The action was fast and furious in some events while being epic and long-reaching in others. On Day 8 of the 2023 World Series of Poker, two gold WSOP bracelets were won and four other events progressed towards the latter stages on a day of drama in Las Vegas. The Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris casinos were packed to the back stalls as poker players of all levels took each other on in pursuit of gold and glory in the gambling capital of the world.

Felipe Ramos Comes Oh So Close, Eyer Has It

The $5,000-entry No Limit Hold’em Freezeout Event #12 ended with a cold deck as a three-hour heads-up came to a close with Jeremy Eyer on the right side of queens against jacks to win his first bracelet. Eyer’s victory came at the expense of Felipe Ramos, who was also battling for his debut bracelet, but the Brazilian lost his fourth WSOP heads-up (including online events) to cash for $401,460 instead.

Eyer’s win came at the end of a day where the two chip leaders had seemed on a collision course to a heads-up from the first card. Both men ended as they started the final day of the tournament, first and second respectively, as players such as Jeffrey Halcomb (6^th for $114,102) and Jinho Hong (4^th for $208,158) fell along the way.

Heads-up, both men held the advantage at different stages, but with Eyer ahead, Ramos three-bet shoved with pocket jacks, only for Eyer to call with the pocket queens. Five cards came and went without a hook to keep Ramos alive, and he left to the embrace of his rail. Eyer did the same, just in a completely different manner. The WSOP makes dreams and break hearts, with breaks inbetween.

Joseph Altomonte Takes “Acceptable” PLO Deepstack Crown

“My ex said being a poker player wasn’t an acceptable occupation, so I quit for a very long time.”

Many poker players take time out from the game, but nine years is a long time. After almost a decade out of a game due to a former partner declaring poker a no-go area, Joseph Altomonte came back to the game earlier this year and started cashing right away, claiming four results in the WSOPC Online Series. Across 11 days in Hollywood, five more cashes followed at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown festival. Now Altomonte has the one they all crave – a WSOP bracelet.

Winning Event #13, the $600-entry PLO Deepstack event for over $217,000, Altomonte was quick to ‘credit’ his former partner’s words after the event.

“My ex said being a poker player wasn’t an acceptable occupation,” he told PokerNews reporters. “I quit for a very long time.”

Back with a bracelet, Altomonte took the title from other greats at the final table including the runner-up Michael Holmes ($134,171). Hardly an ‘elementary’ victory, Altomonte had to wade through 3,200 entrants to lift the prize, and a degree of retribution or those wasted years out of poker.

He certainly made the right decision to come back.

Max and Maxx Top Two in Seven Card Stud Championship

The Seven Card Stud Championship, which costs $10,000 to play saw drama to the ‘Max’ as Max Hoffman (1,522,000) and Maxx Coleman (1,238,000) ended the day as the only two players with a seven-figure stack in their bid to win the $311,433 top prize.

Others such as Brian Yoon (800,000), Johannes Becker (744,000) and Den Diebold (684,000) to name just three will feel they have the stack to compete for the crown, with double bracelet winner in 2023 Chad Eveslage (472,000) somehow still alive in pursuit of what would be a never-seen-before third bracelet inside the first 14 events of the Las Vegas World Series.

Calvin Anderson and Freedy Deeb in Command in $25,000 High Roller

Pick a poker hero and they were likely playing in Event #16 on the schedule, the $25,000-entry High Roller event. Of the 264 total entries, only 93 made the Day 2 cut, with Calvin Anderson (1,609,000) ahead of Freddy Deeb (1,440,000), with Brian Kim (1,291,000) completing the podium places.

Other stars to bag chips included WSOP Event #2 winner Alexandre Builleumier (774,000) and two former world champions in Espen Jorstad (377,000) and Joe McKeehen (320,000), several other former Main Event winners busted on the day, as Phil Hellmuth (1989), Ryan Riess (2013), Martin Jacobson (2014), Koray Aldemir (2021) and  Joe Cada (2009) all failed to end the day still in their seats.

Two Day 1s Close in No Limit Hold’em and Omaha Hi-Lo

Two other events concluded their Day 1 flights as Events #15 and #17 ended on Tuesday night. Brandon Hall (1,440,000) was top dog in the $1,500 Six-Max NLHE Event #15, as others such as Maria Ho (409,000) and Joe Cheong (236,000) made Day 2 in sparkling form.

In the $1,500-entry Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Event #17, Adel Shakerian (239,500) led from Ben Vidal (210,500) and Colin Burton (202,500) as others such as Jason Daly (176,500) and Connor Drinan (157,000) also made sure they will return tomorrow.

Today, we’re looking at what makes an elite poker player tick during the World Series.

For the Run It Once owner and three-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Galfond, food makes a big difference.

Energy management is really important in poker, especially when you play long days.

One way to manage energy is with your diet.

Personally, I like to fast in the AM, eat something light (& low-carb) mid-day, and have my two large pizzas right before bed.

— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) June 6, 2023

For Angela Jordison, it’s all about giving back.

✨ A heart-warming story about giving back to the community!

Besties @Angelajordison & @jackiburkhart81 ? sparked a movement that lead to 15 veterans getting the opportunity to play in the WSOP ?

Watch and listen to this amazing story…❤️ #poker #wsop

Link to TJ Reid's… pic.twitter.com/qlmJJDGbk1

— Poker Org (@pokerorg) June 7, 2023

But for some, the key ingredient is to cause yourself a serious injury then tool up with some heavy building equipment. Step forward, Gus Hansen.

Spotted Gus Hansen with a broken arm and sledge hammer on @Patrik_Antonius IG story in Bobby’s Room at 7:30 in the morning…

It’s officially gonna be a great summer pic.twitter.com/GotK5PajZm

— LEGION | Joey Ingram ? (@Joeingram1) June 6, 2023

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