The 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event is the biggest in poker history. Filling up at both Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas on Day 2d, the World Championship saw its late registration line running all the way to Paris as players flooded into the twin venues to take part in what has become the biggest Main Event of all-time. With three other events in progress today, Day 42 of the WSOP saw deep runs for some very big names in three very different bracelet events.
Main Event Breaks Records on Day 2d
A prizepool of $94 million has been gathered in this year’s WSOP Main Event, with a top prize of $10 million announced after players broke attendance records for the second year running. Anyone who cashes by reaching the 1,517 places in this year’s event will win at least $15,000, but all eyes will be on that dream top prize after the WSOP announced the eight-figure top prize.
Following on from last year’s $12.1 million top prize, the WSOP have listened to play feedback and smoothed out the jumps between spots at the final table, with the ninth-placed player guaranteed to become a millionaire and the runner-up due to win $6 million. The winner will receive a revolutionary new WSOP bracelet which has a detachable golden faceplate that acts as a card protector. The poker legend Jack Binion unveiled the 2024 WSOP championship bracelet, which is made with a staggering 2,253 precious gems including diamonds.
With 1,517 places being paid, the top prize has been lowered to $10m this year from last year’s astronomical $12.1 million. The Canadian player Alex Livingston (750,500) leads the remaining 3,262 players into Day 3, and after coming third in the 2019 WSOP Main Event, Livingston will be hoping to add to his 2022 WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event by winning the world title for $6m more than his $4m score five summers ago.
Other healthy players after Day 2d include Donovan Dean (639,500), the five-time WSOP bracelet winner Adam Friedman (581,000), high roller crusher Aram Zobian (401,500), tournament and WSOP Circuit monster Ari Engel (334,500), 11-time WSOP champion Phil Ivey (283,500), and the 2023 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Brian Rast (229,000).
Others to make the grade include heroic poker player Cody Daniels (310,500), the 2013 world champion Ryan Riess (103,500), the 2015 Main Event winner Joe McKeehen (309,500), the reigning champion Daniel Weinman (229,500), and the 1998 champion Scotty Nguyen (206,000), with each former champion hoping to win their second Main Event, a feat that has not been achieved in almost three decades.
| WSOP 2024 Event #81 $10,000 Main Event Day 2d Chipcounts: | |||
| Place | Place | Country | Chips |
| 1st | Alex Livingston | Canada | 750,500 |
| 2nd | Tyler Hatchel | United States | 679,000 |
| 3rd | Donovan Dean | United States | 634,500 |
| 4th | Shuyang Han | United States | 604,000 |
| 5th | Charles Russell | Republic of Ireland | 602,000 |
| 6th | Emilien Pitavy | France | 589,000 |
| 7th | Adam Friedman | United States | 581,000 |
| 8th | Stephen Song | United States | 577,000 |
| 9th | Jean Lhuillier | United Kingdom | 572,000 |
| 10th | Paulo Joanello | Brazil | 547,500 |
Seven Stars Battle for Gold in Eight Game
Day 2 of the $1,500 Eight Game Mix Event #83 saw just seven players remain from the 103 players who began Day 2. With the bubble bursting early, Japanese Masato Yokosawa was bubble boy, before big names such as Dylan Weisman (71st for $3,000), Jared Bleznick (64th for $3,000), and Jeff Madsen (55th for $3,000) hit the rail. Closer to the final table, others such as Scott Seiver – who was chasing his fourth WSOP bracelet of the summer – fell too, as the final table approached. Viktor Blom fell in 11th place for $8,363, before Jeff Kimber (9th for $10,834) and Joseph Heinzmann (8th for the same amount) left the action down to the final seven.
Between the final table players, there are 14 WSOP bracelet wins, with Josh Arieh (2,732,000) having won six of them. Arieh sits second in chips behind the leader, John Racener (3,929,000), who is looking to win his third WSOP title. Maxx Coleman completes the top three on 1,893,000 chips, while Day 1 chip leader Marco Johnson (1,228,000), Garth Yettick (1,217,000), Xiaochuan Zhang (740,000) and ‘Miami John’ Cernuto (640,000) all still in the hunt.
| WSOP 2024 Event #83 $1,500 Eight Game Mix Day 2 Chipcounts: | |||
| Place | Place | Country | Chips |
| 1st | John Racener | United States | 3,929,000 |
| 2nd | Josh Arieh | United States | 2,732,000 |
| 3rd | Maxx Coleman | United States | 1,893,000 |
| 4th | Marco Johnson | United States | 1,228,000 |
| 5th | Garth Yettick | United States | 1,217,000 |
| 6th | Xiaochuan Zhang | China | 740,000 |
| 7th | John Cernuto | United States | 640,000 |
Flip ‘N’ Go Fun and Ultra Excitement on Two Other Day 1s
Two more events took place as Day 1s dominated the action in the lower buy-in events. Event #85, the $1,000-entry Flip & Go No-Limit Hold’em event, presented in association with GGPoker, saw 1,088 entrants and just 136 survivors from the flip stage of the event. Among them, stars such as Patrick Leonard, Chance Kornuth, Yuval Bronshtein, Renan Bruschi and Scott Seiver have all guaranteed themselves a return from the $957,440 prizepool. Others such as Chris Brewer, Shannon Shorr, Punnat Punsri, Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen, Jeremy Ausmus, Shaun Deeb, Toby Lewis and David Williams all made rhe Day 2 cut.
Finally, in Event #84, the $600 Ultra Stack event saw 4,038 players battle across a lengthy day at the felt to reduce the field to 507 remaining survivors. Of those, players such as Paul Bausch (1,690,000), Victor Dermendjin (925,000) and Howard Smith (1,295,000) all topped the average, while others such as PokerStake player Allen Kessler (60,000) were happy to make the Day 2 draw.
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