Sundays are a day of rest for many people, but not if you have hopes and dreams of becoming a 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion. June 23 was the 27th day the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas has been packed to the rafters with elite poker talent from far and wide. Four of those superstar players reeled in bracelets before the lights went out in the tournament areas.
Santhosh Suvarna became a two-time WSOP champion in style. The Indian high-stakes guru won Event #55: $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em for a cool $5,415,152 after defeating Ben Tollerene heads-up. Tollerene had to make do with a $3,537,135 consolation prize.
The second bracelet of the night went to Mostafa Haidary in Event #52: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em. The Australian bulldozed his way through the final for competitors, including Bernd Gleissner heads-up. Haidary banked $656,747 plus his first piece of WSOP hardware.
Patrick Moulder had reached two 2024 WSOP final tables before finding himself at the business end of Event #56: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball. Third time was a charm for the American, with him coming out on top for $177,045 and his first bracelet.
Rounding out the bracelet winners on Day 27 of the 2024 WSOP was Frank Funaro, who captured his second bracelet in Event #57: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em. Funaro came away with a $612,997 payout on top of the coveted bracelet.
James Obst Leads the Way in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship
Although most poker players dream about winning the WSOP Main Event, Event #58: $50,000 Poker Players Championship is what the top-tier professionals want to take down. The 2024 edition of this prestigious tournament started with only 12 entrants, with that number swelling to 75 by the close of play. Late registration remains open for the first three levels on Day 2, so expect the attendance to grow.
Right now, 58 players are in the running to become this event’s champion. James Obst, fresh from taking down the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship a few days ago, bagged up a tournament-leading stack of 1,208,000. Only Aaron Katz (1,192,500) managed to accumulate a seven-figure stack before play ended at the conclusion of the sixth 100-minute level.
While they may not have a million or more chips in their arsenal, some of the chasing pack need little in the way of an introduction.
Johannes Becker (898,000), Bryce Yockey (780,000), and Philip Hui (733,000) occupy spot in the top five after the first day’s player. Recent bracelet winner Maksim Pisarenko (693,000), the one and only Gus Hansen (652,500), 11-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey (567,000), Chino Rheem (567,000), and Daniel Negreanu (543,000) round out the top ten.
Almost everyone who progressed to Day 2 is either a bracelet winner or a pick in the lucrative $25K Fantasy Draft competition. Dan Cates (124,500), winner of this event in 2021 and 2022, falls into the former camp. Cates usually enters the $50,000 PPC to much fanfare, often sporting a costume of some sort. However, his entrance in 2024 was subdued, with Cates rocking up in a simple black T-shirt/jeans combination. Perhaps we’ll see more flair from “Jungleman” later in this event.
Day 2 of this star-studded event commences at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 24. Another six 100-minute levels are planned.
Event #58: $50,000 Poker Players Championship Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Obst | Australia | 1,208,000 | 101 |
| 2 | Aaron Katz | United States | 1,192,500 | 99 |
| 3 | Johannes Becker | Germany | 898,000 | 75 |
| 4 | Bryce Yockey | United States | 780,000 | 65 |
| 5 | Phil Hui | United States | 733,000 | 61 |
| 6 | Maksim Pisarenko | Russian Federation | 693,000 | 58 |
| 7 | Gus Hansen | Denmark | 652,500 | 54 |
| 8 | Phil Ivey | United States | 567,000 | 47 |
| 9 | Chino Rheem | United States | 567,000 | 47 |
| 10 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | 543,000 | 45 |
Hossein Ensan Starts Well in the Millionaire Maker
Aside from the Poker Players Championship, Event #54: $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold’em was the only other event not to crown its champion on Day 27. Day 1c, the third and final flight in this tournament, saw 951 players progress, meaning 2,381 players will return for Day 2 on June 24. According to the screens at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, 10,939 players have bought into the Millionaire Maker, meaning 4,416 started Day 1c with high hopes.
Chris Dilts (462,750) claimed the Day 1c chip lead with 462,750 chips. Fourth, others eclipsed the 400,000 mark: Sean An (438,000), Carl Masters (419,000), William Pollard (416,000), and Sami Bechahed (408,000). However, it is the man in 17th place on the Day 1c chip counts that caught the attention.
Hossein Ensan won the 2019 WSOP Main Event for $10 million and he has started this event like a house on fire, bagging and tagging 315,500 chips on Day 1c. Ensan has reached two WSOP final tables since his eight-figure win; will this event produce a third for the German?
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The lure of a massive top prize was too strong for the likes of Jared Jaffee (260,000), Adam Hendrix (229,500), and Jeremy Becker (204,500) to turn down. That trio progressed to Day 2 with healthy stacks.
Three-time bracelet winner Upeshka De Silva (170,000), and $25K Fantasy Draft selections Ren Lin (149,500), Ryan Leng (136,000), Toby Lewis (74,500), Jerry Wong (61,000), and Yuval Bronshtein (40,500) are just some of the stellar names to look for when our traditional coverage kicks off on Day 2.
That Day 2 starts at 11:00 a.m. local time and continues for another ten 60-minute levels.
What to Expect on Day 28 of the 2024 WSOP
Day 28 of the 2024 WSOP starts bright and early at 10:00 a.m. with an army of players aged 60 years and old expected to turn out for Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold’em, the first of three new events entering the mix on June 24. Austria’s Klaus Ilk is the defending champion, having come out on top of a 3,121-string field in 2023, a result worth $371,603.
A couple of hours later, at 12:00 p.m. local time, Event #60: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em shuffles up and deals. Yang Zhang outlasted 1,734 opponents in 2023, and received $717,879.
The last new tournament for Day 28 is Event #61: $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better. This event starts at 1:00 p.m. local time, and should see reigning champion Bradley Smith jump in and see if he can claim back-to-back titles.
The two in-play events are sandwiched between the newcomers. Event #54: $1,500 Millionaire Maker should see its huge field whittled to a more manageable number, while Event #58: $50,000 Poker Players Championship‘s attendance will potentially grow for three levels before late registration closes, and the superstars start falling by the wayside.