Event #28A: MONSTER STACK $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
This year’s Monster Stack drew a field of 7,192, 8.5% down on last year’s 7,862, but still a phenomenally large field to try to get through.
After two days, 272 players remain in the competition for first prize money of $1,286,942. Serbian player Milos Skrbic has 1.3 million chips, which puts him at the top of the leaderboard.
In 17th place is Hoyt Corkins who won his first bracelet in 1992, took an 11 year break from poker before returning to the game and then won a second bracelet in 2007.
Scotty Nguyen and Event #20 winner Benjamin Zamani are both well stacked to make a challenge when play resumes.
Event #29: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship
Only six players remain in the event, but they are a formidable sight. Dan Smith has a large chip lead, but he will have to fight hard to keep it.
The other five still with hopes of a bracelet include Eric Seidel, Phil Galfond, Nick Schulman, Jon “Pearljammed” Turner and Eli Elezra.
Between them they have a staggering thirteen bracelets, with Jon Turner the only other player who does not have at least one bracelet in his trophy cabinet.
Schulman is in with a chance of a remarkable third victory in the event. He won the same event in both 2009 and 2012. He held the chip lead for most of the day, but as play was drawing to a close, he was overtaken by Smith. Dan Smith is currently ranked number 3 by the Global Poker Index (GPI), but has yet to win his first WSOP bracelet.
Event #30: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em
235 players survived Day 1 of the latest Sunday $1,000 buy-in bracelet event. The comparatively low buy-in weekend events have become some of the most popular on the WSOP calendar, and this weekend 2,151 players signed up for the tournament.
Chris Hinchcliffe holds the chip lead going into Day 2, with a host of big names still in the running. Shaun Deeb, Brandon Cantu and Antonio Esfandiari all have stacks around a third the size of the chip leader, but there is a long way to go before the final table.
$353,391 goes to the winner, and the money bubble should burst soon after play resumes with 216 players due for a payout.
Event #31: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
A starting field of 480 meant that this year’s $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better event brought in six more entries than last year.
Jeff Madsen has the chip lead after Day 1. He became the youngest player ever to win a WSOP bracelet after taking down a $2,000 No Limit Hold’em Event in 2006. Six days later he won the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event, and was rewarded with the Player of the Year award at the end of that year’s series. His third bracelet came in 2013 at a $3,000 PLO event.
Right behind Madsen is Doug Polk, and Robert Mizrachi, David “ODB” Baker, Jonathan Duhamel and Mike Matusow all have solid stacks.
