A thrilling day of action in the 2022 World Series of Poker saw new winners take home bracelets, and other events get closer to glory. In the $50,000-entry Poker Players Championship, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates managed to bag the chip lead with one day of action left in the tournament all the elite professionals in poker want to win.
Leonard and Jørstad Conquer Kerstetter and Paggeot in Heads-Up Comeback
The 55th event of the WSOP Tag Team event saw Britain’s Patrick Leonard and Norwegian player Espen Jørstad win their first-ever WSOP gold bracelets. They overcame crowd favorites Jamie Kerstetter and Corey Paggeot at the end of a scintillating battle for the gold.
With five players starting the final table, Team Kramer and Schiller busted first, as they tried to spin up their short stack with Mackenzie Kraemer at the table. He went all-in with 
, but Jamie Kerstetter’s 
had the jump on the at-risk players and a board of 
sent former overnight leaders Kraemer and Schiller home in fifth for $34,299.
Out next was the duo of Franco Spitale and Martin Pochat as the Argentinian team crashed out for $46,904 when Spitale lost with 
to Kerstetter’s 
. The board of 
saw Kerstetter make a turned straight to send play three-handed. That became two when Yutaro Tsugaru and Taichi Ichikawa busted in third for $65,059 to Paggeot with Kerstetter having tagged out.
Heads-up, Kerstetter and Paggeot had a big lead over Patrick Leonard and Espen Jørstad, but a key hand where Jørstad five-bet shoved with ace-jack when Paggeot was at it with king-four saw the latter snap-fold and Jørstad stepped down, allowing Patrick Leonard to take on Paggeot for the title.
Leonard was successful when, in the final hand, the British player’s 
held against Paggeot’s 
when the board came 
and Leonard and Jørstad could celebrate wildly. Both players were conciliatory to their opponents immediately after as a great atmosphere at a rail full of beers and friendly banter saw the ending surprise the initial chip leaders with two pairs left in the hunt for gold.
WSOP 2022 Event #55 $1,000 Tag Team Final Table Results:
- Patrick Leonard & Espen Jørstad – $148,067
- Jamie Kerstetter & Corey Paggeot – $91,513
- Yutaro Tsugaru & Taichi Ichikawa – $65,059
- Franco Spitale & Martin Pochat – $46,904
- Mackenzie Kraemer & Jon Schiller – $34,299
Brandt Wins Big Top Prize in PLO Final
Just 14 players returned to action in the $1,500-entry PLO Hi-Lo Event as Lawrence Brandt won his first WSOP gold in beating Corey Wade to the title. On an eventful day, bust-outs were happening every few minutes in the early stages, but when the final table began, play slowed down a little. Swedish player Jerry Odeen was the last non-American player to cash, winning $31,234 for finishing in eighth place.
Of the final table players, Jacob Ferro had both the experience and the form to see out the win, but he busted in sixth place to cash again in the 2022 World Series but fail to get the gold. His exit was followed by that of Jared Jaffee in fifth for $70,877 as he saw overnight chip leader Richard Crooks follow him from the felt.
Brandt would go into the heads-up battle after a long three-handed battle saw Robert Tanita bust out of the action, but he had to do it the hard way, coming back from a 2:1 chip deficit to claim gold and a top prize of $289,610.
WSOP 2022 Event #58 $1,500 PLO Hi-Lo Final Table Results:
- Lawrence Brandt – $289,610
- Corey Wade – $179,010
- Robert Tanita – $129,924
- Richard Crooks – $95,400
- Jared Jaffee – $70,877
- Jacob Ferro – $53,288
- Peter Neff – $40,550
- Jerry Odeen – $31,234
Jungleman Lays Down Law in Poker Players Championship
Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates leads the field in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship after an exciting day at the felt saw 13 players reduced to a final five. After Brazilian player Yuri Dzivielevski started the day with a big chip lead, he would end the day still involved but not in the lead, coming in third on 7.5 million chips.
The end-of-play leader was Dan Cates as ‘Jungleman’ piled up over 9 million chips by busting Taylor Paur and Koray Aldemir in the final hand of the evening to see last year’s champion put himself in pole position to win it again, with Benny Glaser (8,260,000) his closest rival. Elsewhere at the final table, Johannes Becker (5,470,000) and Naoya Kihara (3,265,000) will both have nothing to lose as they attempt to play their way to the title.
WSOP 2022 Event #56 $50,000 Poker Players Championship Final Table Chipcounts:
- Dan Cates – 9,075,000
- Benny Glaser – 8,260,000
- Yuri Dzivielevski – 7,535,000
- Johannes Becker – 5,470,000
- Naoya Kihara – 3,265,000
Deepstack Drama as Seven Remain in Event #57
Just seven players remain in Event #57, the $600-entry Deepstack NLHE Event, as 60 players were cut down on the penultimate day of the event. The chip leader at the close of play was Alex Jim as he amounted 36.3 million chips, a few more than talented online pro Jon Van Fleet (32.8 million).
Early eliminations took out some big players, but there were still two superstars left in the field until British pro Nick Marchington (16th for $14,119) and four-time WSOP bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus (15th for $14,119) both departed. After Day 2 chip leader John Ypma left in ninth place for $28,129, Tamir Saidman bubbled the final day when he busted in eighth for $35,964.
WSOP 2022 Event #57 $600 NLHE Deepstack Final Table Chipcounts:
- Alex Jim – 36,300,000
- Jon Van Fleet – 32,800,000
- Tsuf Saltsberg – 27,200,000
- Abdullah Alshanti – 19,800,000
- Frank Reichel – 13,000,000
- Daniel Marcus – 10,600,000
- Tamas Lendvai – 7,800,000
Super Seniors Sees Boatman Build a Stack
Double bracelet winner Barny Boatman built a chip stack on Day 2 of the Super Seniors $1,000 bracelet event, as the $1,000 buy-in tournament saw 727 Day 1 survivors pared down to 87 Day 3 players across a momentous Day 2.
Chip leader after a vast day of action at the felt, is Robert Schuler (2,100,000), who is followed in the chipcounts by Massoud Eskandari (1,860,000) and Alfred Ahlm (1,780,000), but behind him, several big hitters are ready to swing for the fences. Barny Boatman will shoot for his third WSOP bracelet and will resume play in sixth place on the leaderboard with 1,165,000 chips.
WSOP 2022 Event #59 $1,000 Super Seniors Top 10 Chipcounts:
- Robert Schuler – 2,100,000
- Massoud Eskandari – 1,860,000
- Alfred Ahlm – 1,780,000
- Carolyn Niekerk – 1,463,000
- Leo Mitchell – 1,370,000
- Barny Boatman – 1,165,000
- Greg Henry – 1,125,000
- Ronald Peterson – 1,125,000
- Elizabeth Bennett-Martin – 1,080,000
- Jarvis Postnikoff – 1,025,000
Short Deck Finale Sees Five Remain
Just five players remain in the hunt for the Event #60 bracelet, with Japan’s Shota Nakanishi (2,562,000) leading the way. Behind him, four greats sit ready to pounce, however, with Stephen Chidwick (1,423,000), Ben Lamb (1,207,000), Brian Rast (855,000) and Sean Winter (553,000) all well capable of turning the final day into their personal celebration.
Earlier in the day, Daniel Negreanu had finished inside the money places, cashing in 15th place after others such as Phil Ivey, Chance Kornuth, David Williams and Sam Soverel had all missed out on profit.
WSOP 2022 Event #60 $10,000 Short Deck Championship Final Table Chipcounts:
- Shota Nakanishi – 2,562,000
- Stephen Chidwick – 1,423,000
- Ben Lamb – 1,207,000
- Brian Rast – 855,000
- Sean Winter – 553,000
Opening Day of Ladies Event Sees Epic Turnout
The opening day of action in the $1,000 buy-in Ladies Event, otherwise known as Event #61. A total field of 1,074 saw 800 players bust on the day, including stars of the game such as Ashley Sleeth, Kyna England, Kristen Foxen, Amanda Botfield, Ana Marquez, Dehlia de Jong, Rosalie Petit, Katie Kopp, Kelly Minkin, Kristy Moreno, Allyn Schulman and Farah Galfond.
It was Gargee Sharma who led the field by the close of play, with her stack of 419,000 chips ahead by some margin, with Cherish Andrews (363,000) in second place and Wendy Beckers (285,000) in third. Other big names such as Charlotte Van Brabander (228,000), Maria Konnikova (153,000) and Kerryjane Craigie (127,500) all bagged up top 50 stacks by the time the remaining 274 players bagged up their chips.
WSOP 2022 Event #61 $1,000 Ladies Event Top 10 Chipcounts:
- Gargee Sharma – 419,000
- Cherish Andrews – 363,000
- Wendy Beckers – 285,000
- Melanie Pittard – 262,500
- Charlotte Van Brabander – 228,000
- Yian Saelee – 227,500
- Tanja Vujanic – 219,000
- Marybeth Anderson – 218,500
- Samantha Gonzalez – 213,500
- Juli Black – 212,500
Two More Events Close Out Busy Day 1s
Two more events closed play on Day 1 on a bumper day of action in the 2022 WSOP. Firstly, 2,569 players took on the fast-paced action in Event #62, as the Super Turbo Bounty streets saw bust-outs aplenty.
At the close of play, John Bredengerd (8,500,000) had the chip lead, with others such as Shaun Colquohoun (5,500,000) and Romain Guilbert (2,875,000) well ahead of the only bracelet holder to make the final 20 players, Dash Dudley (725,000), who’ll have just four big blinds to work with if he wants to make it two gold bracelets.
WSOP 2022 Event #62 $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty Top 10 Chipcounts:
- John Bredengerd – 8,500,000
- David Sanchex – 6,850,000
- Shaun Colquohoun – 5,500,000
- Yuhei Sanada – 4,875,000
- Kevin Davis – 4,625,000
- Harpreet Padda – 4,375,000
- Dimitre Dimitrov – 3,100,000
- Terence Kluczkowski – 3,025,000
- Ken Drewry – 2,975,000
- Romain Guilbert – 2,875,000
Finally, Ryan Hughes (407,000) made getting the chip lead look easy in the $10,000-entry PLO 8 or Better Championship, as he outran players such as Andrew Brown (380,000) and Sterling Savill (342,500) to the line in front of everyone else in the event that Josh Arieh won on his way to two bracelets and the WSOP Player of the Year title last year.
From 268 entries, just 124 players survived, with Arieh (189,000) one of several to end above average in chips. Others to star included Chino Rheem (331,500), Chance Kornuth (273,500), Amnon Filippi (247,500), Daniel Negreanu (191,500), Brian Hastings (177,500) and Matt Glantz (112,000).
Glantz will share the felt with friend and rival Arieh, as well as Hastings and Filippi when play resumes on the second day of this event. Others couldn’t make the cut, with Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow and Talal Shakerchi all missing out after a short time in the tournament.
WSOP 2022 Event #63 $10,000 PLO 8 or Better Championship Top 10 Chipcounts:
- Ryan Hughes – 407,000
- Andrew Brown – 380,000
- Sterling Savill – 342,000
- Chino Rheem – 331,500
- Filippos Stavrakis – 303,000
- Michael Sortino – 289,500
- Chance Kornuth – 273,500
- Kyle Cartwright – 269,500
- Damjan Radanov – 257,500
- Amnon Filippi – 247,500
Daniel Negreanu continued to fan the flames of a healthy debate his recent outburst at the poker felt provoked as many waded in on whether it is OK to get emotional over the game we all love.
Fact: some people are turned off by emotional outbursts at the poker table
Strongly held opinion:
A much higher number of people are drawn to poker, in part, because of watching emotional outbursts at the table on TV making things more exciting— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) June 29, 2022
Daniel Colman raised the subject of mental health and the internet… sort of. Some of the world’s best poker players couldn’t help but give their two cents worth.
One of my highest conviction beliefs is that at least 90% of people who tweet on a daily basis are suffering from a mild to severe mental health disorder. Change my mind
— Daniel Colman (@DanielColman_) June 29, 2022
Dan Smith continued the ‘Summer of Dan’ by posing the thought that mixed game and no limit players have several key differences.
No limit players : Yoga and meditation help me focus during big situations. I’ll play my best and the result is out of my control.
Mixed game players; I’ve been playing for 22 hours but the fucking idiot next on the list put a beat on me last week. I will die before I quit.
— Dan Smith (@DanSmithHolla) June 30, 2022
Chris Kruk shared some of Scott Seiver’s seemingly endless philosophy over the course of this series. We need a Seiver quote a day account to follow.
Last two days were by far the most tilting I can remember. But in the wise words of @scott_seiver , “it’s amazing how motivating anger and spite alone can be.”
— Chris Kruk (@chriskruk4) June 30, 2022
Official photographs courtesy of PokerGO, the home of live-streamed action throughout the 2022 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
