It doesn’t happen often, and probably won’t again for quite some time, but poker Twitter found something to agree on — the confusing 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event payout structure.

Registration closed at the conclusion of Level 7 on Day 2d Saturday with a record 10,043 entrants, easily surpassing the previous record of 8,773 in 2006, the year Jamie Gold won it. The $93.4 million prize pool is also the largest in live tournament poker history, a clear sign that poker is booming. So, how could anyone possibly be upset?

What’s the Deal?

The payouts seemed way off to many poker fans across social media. Some referred to the $12.1 million winner prize as a “marketing ploy,” adding on an extra $100,000 to surpass the $12 million record long held by Gold.

In nearly every Muck of the past, we’ve done our best to showcase both sides of the social media banter. But this one, as you’re about to notice, is going to be quite different, and that is due to our inability to gather many — actually, none, really — poker fans who were satisfied with the payout structure shown below.

Last year, now the third largest WSOP Main Event ever (8,663 entries), the champion Espen Jorstad took home $10 million on the dot, which equated to 12.4% of the $80.78 million prize pool. Koray Aldemir’s $8 million score in 2021 was 12.9% of the $62 million pot.

The 2023 champion will receive 12.9% of the prize pool, so there isn’t any reason to be upset with that, even if the WSOP tacked on an extra $100k to set the record. In fact, setting records in the most prestigious tournament in the world is good for the game. But what had most people in a tizzy was the payouts for the rest of the final table.

Second place — $6.5 million — is only 53.7% of the first place value, which is quite a bit lower than normal. Jordstad’s heads-up foe — Adrian Attenborough — earned $6 million, or 60% of the amount paid to first place.

The biggest issue most poker players had with the payout structure was ninth place receiving less than $1 million given the gap between first out at the final table and last player standing.

What the Poker Community had to Say

Poker Twitter is often a great place for fans and players to express dissenting views. This isn’t one of those instances because the general consensus was that the payouts seemed off. Even Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 world champion who bagged a big stack on Day 2, was critical.

https://twitter.com/CMONEYMAKER/status/1677895436177375232

Moneymaker’s off to a strong start to the 2023 WSOP Main Event, seeking his fourth consecutive cash in the world championship event, excluding the hybrid 2020 version. There’s a possibility, albeit a small one, that the field will dwindle down to the money before Sunday’s Day 3 session concludes. Entering the session, which began just after noon PT, there were 3,538 players remaining, of which 1,507 will be paid.

“All or nothing. 1st gets 93 million nobody else gets a cent,” Kevin Martin joked (we think!).

“Seems good for very few people. Who cares if it’s the biggest 1st ever in main – better have more 1M++,” a sarcastic Andreas Froehl wrote.

“Why’s this an arbitrary surprise every year? Agree on a formula, publish it and move on. This is silly nonsense,” Alex Christian asked.

https://twitter.com/themouthmatusow/status/1677922002638868480

“If there were ever a tournament to have flatter payouts, it’s gotta be the main event. For most of the field a few hundred thousand is life changing money and a couple million is hitting diminishing returns. Really no need to pay 13% to first and 25% to top 4,” Isaac Haxton argues.

“Credit where credit is due…this payout structure looks really really bad in just about every way. Loling @ FIVE POINT FIVE MILLION dollar difference between 1st and 2nd. Way flatter at top. 9th at least 1mm. Way more people need to cash for 100k+. Etc,” a critical Eric Froehlich writes.

“100k off first and give it to 9th, making all final table millionaires is good. 12.1 makes no difference,” Patrick Leonard tweeted.

The payout structure in 2023 vastly differs from that of 2006 when the top 12 players each received at least $1 million. But only 10% of the field was paid back then as compared to 15% now. Tournament payouts back in the day were far more uneven than this year’s WSOP. Take, for example the 1989 Main Event, won by Phil Hellmuth for $750,000. Second place (Johnny Chan) took home $302,000, while ninth place (George Hardie) only received $22,650. Times sure have changed.

Follow Live Coverage of the 2023 WSOP Main Event

Anyone in Las Vegas this year for the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has one goal in mind — walking away with a coveted WSOP gold bracelet. However, before you can even start thinking about getting your hands on the one thing every poker player wants, you have to make the money.

So before you get blindsided by the glory, be sure to knuckle down and brush up on some poker strategy tips when it comes to playing the bubble at the WSOP.

Don’t worry, there’s plenty more strategy articles here on PokerNews to help you get ready for what might be the biggest Series ever!

When it comes to the bubble of tournaments at the WSOP, you don’t necessarily need to be an ICM whizz-kid. That’s why we’re going to boil down things to just three key tips that will help even the most beginner of poker players. We’ll then offer some more advice for advanced players.

The three tips are:

We’ll now go into more detail on these three pieces of advice:

1. Get Ready

The bubble of a poker tournament isn’t just the moment one player leaves with nothing, and the rest of the field lock up a min-cash. It can cover the entire period leading up to that moment, the so-called pre-bubble. Depending on how big the tournament is, this can be anything from 5-50 players away from the money.

If you’ve got a big stack, then you should be putting it to work. Shorter stacks won’t want to take risks with the bubble looming, and the chance to secure a cash, therefore push them around with steals, resteals and traps.

If you’ve got a medium stack, then you should still be looking to isolate short stacks, playing position poker to avoid being trapped by the big stacks. Be sure to keep an eye out for any big stacks failing to put it to good use. Use this as an opportunity to grow your chip stack further.

If you’ve got a short stack, you should be keeping your options open. If you’re in the 6-8 big blind danger zone, then you’ll only have one move – all-in. When the moment comes, make it count. Which brings us onto our second piece of advice.

What Would You Do? Pocket Tens on WSOP Main Event Final Table Bubble

2. Be First

When you enter a pot approaching the bubble, or even on the bubble itself, you want to be the first player entering the pot. This is relevant whether you are the table big stack or a short stack looking for a double.

This is not the time for passive play, so you should be opening good starters, and continuation betting more, especially if opponents are looking to play fit-or-fold poker postflop to ensure they remain in the tournament.

Another thing to be aware of, is that you shouldn’t force things. If you are card dead on the bubble, keep to your strategy and don’t try to win pots you have no chance of winning. Or trying to win pots you shouldn’t have entered in the first place!

Related: Poker Terms Explained – Bet in the Dark? Bubble? Paint Cards?

3. Avoid Risks

As explained above, it’s important to be active on the bubble, taking advantage of players who are slowing down, tightening up and wanting to ensure they cash above all else. You meanwhile are looking ahead to after the bubble, and increasing your chip stack all the while.

However, one poorly-timed call or bet can be your downfall, therefore it’s imperative to avoid risks. The fundamentals of poker still apply, even if you’re on the verge of cashing in the WSOP Main Event for example. Pay attention to things like position, pot odds and obvious strength from opponents such as check-raises or all-in shoves.

This is not the time to be a hero. Play a strong range and play it well. If you do have to call someone’s shove, make sure you’re doing it because you think you’re going to win, and not just to get one player closer to the bubble.

Read About The Latest Winners At The 2023 WSOP

More Bubble Strategy

Obviously, bubble strategy can be far more complex than just three simple tips. One key piece of advice that applies to entire tournaments, not just the bubble, is to recognize how each of the opponents at your table plays.

If they are loose and aggressive, see if that continues into the bubble. Or will tighter players tighten up even further. One curious thing that could happen is that tighter players may feel that they need to open up a little bit more on the button. With them out of their comfort zone, this might be an opportunity for you to capitalize on.

As in all poker, your strategy is going to be dictated to you by two different things:

• Your stack size
• Your opponents’ stack sizes

Read More: PokerNews Strategy – The Importance of Stack Sizes

Your stack size will decide what approach you will take to the bubble. That could be you looking to enter as many pots as possible to increase your stack further, looking for opportunities by picking off short stacks desperate to survive, or you being one of those shorter stacks wanting to survive yourself.

Your opponents’ stack size will also dictate what role you’re going to play as the bubble approaches. Are there lots of short stacks at your table? Even if you haven’t got mountains of chips, these will represent opportunities that you will be able to capitalize on. Is everyone at your table sitting fairly comfortable? Then perhaps the pace at the table will slow as people await the bubble bursting, allowing for you to enter some pots and accumulate chips.

You can check out more great bubble strategy content here on PokerNews:

Will Shillibier is based in the United Kingdom. He started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019.

He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

888poker has relaunched its popular 888Ride YouTube feature, where David Tuchman invites prominent poker players and figureheads for a drive around Las Vegas, all while quizzing them about anything and everything. Their series proved popular in 2022 and looks set to follow the same trend during the 2023 World Series of Poker, especially when you see the host of stars lined up for the 888Ride experience.

The latest episode sees Poker World Champion Koray Aldemir hop into the wagon with Tuchmann, where they discuss his run in the 2021 WSOP Main Event while offering some top tips for those playing the Main Event for the first time.

Running Deep in Main Events

Not only did Aldemir take down the 2021 Main Event, but he also put in another deep run in the 2022 edition, finishing in 75th place. His win netted him $8,000,000, while his 2022 performance saw him pick up a $101,700 payout.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Aldemir on his 2022 run. “It was different, all eyes were on me and I was playing on the feature table from Day 2 onwards.”

Kevin Martin Talks Poker, Streaming and Big Brother on Latest 888Ride Episode

Aldemir’s Poker Origins

Aldemir noted that he was first introduced to poker on New Year’s Eve back in 2006 or 2007. He mentioned that he had no idea of the rules or hand rankings but got lucky and won his first-ever home game.

From there, Aldemir found a taste for the game. After turning 18, he visited a casino in Berlin for the first time to play €20 sit-and-go games.

Tuchmann asked Aldemir if he was any good during that time.

“Probably not,” laughed Aldemir. “I can’t imagine I was good. I was thinking that I was good as I was winning sometimes.”

Koray Aldemir: Back-to-Back WSOP Main Event Runs “A Privilege”

Aldemir’s Tells Main Event Debutants to Enjoy the Experience

“Having fun at the table is a priority for me,” said Aldemir on what advice he would give to players taking part in the Main Event for the first time.

“If you’re a professional that’s there to make money, one [piece of] advice would be to play this like every other tournament. Don’t be scared of busting out.”

For more recreational players, Aldemir said, “You should enjoy the experience. I know it’s a dream for many, and live that dream.”

Upcoming Episodes of 888Ride

PokerNews has it is on good authority that more superstars will feature on 888Ride during the 2023 World Series of Poker. Make sure that you subscribe to the awesome 888poker YouTube channel so that you do not miss any future 888Ride episodes or any of the other fantastic content the online poker site’s team is piecing together.

Editor & Live Reporter

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.

For many part-time players, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a chance to get away from work and spend some time in Las Vegas playing poker and chasing a bracelet.

One of those part-time bracelet hopefuls is venture capitalist and longtime poker player Chamath Palihapitiya, an early Facebook executive and the founder and CEO of the investment firm Social Capital. After more than a decade off of the WSOP felt, the billionaire returned to the World Series to take his shot at winning a bracelet in Event #29: $100,000 High Roller.

PokerNews caught up with Palihapitiya earlier in the series as he battled in a Day 1 field that included Chance Kornuth, Alex Foxen, Chris Brewer plenty more of the world’s top high-roller players.

“This Is Such a Treat”

Before he was a major Silicon Valley figure with a ten-figure net worth, Palihapitiya was a 24-year-old in the year 2000 looking for a new card game to play with his boss.

“I learned to play Bridge first, and he was a great Bridge player,” Palihapitiya told PokerNews. “And we loved it, and we were competing, but then we’d get into these situations where all of these like 70-year-old grandmas were cheating in how they bid, and we just got sick of it. And I said, ‘Look, teach me any other card game.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, do you know how to play poker?’ So he taught me how to play and kind of the rest is history. I’ve been hooked ever since.”

Since getting into the game, Palihapitiya has been a high-stakes cash game regular. He’s played in $2,000/$4,000 games at ARIA and even playing on PokerGO’s Poker After Dark in 2021. He’s also close friends with fellow Palo Alto, California resident Phil Hellmuth, who in 2017 gifted Palihapitiya his 13th bracelet (more recently, Hellmuth gave his 17th bracelet to entrepreneur David Sacks, Palihapitiya’s co-host on the All-In Podcast).

Palihapitiya has also dipped his toes into poker tournaments, having racked up $182,653 in Hendon Mob earnings since his first cash in 2011. That year, Palihapitiya finished 15th in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em for $30,122 right before finishing just shy of the top 100 in the Main Event for $54,851.

At his second WSOP, Palihapitiya found another deep run as he finished 11th in a $5,000 NLH event for $53,728.

Now, more than a decade later, Palihapitiya is grateful for a chance to play another World Series.

“To be honest with you, this is such a treat because I have not played WSOP in a decade,” he said. “It was 2011, maybe 2012 I played some tournaments. And then it was all cash. And I’ve been playing cash games consistently, so this is the first time that I could actually leave work and put everything aside and have everything taken care of where I could take a shot at this. It’s wonderful to be back.”

“Unfortunately, this is it. I’m going to play this, play some cash games and then go to Europe for the summer and back at it in the fall.”

Read About The Latest At The 2023 WSOP!

Palihapitiya’s Latest Investment

In his day job as a venture capitalist, Palihapitiya is used to putting up hefty sums that he thinks will make for a profitable investment. On June 12, Palihapitiya forked up $100,000 not for a social media venture or finance company, but rather to play a poker tournament.

“It’s a fantastic event but I underestimated how fast the blinds move; really it’s like a turbo,” said Palihapitiya. “It’s crazy. It’s super fast. I mean, tournaments and cash are so different. There’s just a lot of movement that you can do in cash because you can re-buy, and here, technically, I guess we can re-buy once, but the play is very different. You just have to be really, frankly, splashy at the end of it just because it’s moving so fast.”

“I wasn’t ready for sort of the kind of play and the thin value that people were showing down. And then by the time I geared into that, you know, you’re short-stacked and then you just have to shove.”

In the Paris Purple section, Palihapitiya sat leaning across the table with his chair heightened to the maximum at a table that included all-time money leader Justin Bonomo and high-stakes crusher Sean Winter, who Palihapitiya tangled with after losing most of his starting stack of 600,000.

Winter raised from the cutoff and Palihapitiya defended out of the big blind. Both players checked on the 7♣6♥10♥ flop and Palihapitiya then led all in for 126,000 on the A♦ turn.

“Deuce of hearts?” Winter asked before folding.

“You have an ace?” asked Palihapitiya.

“No sir. I would have given you action,” replied Winter.

But Palihapitiya couldn’t survive a second all-in confrontation against another crusher, recent Event #63: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship runner-up Bryn Kenney.

After an open from Denmark’s Henrik Hecklen during Level 11, Palihapitiya moved all in with A♦10♠ from the small blind only for Kenney to wake up with aces in the big blind. Palihapitiya flopped a gutshot to Broadway but couldn’t get there to be eliminated by the controversial high-roller.

While Palihapitiya was unable to cash in the $100,000 High Roller, he did finish 81st in Event #32: $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em for $6,852 to earn his fourth WSOP cash before heading back to Silicon Valley.

The latest tournament as part of the NV/NJ WSOP Online Bracelet Events wrapped up on Thursday, July 6, and Saturday, July 8 with Zachary “Kings702” Grech and Blaze “skillz225” Gaspari walking away as the winners.

Be sure to take a look at this summer’s online bracelet winners and find out how Grech and Gaspari were able to capture their own piece of WSOP glory.

2023 NV/NJ WSOP.com Online Bracelet Event Winners

Grech Finds Turbo Success

Grech took down Online Event #14: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo after defeating Amit “rocketsbaby” Makhija in heads-up play for his first bracelet and the $107,504 up top.

It’s the biggest recorded score of his career, besting his $57,029 and $51,502 paydays from this summer’s Online Event #3 and Online #20. The Californian finished in fourth and fifth, respectively, in those tournaments. Grech also came close to a bracelet on the live felt last year, where he achieved another fourth-place finish in Event #23 $3,000 Limit Hold’em – Six-Handed for $41,191.

The latest result marks his eighth cash of the 2023 WSOP, and Grech is also still in contention for the Main Event, as he bagged 149,000 from Day 2abc.

The turbo event attracted 1,178 entries and saw a further 589 rebuys to make the $636,120 prize pool. Of those entries, just 248 players made the money with the min-cash set at $636.

WSOP Online Event #14 Final Table Results

Gaspari Wins $1,000 NLH Championship

Yesterday’s action on WSOP.com saw Gaspari defeat Matthew “Sucra71” Gillingham in the final two to become the most recent online bracelet winner for $224,816.

Gaspari has found success under the WSOP umbrella before, picking up two online Circuit rings in 2022. He has 24 WSOP cashes, all coming from the virtual felt.

Event #15: $1,000 NLH Championship saw 883 players rebuy 482 times, which resulted in a 1,365-entry field that awarded its $1,228,500 prize pool to the top 180 finishers.

$50,000 High Roller winner Leon “ShepelSimp” Sturm made the final table and bowed out in eighth-place for $21,622. 2023 PCA Main Event fifth-place finisher Alexandre “raking-even” Raymond also put in a deep run and came third for just shy of six-figures.

Raymond made one of the folds of the year in The Bahamas after he quickly and correctly laid down a full house on the final table.

WSOP Online Event #15 Final Table Results

Remaining Schedule for 2023 NV/NJ WSOP.com Online Bracelet Events

On Sunday, July 9 at 4:30 p.m. PST marks the start of Event #16: $600 Online Deepstack Championship. Once completed, there will just be four online bracelet events remaining for NV/NJ players.

Editor & Live Reporter

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.

Day 40 of the World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas has come and gone with no live bracelets and just one online (won by “skillz225” for $225,815 in Online Event #15: No-Limit Hold’em Championship).

As a result, the majority of the day’s focus was squarely on Day 2d of Event #76: $10,000 MAIN EVENT No-Limit Hold’em World Championship. This was the last Day 2 of the Main Event and also the last day in which the field is broken up temporally instead of just geographically — the combined field will be back for Day 3 on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Event #78: $1,500 BOUNTY Pot-Limit Omaha played down to its final fifteen players and Event #77: $777 Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em played out the second of three Day 1 flights.

Record-Breaking Main Event Confirms 10,043 Entrants

With the closure of late registration on Day 2d of Event #76: $10,000 MAIN EVENT No-Limit Hold’em World Championship we now have all the vital statistics for this year’s Main Event. For example, there are 10,043 entrants, making for a prize pool of $93,399,900 after rake.

The first-place prize has been set at $12,100,000 from this prize pool. The nominal $100,000 is tacked onto the prize to ensure that the biggest WSOP ME ever also has the biggest first prize ever (Jamie Gold won a round $12 million for his 2006 victory in the previous record-setting year).

Maurice Hawkins is best positioned to chase that victory as he leads the field going into Day 3 with 941,000 in his chip stack. Hawkins is the all-time WSOP Circuit ring winner with 15 total, but also dealt with backers calling him out in recent times.

Some of the other big names who played and bagged Day 2d include Chance Kornuth (449,500), James Obst (593,000), and Nicholas “Dirty Diaper” Rigby (921,500) who had the honor of sending Phil Hellmuth to the rail. Even Tom Dwan showed up before late registration closed, though he still managed to bag a stack of 426,500.

They will all return at 12 p.m. local time on Sunday, July 9 for Day 3.

Read more: Online Poker Pioneer Isai Scheinberg Plays WSOP Main Event for the First Time

Event #76: $10,000 MAIN EVENT No-Limit Hold’em World Championship Top 10 Chip Counts Going Into Day 3

Stepan Vinokurov Becomes Lucky 7’s Chip Leader

Event #77: $777 Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em added 2,386 entries to the field, bringing the running total to 3,856 and the prize pool to $2,636,580 with one more Day 1 flight to go.

With all the tables playing seven-handed, play was fast-paced and knock-outs were frequent. Along the way,Stepan Vinokurov managed to survive the mayhem and accrue the chip lead with 3,315,000 in his bag.

He is closely followed by high-stakes crusher David Peters (2,775,000) and the Canadian pro Charles La Boissonniere (2,500,000). These three managed to beat the Day 1a chipleader, Thomas Blanton (2,265,000). All four will watch play on Day 1c to see if anyone can top their performances.

Day 1c kicks off at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday, July 9th. Players will then reconvene for a combined Day 2 on Monday, July 10, at 10 a.m. local time.

Event #77: $777 Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts

$1,500 PLO Bounty Plays Down To Final Fifteen

On Day 2 of Event #78: $1,500 BOUNTY Pot-Limit Omaha, the field played down from 140 survivors from Day 1 to a final fifteen.

Satar Al-Sadoun (4,800,000) will return on Day 3 with the chip lead. However, he will have to fend off notables like Noah Schwartz (1,100,000), Jeff Madsen (945,000), and Ryan Coon (2,035,000) who are all still in the running.

Among those who made it to Day 2 but not the final fifteen are Amnon Filippi, David “ODB” Baker, Farid Jattin, and Daniel Negreanu. The last of whom is still looking to break his decade-long bracelet drought.

Play resumes at 2 p.m. local time on July 9 when the blinds will be 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante.

Event #78: $1,500 BOUNTY Pot-Limit Omaha Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts

What To Expect On Day 41

Sunday, July 9, will be Day 41 at the WSOP. Players can look forward to the 2023 WSOP Main Event beginning its Day 3 on July 9 at 12 p.m. local time. The blinds will be 1,000-2,500 with a 2,500 big blind ante and the tourney will play for five 120-minute levels.

Event #77: $777 Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em has one more Day 1 flight which will start at 10 a.m. local time. Then at 2 p.m. local time players return for Event #78: $1,500 BOUNTY Pot-Limit Omaha, which is scheduled to play down to a winner.

Meanwhile, online players can also look forward to Online Event #16: $600 Online Deepstack Championship with a later 4:30 p.m. local time start.

Following the conclusion of Level 7 on Day 2d on Saturday, registration has closed in the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event with 10,043 players, creating a prize pool of $93,399,900.

When this record-breaking tournament wraps next week. The winner will take home a cool $12,100,000, the largest first-place Main Event prize ever. No one knows exactly who that lucky and skilled individual will be — the tournament hasn’t even reached the money bubble — but it won’t be the defending champion, Espen Jorstad, who was sent to the rails on Day 2abc Friday when his flopped set ran into a straight.

There are plenty of other previous world champs still standing, including Jamie Gold, Ryan Riess, Joe Cada, and the 1983 winner Tom McEvoy.

The top 1,507 players will make the money, with the min-cash confirmed at $15,000. Anyone who makes the final table will lock up $900,000, with seven-figure payouts taking place when eight players remain.

2023 WSOP Main Event Payouts

Top 10 Largest WSOP Main Events in History

Follow Continued Live Coverage of the 2023 WSOP Main Event

Phil Hellmuth will not be the winner of the 2023 Word Series of Poker Main Event as the all-time leading bracelet winner was eliminated around an hour ago on Day 2d.

The player to send ‘The Poker Brat’ to the rail was Nicholas “Dirty Diaper” Rigby, who rose to fame in the poker community in the 2021 Main Event after getting into the mix several times with 3x2x.

Hellmuth, who won the Main Event in 1989, has failed to make the money in poker’s crown jewel tournament for the last eight years. His last Main Event cash came in 2015, where he finished in 417th for $21,786.

Rigby Strikes Again and Knocks Out Hellmuth

As told by award-winning PokerNews Live Reporter Christian Zetsche, three players headed to the A♦10♥9♦ flop and Robert Jones bet-folded for 2,500 when Nicholas Rigby raised to 8,000 while Phil Hellmuth check-called out of the big blind.

https://twitter.com/PokerNews/status/1677853010750509056

That brought Rigby and Hellmuth to the 2♥ turn, which the latter checked. Rigby bet 36,000 into a pot of now 64,400, and Hellmuth check-jammed to get called by Rigby.

Phil Hellmuth: 10♣9♣
Nicholas Rigby: A♠10♠

Hellmuth was in dire shape, and the miracle escape never happened with the 5♦ river, sending Hellmuth to the rail in an anti-climatic fashion.

Click here for WSOP Main Event Live Updates

Prominent poker players from several generations paid tribute to the late Doyle Brunson at a tribute for the Poker Godfather at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) dubbed a “Celebration of Life.”

The tribute to Brunson, who passed away in May at the age of 89, took place on July 2 inside the Jubilee Theater at Horseshoe Las Vegas. Those who spoke at the tribute include Poker Hall of Famers Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Lyle Berman and Mori Eskandani, as well as Brunson’s son, Todd Brunson.

Brunson’s Poker Legacy

Brian Balsbaugh, Brunson’s longtime agent, started out the tribute by talking about Brunson being “literally a world-class athlete” before a slab of concrete fell on his leg to forever change his life path.

“But Doyle’s dream of becoming a professional basketball player would not come true,” said Balsbaugh. “He took a summer job and tragedy struck.”

After getting a master’s degree in education, Brunson spent several months unsuccessfully working as a business machine salesman.

“But he did stumble on some poker games while calling on businesses, and he realized pretty quickly that he could make more money playing poker in a day than selling business machines for a whole month.”

One of the players Brunson met in his early years as a poker player was Berman, who noted that they two had a friendship that spanned nearly half a century.

“Our relation lasted 46 years,” the three-time bracelet winner said. “I tell people that I’ve spent more waking hours (with Brunson) than with my two ex-wives combined.”

The Barometer of Poker Success

Negreanu spoke about the longevity of a poker player’s career as being the greatest measurement for success. “And if he’s the barometer, no one ever will (compare).”

“We think about what’s available today to learn how to play poker; solvers, data,” said Negreanu. “This man was the solver, like he took a pen and paper and dealt out hands and figured out tens is a favorite over ace-king, manually.”

Hellmuth, meanwhile, described Brunson as as “oasis” who “sat there and he ruled the high-stakes room at the Bellagio ever since the Bellagio was open.”

“You were always comfortable with him,” said Hellmuth. “Everybody loved him, he had an amazing, keen sense of humor … You just wanted to be with him; everybody wanted to be with him.”

The Poker Brat also joked about being bluffed by Brunson across four decades. “This man bluffed me in the 80s, this man bluffed me in the 90s, this man bluffed me in the 2000s. Now in the 2000s, it was recorded. So I got to see all these freaking bluffs that he put on me because it was on Poker After Dark!”

And when the two played again in December 2022, “this man at age 89 bluffed me one more time. Well done, Doyle.”

Todd Brunson, who joked that Hellmuth “couldn’t stand that my dad was going to have this big event just for him … he had to go win a bracelet three hours before the event,” closed out the celebration by thanking members of the poker community for being there.

“The poker world was his second family,” he said. “He probably liked you guys more than his first family.”

Read About Jennifer Harman’s Memories With Brunson

More Brunson Tributes to Come

During the Celebration of Life in honor of Brunson, the poker community decided to dub October 2 as Doyle Brunson Day as a tribute to the ten-deuce hand that he won consecutive Main Events with.

There will be plenty of other tributes to the late Poker Godfather, including on PokerStars. On July 2, PokerStars US tweeted that the site “will celebrate the legend, Doyle Brunson and his iconic hand on 10/2.”

Whether you’re playing on PokerStars in Michigan, Pennsylvania or New Jersey, be sure to be on the lookout for a celebration of Brunson come October.

https://twitter.com/PokerStarsUSA/status/1675608289281712128