | Daniel Smiljkovic | Germany | 1,725,000 | 29 |
Also in the top ten is WSOP bracelet owner Daniel Smiljkovic (1,725,000) and one slot off is 25K Fantasy player Josh Reichard (1,585,000), both of whom will be relentless given their current chip advantage.
Reichard has amassed more than $6.5 million in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. Despite numerous deep runs and final-table appearances throughout his career, he is yet to catch an elusive WSOP bracelet. With his current chip position, he is one step closer to finally capturing the much-coveted bracelet that has long escaped him.
Other notables who are advancing are Zachary Gruneberg (1,050,000), Eoghan O'Dea (975,000), Orson Young (945,000), Aaron Kupin (880,000) and two-time WSOP bracelet winner and 25k Fantasy player Blaz Zerjav (720,000).
Only 261 players finished in the money, and the bubble burst almost immediately. On the very first hand of hand-for-hand play, Romualdo Cusano was eliminated in a battle of the blinds after running into Latorre's pocket jacks, which he was unable to crack.
Martin Kabrhel, unfortunately, was unable to advance to Day 3 despite repeatedly saying that he could take down the event. Throughout the final level of the day, Kabrhel constantly teased Reichard about the way he played his hands, particularly ace-queen.
In a twist of fate, it was Reichard's ace-queen that ultimately sealed Kabrhel's exit, as the hand sent him to the rail and brought an end to his tournament run.
Others who weren’t able advance to Day 3 nearing the end of the day were Artur Martirosian, Chad Eveslage, Leo Margets and Calvin Anderson.
Remaining Payouts
Action will resume tomorrow, June 24, at 12 p.m. local time at Paris Gold. Play will start at level 26 with blinds 30,000/60,000, and 60,000 ante, and will continue until a champion stands victorious.
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