The money bubble of the WSOP Main Event is always a thriller and on Saturday night, it was no different. With Bally’s packed to the walls, the remaining 1,300 players all made the money in the Main Event and there are some incredible stories emerging from the rubble of a brutal day at the felt.
With four other events in action, there was a first-time bracelet winner crowned in Event #72, a final table was reached in the Razz Event #73 and the $1,111-entry One More for One Drop event finally reached Day 2 of its tournament.
WSOP Main Event Goes into the Money on Day 3
With just 1,300 players remaining, the World Series of Poker Main Event saw players go into the money places and earn a profit on their $10,000 entry on a pulsating day of action. Over 3,000 players began the battle to survive the bubble and after a day of drama, plenty of well-known pros ended the day outside the money places.
Players including Nick Maimone, Ken Aldridge, Sergio Aido, Ryan Feldman, Gregg Merkow, Daniel Smiljkovic, Scotty Nguyen, Tamon Nakamura, Kevin Gerhart, Katie Swift, Ben Spragg all busted outside the money places as the bubble loomed and with it the drama of waiting to discover who would play three days of intense poker for nothing and who would go a few minutes further and take home $15,000.
Others, however, were more than clear of the bubble places by the time play closed down upon it bursting. Aaron Mermelstein has the chip lead with an astonishing 2,059,000 chips, with Nick Howard – vocal in his criticism of Bryn Kenney participating in this event – bagging 1,850,000 chips. In third on the leaderboard is Israel’s Gabi Livshitz (1,835,000), while Michael Rocco sneaks into the top 10 on 1,540,000 chips.
Some very dangerous players lurk in the top half of the remaining 1,299-player field, with another controversial poker figure, Martin Zamani, coming in 11th place with 1,483,000, as he is followed by others such as his former friend Bryn Kenney (230,000) and the pilloried Ali Imsirovic (960,000). It goes without saying that clashes over whether some players should even have a bag at all have raged on social media.
Other stars of the felt gather in the shadows behind the leaders, with Michael Moncek (1,244,000), Ryan Torgersen (1,134,000), Mitchell Halverson (1,044,000), Chris Dasilva (906,000) and Toby Lewis (790,000) all well-placed in the top 100.
Six former Main Event winners made Day 4, with the 2021 world champion Koray Aldemir highest in their number of 537,000. The 2003 winner and man behind the ‘Moneymaker Effect’, Chris Moneymaker, has 470,000 to play with. Other former winners to make the next day’s play include 2020 Hybrid Main Event winner Damian Salas (396,000), the 2018 winner John Cynn (310,000), 2013 winner Ryan Riess (243,000) and 2012 winner Greg Merson (168,000).
WSOP 2022 Event #70 $10,000 Main Event Top 10 Chipcounts:
- Aaron Mermelstein – 2,059,000
- Nick Howard – 1,850,000
- Gabi Livshitz – 1,835,000
- Moshe Refaelowitz – 1,700,000
- Brandon Lulov – 1,679,000
- Jake Abdalla – 1,615,000
- Thi Xoa Nguyen – 1,600,000
- Ian Armstrong – 1,600,000
- Jordyn Miller – 1,590,000
- Michael Rocco – 1,540,000
Kassouf, Baker and Wheeler All Survive in One Drop
There was drama from the first card to the last deal in Event #71 as Day 1c packed Paris and Bally’s with players from all four corners of the globe. At the close of play, Argentinian player Mauricio Parodi (521,000) grabbed the chip lead, with Rami Owera (356,500) and Charles Thomas (347,500) both making the top 10 in fine form.
Elsewhere, other big names to survive the final Day 1 flight saw William Kassouf (221,000), David ‘ODB’ Baker (156,000) and Jason Wheeler (58,500) all make the Day 2 cut, with players who busted included Martin Kabrhel and Vanessa Kade.
WSOP 2022 Event #71 $1,111 One More for One Drop Top 10 Chipcounts:
Mauricio Parodi – 521,000
Rami Owera – 356,500
Charles Thomas – 347,500
Catherine Valdes – 341,000
Roman Ilin – 334,000
Ernest Smith – 298,500
Jae Wook Shin – 285,000
Gurpreet Lubara – 279,000
Lee Kyung Min – 273,500
Ronan Nally – 261,000
Bradley Anderson Wins Mixed Omaha Bracelet Event for $195k
Bradley Anderson closed out victory in the only bracelet event of the day to award gold. He saw off the challenges of the two men at the top of the leaderboard for the past 24 hours, with Mark Erickson and Barny Boatman both making the final table but unable to claim the bracelet.
Mixed game specialist Adam Friedman was unable to add to his haul of bracelets as he made the final table but slid out in ninth place to bust the event for just over $16k. Scott Abrams was the man who made the heads-up battle, with his second-place finish worth $120,881 as he and Boatman were both short for the three-handed battle.
Boatman’s elimination meant there would be no repeat winner to claim a bracelet and Abrams, super-short when the heads-up match began, couldn’t see it out to recover a little but eventually lose to Anderson.
WSOP 2022 Event #72 $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo Final Table Results:
- Bradley Anderson – $195,565
- Scott Abrams – $120,881
- Barny Boatman – $83,050
- Peter Neff – $58,089
- Men Nguyen – $41,377
- Mark Erickson – $30,026
- Jarod Minghini – $22,205
- Shawn Carter – $16,740
- Adam Friedman – $16,740
Strelitz Leads Charge to Final in Razz
Daniel Strelitz will never get a better opportunity to win his second WSOP bracelet as he lead a stacked field in the final nine of the $1,500-entry Razz Event #73. He has a huge lead, holding 2,215,000 chips to Kijoon Park’s closest stack of 1,740,000, with Frank Kassela (1,630,000) and Calvin Anderson (1,360,000) completing the top four.
The only other former bracelet winner still involved is Andres Korn from Argentina and he has 575,000 chips with which to battle. While he needs a bit of help, players such as the super-short Timothy Dalessandro (215,000) and Phuong Tran (180,000) need something of a miracle.
WSOP 2022 Event #73 $1,500 Razz Final Table Chipcounts:
- Daniel Strelitz – 2,215,000
- Kijoon Park – 1,740,000
- Frank Kassela – 1,630,000
- Calvin Anderson – 1,360,000
- Sergio Braga – 1,150,000
- Andres Korn – 575,000
- Mark Gerencher – 510,000
- Timothy Dalessandro – 215,000
- Phuong Tran – 180,000
Kamel Over the Hump in Mixed Omaha Event
It didn’t take long for the final event of the day, the $1,500-entry Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo Event #74, to complete with 124 players surviving from 1,390 entrants. It was British restauranteur and former poker pro Tamer Kamel who grabbed the chip lead with 1,064,000 chips being his stack on the day, with Canadian player Amir Amini (930,000) closest to the leader. Michael Thomas (760,000) and Alex Livingston (615,000) complete the top four.
Other superstars to bag chips include 2022 WSOP bracelet winner Patrick Leonard (380,000), with Poker Hall of Famers Daniel Negreanu (60,000) and Phil Hellmuth (54,000) both still in with a shout. So too is the 2022 HoF nominee and 2021 WSOP Player of the year Josh Arieh (45,000), whose record at spinning up a deep run from a short stack at the end of Day 1s in 2022 has been nothing short of sensational.
WSOP 2022 Event #74 $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo Final Table Results:
- Tamer Kamel – 1,064,000
- Amir Amini – 930,000
- Michael Thomas – 760,000
- Alex Livingston – 615,000
- Anderson Ireland – 570,000
- Ryan Scully – 495,000
- Evan Avery – 485,000
- Johann Ibanez Diaz – 400,000
- Patrick Leonard – 380,000
- Bradd Fisher – 360,000
The Main Event bubble is an electric atmosphere at the worst of times, but one improvement a Mizrachi brother identified was to do with clocks.
In my opinion in the @wsop Main event we should have time clocks ⏰ with 200 away from the money and in the money. Retweet if agreed
— Robert Mizrachi (@PokerRob24) July 10, 2022
Ben Spragg couldn’t believe that an age-old ruling skittled his chances of success in the big one.
Wow! I've just been told I am no longer allowed to play the Main Event because I don't have any chips left. Crazy.
— Spraggy (@spraggy) July 9, 2022
Patrick Leonard may not be involved in the Main Event any more this year, but he has some very cool tablemates in the latest WSOP to take place.
Fun seat draw in PLO Bounty #legends pic.twitter.com/svZ6rRFfy7
— Patrick Leonard (@padspoker) July 10, 2022
If you’re broadcasting the Main, can you swap or buy a piece of those involved? Not if you want to avoid sweating on camera, you can’t!
Me: Going to be a true professional and not take any pieces this year to avoid rooting interest during broadcast
Jamie Kerstetter: ABSOLUTE BLAST OFF https://t.co/GYdw2tHYBa
— Jeff Platt (@jeffplatt) July 9, 2022
Finally, Dan Smith believes he may have identified a player masquerading under a pseudonym. Seems quite good at the game, though.
David Peterson from Michigan with $75k in cashes looks familiar ? pic.twitter.com/o3fBaZzn5N
— Dan Smith (@DanSmithHolla) July 9, 2022
Official photographs courtesy of PokerGO, the home of live-streamed action throughout the 2022 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
