WSOP 2024: Four Bracelets Won by First-Timers, Kid Poker Flying High in PLO High Roller

A stunning day of action in the 2024 World Series of Poker saw four bracelets won in Las Vegas as a day of debutants saw all four players claim gold for the first time. With the $25,000 PLO High Roller event also kicking off, there were strong showings from Chino Rheem and Daniel Negreanu, who is aiming to win his second WSOP title of the summer.

Nakache Becomes PLO Champion

In the $10,000-entry PLO Championship, French player Elie Nakache became champion as he won the $1.3m top prize at the expense of overnight chip leader Joshua Adkins heads-up. At a final table that also featured deep runs for British player Jonathan bowers (3^rd for $615,251) and Manh Nguyen (436,751), another French player, David Benyamine, bowed out in eighth place for just over $130k.

“I’m a spin player, but during the last two years, I fell in love with PLO.”  Nakache told PokerNews after the event. “I like to play a lot of hands, and tournaments are perfect for that. I had the feeling that I could do something in this tournament. And it was amazing. I’m very lucky, and I won a bracelet.”

Nakache credited his ability to adapt heads-up as key.

“I think he had the image of me that I wasn’t an aggressive player. I think that was useful. But in heads-up, it’s not the same. We have to play. So I played, and it worked. The path was more exciting than the result, but a few minutes after I won, it was a very good feeling.”

Collins Crowned Champion in Salute to Warriors Event

British player Ben Collins won the first bracelet of his poker career as he won the $500 Salute to Warriors event for a career-high score of $207,486. A total of 4,517 entries were whittled down to a winner as Collins came back from being 9:1 down in chips to win heads-up against the unfortunate Greek player Stavros Petychakis.

The final table saw a potential glory story for another player as the New Zealand representative Dane Harnett had earlier recovered from a single chip to bring back memories of Jack ‘Treetop’ Straus in 1982 where he famously won the Main Event from ‘a chip and a chair’. Sadly for Harnett, his luck ran out in sixth place for $43,564, as Petychakis set himself on a course to play Collins for the gold.

Collins doubled up with against Petychakis’ to recover to only a 4:1 dog before winning a flip to take the lead. In the final hand, 80% of the chips in play were in the middle, as Petychakis called off his stack with but he was well behind Collins’ and the board of confirmed the British player as the winner before the river card fell.

“It’s just surreal,” Collins said after victory. “All along the way you think about holding the bracelet, you get the support from everyone which then keeps you going as you get further. To actually do it is just ridiculous.”

Robinson Denies Carl Shaw Second Bracelet

The final table of the $2,500 NLHE Event #68 saw another British player make the heads-up battle for gold, but Carl Shaw, who beat Tony Dunst to gold some years ago here in Las Vegas, was denied gold by the first-time winner Colin Robinson as the American

On a day where big names fell early, such as Nacho Barbero and Rui Ferreira, the final table did see strong runs from Barry Shulman (4^th for $240,707) and John Reiter (3^rd for $325,744). Ultimately, however, heads-up came down to Robinson and Shaw. The pivotal hand was the final one, as Shaw, behind, got it in good with against Robinson’s . The flop of seemed safe for Shaw, even opening up a gutshot straight draw if he needed it. However, the gave Robinson a draw to a superior straight and the on the river handed him the bracelet.

“The biggest feeling is definitely relief,” he admitted after the result. “I came into the day fifth in chips and started out very poorly. [I thought] ‘I’m gonna play my best and whatever happens happens’. Today, I guess, was my day. Once we got four-handed I felt very confident that I was gonna win. I kind of got the hands and was running good.”

Fal Finds the Win After Runner-Up Roberts Battles for Bracelet

Russian player Nicolay Fal captured the crown in Event #69 as he took down the Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event for a score of $153,730. Beating Christian Roberts heads-up, Fal’s victory came at the final table where Yuval Bronshtein fell in sixth place, as the Israeli won $25,442. Also present at the final table were players like Joey Couden (9^th for $11,038) and Jon Turner (8^th for $14,280).

Heads-up started fairly evenly, although Fal began with the lead of 8.75m chips to Christian Roberts 6,225,000. Things got better for Fal after he won several pots without showdown, and he moved into a big lead when trip threes gave him a 5:1 chip lead. That was eventually pressed into victory when Fal’s two pair beat Roberts’ sixes in the hole as a deuce was drawn last to complete the winning hand and give the Russian a well-deserved first bracelet at the expense of Roberts’ hopes of gaining a second.

Okamoto Hoping to Go One Better in Ladies Event

History is littered with examples of sporting success built on the act of revenge, of going one better than before and getting to the finish line after being denied that privilege before. Japanese player Shiina Okamoto knows all about it, having finished as runner-up in the $1,000-entry Ladies Event in 2023. Twelve months on, she’s back, and hoping that her chip lead with 36 left is enough to put her within sight of going one place better and winning her maiden bracelet.

Okamoto built a formidable stack of 2,390,000 chips on Day 2 of this year’s event and is in pole position to claim the $171,732 top prize. Others such as French poker player Cecile Ticherfatine (1,700,000), Andrea Sager (1,485,000), commentator and Global Poker Award winner Jamie Kerstetter (1,120,000), Nadya Magnus (860,000), content creator Marle Spragg (805,000), and chess grandmaster Jennifer Shahade (295,000) all hope to emulate the Austrian 2022 Ladies Event winner and PokerStake player Jessica Teusl, who cashed along with former model Lacey Jones, Spanish poker pro Leo Margets and the overnight chip leader Irene Carey who cashed for $4,205 in 37th place.

Negreanu and Ivey Alive in PLO High Roller

Event #73, the $25,000 High Roller in Pot-Limit Omaha ended its Day 1 with Conrad De Armas (1,250,000) leading the way from Eric Garma, with 1,247,000 chips. Plenty of big names were in the chip counts, including Nick Schulman (349,000), Phil Ivey (412,000), Viktor Blom (480,000), Chino Rheem (734,000), Juha Helppi (559,000), Connor Drinan (970,000), and Daniel Negreanu (529,000) as he bids to land his second bracelet this summer after winning the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship just the other day.

With 365 entrants so far, players can re-enter up to twice, so expect players who have busted on Day 1 to come back tomorrow with fresh hope – and another $25,000 to put down. Last year, this event garnered 449 total entries. That total is still very much within reach for tomorrow’s Day 2 starters and those already in seats.

Lowball Leaders Chase Crown in Championship Event, Greenstein Alive in Colossus

In Event #72, the $10,000-entry No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship, 186 total were eventually whittled down to nine, with a prize pool of $1,729,800 up for grabs, with Mike Watson (2,165,000), David Lin (2,295,000) and Jeremy Ausmus (1,740,000) the top three. With Scott Seiver (1,215,000) going for bracelet number three this summer, Robert Mizrachi (875,000), Jason Mercier (640,000), and Jen Harman (610,000) are all still fighting for gold.

On Day 1b of Event #70, the $400 buy-in Colossus event saw 712 players survive, with Lisa Tan (1,680,000) Craig Chait (811,000), David Bach (415,000), David ‘ODB’ Baker (172,000), and Barry Greenstein (154,000) all making Day 2 in fine chip health.

With thanks to PokerGO for their official WSOP photography. The 2024 World Series of Poker is available to watch exclusively on PokerGO. Subscribe today and watch all the drama play out in Las Vegas!