Day 48 was another thrilling day at the 2023 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. it saw the Main Event cut down to only three players, plus several events fill the vast tournament areas. Continue reading to discover what went down in Las Vegas.
Event #87: $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better required an addition day because Day 3 concluded with Nghia Le, Nick Pupillo, and Bradley Smith still in contention for the $221,733 top prize. The tournament finally crowned its champion and Smith is that man. In addition to the prize money, Smith captured the first bracelet of their career.
Pierre Shum became champion of Event #88 The Closer, helping themselves to a $606,810 score and a coveted gold bracelet. Some 3,531 players bought into one of the last events of the 2023 WSOP, and Shum outlasted everyone on their way to an impressive victory.
Steven Jones Leads the 2023 WSOP Main Event With Only Three Remaining
We almost know who the 2023 WSOP Main Event champion will be because only three players remain in contention to take down Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship.
Day 9 of the Main Event saw the nine-handed final table whittled to only three hopefuls, with each of that trio now guaranteed a whopping $4,000,000. The pay jumps are astronomical, with the runner-up collecting $6,500,000 and the champion taking home a record-breaking $12,100,000.
One of Steven Jones (238,000,000), Daniel Weinman (199,000,000), or Adam Walton (165,500,000) will be poker’s world champion for the next 12 months. Check out our dedicated WSOP Main Event recap right here to find out what went down at the final table.
Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Jones | United States | 238,000,000 | 119 |
| 2 | Daniel Weinman | United States | 199,000,000 | 100 |
| 3 | Adam Walton | United States | 165,500,000 | 83 |
$10K NLHE 6-Max Requires an Additional Day
Event #90: $10,000 6-handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship was meant to conclude on July 16 but the tournament staff decided to call it a night with four players still in contention for the $1,057,663 top prize.
All four remaining players have already captured some poker goals during their glittering careers, so victory on July 17 will see them become a two-time champion.
Frenchman Alexandre Reard (18,450,000) is the man to catch going into the unscheduled Day 4, and by some distance. Reard has almost three times as many chips as Stephen Chidwick (6,950,000), and is way ahead of AJ Kelsall (4,500,000), and Justin Liberto (3,100,000). Indeed, Reard holds more chips than the other three players combined.
July 17 at 1:00 p.m. is when the cards are back in the air in this event, so return to PokerNews then to discover who wins this huge event.
Event #90: $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandre Reard | France | 18,450,000 | 74 |
| 2 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | 6,950,000 | 28 |
| 3 | AJ Kelsall | United States | 4,500,000 | 18 |
| 4 | Justin Liberto | United States | 3,100,000 | 12 |
August Gallops into Day 2 Lead in the $3K H.O.R.S.E.
Leonard August (1,926,000) leads the final 18 players into the final day of Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. and is on course to collect $208,460 and his first gold WSOP bracelet. Although August leads, the chasing pack is crammed full of supreme talent, so an August victory is far from guaranteed.
The overnight top ten includes the likes of Nick Guagenti (1,700,000), Calvin Anderson (1,388,000), Todd Brunson (1,285,000), Barbara Enright (1,040,000), Kevin Gerhart (966,000), and Chad Eveslage (785,000)!
The last 18 players return to their seats from 1:00 p.m. local time on July 17, with play continuing until a champion is crowned. Stay with PokerNews to discover who that champion is.
Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leonard August | United States | 1,926,000 | 38 |
| 2 | Nick Guagenti | United States | 1,700,000 | 35 |
| 3 | Calvin Anderson | United States | 1,388,000 | 27 |
| 4 | Todd Brunson | United States | 1,285,000 | 25 |
| 5 | Barbara Enright | United States | 1,040,000 | 20 |
| 6 | Kevin Gerhart | United States | 966,000 | 19 |
| 7 | Chad Eveslage | United States | 785,000 | 15 |
| 8 | Diego Cordovez | United States | 690,000 | 13 |
| 9 | Ryan Miller | United States | 607,000 | 12 |
| 10 | Umeme Hoye | United States | 529,000 | 10 |
Bumper Crowd of 1,710 Turns Out For the $1K NLHE Freezeout
Although many poker players have returned home with the 2023 WSOP rapidly nearing its conclusion, some 1,710 players bought into Event #92: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout, creating a $1,521,900 prize pool as a result.
After 17 levels, Ian Steinman (883,000) bagged up the most chips of the 124 survivors, and has done his chances of becoming a two-time WSOP champion no harm at all.
Dylan Wilkerson (691,000) ended Day 1 second in chips, with Russia’s Nikolai Tulin (646,000) bagging up the third-most chips.
Bin Weng, fresh from banking a $2,227,054 score a couple of days ago, finished Day 1 in fifth place with a stack of 611,000.
Others safely through to the business end of this event include Vanessa Kade (511,000), Tony Gregg (428,000), Mustapha Kanit (393,000), Benny Glaser (266,000), Jason DeWitt (144,000), and Phil Laak (122,000).
Day 2 starts at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 17, and PokerNews will be with you from the first hands through to the crowning of the champion.
Event #92: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Steinman | United States | 883,000 | 88 |
| 2 | Dylan Wilkerson | United States | 691,000 | 69 |
| 3 | Nikolai Tulin | Russia | 646,000 | 65 |
| 4 | Jose Carlos Brito | Portugal | 629,000 | 63 |
| 5 | John Riordan | United States | 611,000 | 61 |
| 6 | Bin Weng | United States | 611,000 | 61 |
| 7 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | 567,000 | 57 |
| 8 | German Alzate Moreno | Colombia | 556,000 | 56 |
| 9 | Jared Passanante | United States | 555,000 | 56 |
| 10 | James Lim | United States | 542,000 | 54 |
Ermin Bags $10K Short Deck Championship Day 1 Chip Lead
A compact yet stellar field participated on Day 1 of Event #93: $10,000 Short Deck Championship. Eighty-four players bought in, but only 31 navigated their way to Day 2. Nobody bagged more chips than the 411,000 found in the overnight bag of Russia’s Ivan Ermin.
Unsurprisingly, with Short Deck being the game of choice throughout Asia, there are several Asian players with substantial stacks.
Japanese Duo Nobuaki Sasaki (378,300) and Shota Nakanishi (336,300) occupy spot in the top four, while Indonesian legend John Juanda (240,900), and China’s Dong Chen (238,800) find themselves in the overnight top ten.
Others to look out for on Day 2 include Dario Sammartino (217,900), Chris Brewer (213,700), Danny Tang (162,000), Sam Soverel (157,000), Mikita Badziakouski (137,200), the newest Hall of Famer Brian Rast (128,900), and mixed game specialist Adam Friedman (43,000), although the latter is the tournament’s short stack.
Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on July 17, which is also when late registration closes. Stay with PokerNews for all the updates from the Short Deck Championship event.
Event #93: $10,000 Short Deck Championship Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivan Ermin | Russia | 411,000 |
| 2 | Nobuaki Sasaki | Japan | 378,300 |
| 3 | Martin Nielsen | United Kingdom | 346,800 |
| 4 | Shota Nakanishi | Japan | 336,300 |
| 5 | Eric Wasserson | United States | 310,000 |
| 6 | Robert James | United States | 265,500 |
| 7 | John Juanda | Indonesia | 240,900 |
| 8 | Dong Chen | China | 238,800 |
| 9 | Dario Sammartino | Italy | 217,900 |
| 10 | Chris Brewer | United States | 213,700 |
What to Expect on Day 49 of the 2023 WSOP
Day 49 is all about the crowning of our amazing game’s new world champion. Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship is down to only three players, and all but one of them will be eliminated on July 17. We cannot wait to discover who the 2023 WSOP Main Event champion is.
Event #90: $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship will award its bracelet, as will Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E., and Event #92: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout.
Updates will also come from Event #93: $10,000 Short Deck Championship, while Event #94: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em (8-Handed) shuffles up as deals, it being the penultimate tournament of this record-breaking series.