A fun-packed day of action at the 2023 WSOP saw Day 28 of the action produce three bracelet winners, two legends with 11 bracelets between them finishing as runners-up and six other tournaments as a PLO High Roller saw controversial players arrive at the felt.

Gorodinsky Grabs Third Gold as Livingston Falls Just Short

Mike Gorodinsky won his third WSOP bracelet in Event #54, the H.O.R.S.E. Championship that cost $10,000 to play and gave the winner a top prize of $422,747. An exciting final table saw early exits for Carol Fuchs (6^th for $76,412) and Scott Seiver (5^th for $101,319) before Gorodinsky and Livingston played their way into a ‘one-two’ formation that they started with. Livingston battled bravely but was behind the dominant Gorodinsky. In the final hand, Livingston had to make the last draw and promised a ‘no sweat’ swift reveal.

Here’s ‘Gordo’ in his winning moment, as Alex Livingston congratulates him after asking ‘Are you ready to win your third?’

Mike Gorodinsky (@gordoMG) defeats Alex Livingston (@rumnchess) heads-up and joins the three-time bracelet winners club.

The bracelet comes eight years after his win in the Poker Players Championship and earns him a payday of $422,747.

? – Event Replay: https://t.co/w6fV08y5nv pic.twitter.com/t5Qn6hKdYb

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) June 27, 2023

Gorodinsky’s title means he now has three gold WSOP bracelets and although Livingston fell just short, his own World Series this year is certain to end very much in the black with a cash of $261,278 for finishing as runner-up.

Hallett Hails Heroic Win Over Idol Baxter

“You can make money, but you can’t buy a bracelet.”

Lonnie Hallett celebrated the crowning moment of his poker career as he quadrupled his lifetime winnings at the live felt in Event #48, the Seniors Championship. This year’s event had a record field and Hallett’s victory was worth an incredible $765,731 – an amazing return on his $1,000 entry fee.

Beating his poker hero, seven-time WSOP bracelet winner Billy Baxter heads-up, Hallett was dumbstruck at his incredible achievement. “I just can’t believe it, such a huge field it’s almost impossible to do, and somehow it happened. I’m grateful, can’t believe it, I’m so happy,” he said. “I’ve played with Dan a few times before and he’s always so tough. It was just incredible to play with Billy Baxter and to end up heads up with him, what more could you want? You can make money, but you can’t buy a bracelet.”

The final day began with seven of the nine official final table players still in seats. After David Stearns and Ron Fetsch had busted yesterday, Dan Heimiller and Hallett had gone into play way clear of the rest at the top of the leaderboard. That situation remained the same as South African player Rudolf Fourie (7^th for $122,130) and Loren Cloninger (6^th for $158,006) both lost their tournament lives. Baxter doubled through Hallett around the same time, but instead of putting the eventual champion off course, it saw him redouble his efforts to dominate.

Previous overnight leader in this event Gordon Eng was incredibly unlucky to bust how he did, all-in with against the of Shannon Fahey. The board of slayed the unfortunate Eng within the first four cards to reduce the field to four and send him home with $205,799.

Eng’s conqueror Fahey didn’t last much longer, busting to Heimiller when her lost to the overnight leader’s , the chips in pre and the board coming to send play three-handed. Sadly for Heimiller, he lost the pivotal pot of the event, all-in on a flop of with against Hallett’s . The turn of and river of did not bring in the flush and the chip leader when the final day began was on the rail.

Hallett’s heads-up lead made any comeback hopes for Baxter an outside possibility to say the least. With 146.1 million chips to Baxter’s 17.5 million, Hallett needed just a few hands to get over the line, his good enough to hold against the seven-time WSOP title winner’s after a board of played out.

For Baxter it was bittersweet, a fantastic cash of $473,212 in second place tempered by the feeling that his last chance at another bracelet may have gone. Hallett, however, was a worthy champion and a gracious one too. He’d beaten his hero and in doing so, something of a poker flame had been passed between the men in a classic WSOP event that will live long in the memory.

Matusow Misses Out on Gold, Horecki Claims Maiden Bracelet

Mike Matusow finished in second place of 18 players who started the final day in Event #55, the Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better event which cost $1,500 to play. Matusow got to heads-up, but faced a chip deficit, even telling the filming Phil Hellmuth that Horecki “makes no mistakes” as the Poker Brat arrived at the table.

Mikey is Heads Up for @WSOP Bracelet #5!! Go go go #POSITIVITY pic.twitter.com/bI2WENukad

— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) June 27, 2023

After Brian Rast busted in seventh place for $18,709, the six-time winner and favorite to land this year’s Poker Hall of Fame berth was sanguine, saying on Twitter that he was “… very happy with how I played today. (Definitely better than yesterday!!) I made some pretty sick reads that were right. But ultimately just ran out of luck in this one. Tourney was a lot of fun! Onto the next!”

It’s easy to be chilled about situations when you have recent gold in the rearview. For Matusow, the pain of not winning a bracelet in the past decade was laid bare as he got so close in this event. Ultimately, it was a fantastic performance and a great result for ‘The Mouth’ after he came into the day seventh of 18 players. It just won’t feel like that right now to a man who wears his heart on his sleeve.

Chance on Top in PLO High Roller

Chance Kornuth leads the field in the $25,000-entry Pot Limit Omaha High Roller Event #57. The Chip Leader Coaching owner bagged up an incredible 7,245,000 chips on a day where everything seemed to fall the three-time bracelet winner’s way. Second in chips – and some way back – is the popular Dylan Weisman (4,355,000), who ran Dan Zack so close for Player of the Year in 2022. Third in chips is Isaac Haxton, whose stack of 4.32 million may yet help him continue his most successful year in poker with another bracelet win.

Elsewhere in the top 10 chipcounts, there were ‘bags’ for overnight leader Firas Kashat (4,185,000) and Jeremy Ausmus (2,290,000) as just 31 players remain from the 449 total entries in this event. The top prize is confirmed as a mammoth $2.3 million, one of the biggest top prizes of the WSOP so far this summer.

Stephens Leading the Salutes as Final Day Looms

The last day of the $500-entry Salute to Warriors event is on the horizon, with a field of 14 remaining in the event. Overnight 661 players came back for Day 2 having survived the cut on Day 1 where a record-breaking 4,303 entries made the event so special.  After the second day of action, Ryan Stephens (28,775,000) has the chip lead heading into the final day with a top prize of $217,921 and the gold bracelet up for grabs.

DJ Alexander (20,625,000) in third place on the leaderboard is sure to be a threat, but he is the only remaining former WSOP bracelet winner, with Levi Berger (16^th for $9,966) heading home after a late bust-out ended his hopes of repeat gold.

Kniep Leads Milly Maker with 41 Remaining

German player Andreas Kniep is the chip leader with one day’s play left in the biggest-ever poker tournament with a $1,500 buy-in. Kniep’s stack of 19.6 million is some way clear of most, with Champie Douglas (16.2m) and the experienced Pavel Plesuv (14.1m) his cloest challengers.

Others such as Arnaud Mattern (7.5m), Javier Zarco (7.25m), Roberto Romanello (6.7m), Blair Hinkle (6.6m) and David ‘ODB’ Baker (4.6m) will be hoping to win the top prize of $1.2 million, with $1m runner-up prize meaning this year’s Millionaire will give out not one but two seven-figure sums.

Daly Leads from Pupillo and The Gunslinger

One day remains in the $3,000-entry Limit Hold’em 6-Max Event #58, as Jason Daly (1,119,000) leads from Daniel Maczuga (1,100,000) and Nick Pupillo (1,040,000) in the race for the $165,250 top prize with just 17 players surviving Day 2.

Several big names will not feel they’re out of contention a little lower down the leaderboard, however, with David ‘The Gunslinger’ Bach (775,000) hoping to win bracelet #4, Dan Shak (325,000) looking to win his first and the former WSOP Main Event winner Joe McKeehen (150,000) hoping for a miracle way back in as he battles for his fourth bracelet too.

Kuhn the King After Freezeout Day 1

Robert Kuhn was the only player to end the day in seven figures as he bagged up a frankly ludicrous pile of 1,410,000 chips on Day 1 of Event #59 The $3,000-entry NLHE Freezeout event was cold for many of Kuhn’s victims as his stack ended the day well ahead of anyone’s, even his nearest challengers Giorgii Skhulukhia (999,000) and Juan Duenas (967,000).

With plenty of superstars of the game making the top 20% of the remaining 240 players (from 1,598 total entries), luminaries such as Ryan Leng (874,000), Triple Crown winner Niall Farrell (607,000), Anthony Spinella (584,000) and Upeshka De Silva (570,000) all ended the day with high hopes of not only making the money but a very deep run during tomorrow’s Day 2.

Seidel Chasing Glory in Single Draw

Erik Seidel ended Day 1 of the $1,500-entry No Limit 2-7 Single Draw Event #60 in second place from 160 survivors as he once again bids to end his bracelet drought and win going #10. Michael Trivett (401,000) bagged the overnight chip lead after Day 1 saw 566 runners trimmed to just a third of their number, but the presence of superstar and humble journeyman Seidel in second place on 259,000 chips will thrill his many fans.

Seidel’s stardom aside, the field is one packed with talent, a lot of very experienced players making the upper limits of the overnight counts. Mike Watson (208,000) is third in chips, Nick Schulman (195,000) sits in fifth and Michael Moncek (165,500) sixth as he bids to win the second WSOP bracelet of an extremely impressive summer so far.

If you ever wondered what happened to the character ‘Worm’ from the popular 1998 movie Rounders, Faraz Jaka has the answer.

Worm at my table at the Wynn ? pic.twitter.com/1a5xvZ13CP

— Faraz Jaka (@FarazJaka) June 27, 2023

Shaun Deeb isn’t just photobombing other players’ final table pictures, he’s over the moon to have taken over at the top of this year’s POY race.

Finally the scores caught up time to put this away so everyone gives up before the main starts https://t.co/GfJMqmklR5

— shaun deeb (@shaundeeb) June 26, 2023

It never gets old to bust Phil Ivey and the GPI Female Player of the Year Angela Jordison proved that despite her luminous personality she can still get starstruck.

I fucking busted Phil Ivey in the 3k freezeout.

I know I am suppose to play it cool in this situation. I am not cool. I am the opposite of cool. @DMBakes can attest to how ridiculous I am. He witnessed it.???

— Angela Jordison (@Angelajordison) June 27, 2023

Phil Hellmuth wasn’t content with being Mike Matsuow’s lucky charm at the final table, he took time out to meet a couple of old frenemies at the felt, too!

Hmm… pic.twitter.com/c4Dn8WmEyo

— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) June 27, 2023

PokerGO released the footage we all wanted to see from yesterday – Lou Garza proposing to his very shocked – but delighted – now fiancé.

ICYMI: AP "Sweet Lou" Garza (@ApLouisGarzaJr1) proposed to his girlfriend following his win in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship.

We kept the cameras rolling after the show was over and caught the moment on video. pic.twitter.com/u73wdHu7Ax

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) June 26, 2023

Meanwhile, want to be called ‘Dealer of the Day’ at the Horseshoe or Paris Casinos? There is a very literal prize on offer.

Animal gets in 66 vs JJ pre , gets up on the QT5 flop packing up his stuff, turn 6 and holds, sits back down and awards the dealer with his “dealer of the day award” with his fkn face on it. Gives one away a day. Real life situation pic.twitter.com/PmJJn4w8fC

— Ronnie Bardah (@RonnieBardah) June 26, 2023

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