2021 WSOP Day 2: Hellmuth In The Hunt For 16th Bracelet

Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor
4 min read
Phil Hellmuth

Day 2 of the 2021 World Series of Poker was packed with action from start to finish. Two players got their hands on coveted gold WSOP bracelets, while 15-time WSOP champion Phil Hellmuth punched his Day 3 tickets in the star-studded $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. event.

Caesars Palace dealer Jimmy Barnett became a WSOP champion for the first time when he was the last man standing in Event #1: $500 Casino Employees event. Barnett, originally from California but now living in Nevada, banked $39,013.

Jeremy Ausmus won his second bracelet and $48,681 in Event #3: $1,000 COVID-19 Charity Relief Event. Ausmus outlasted 265 opponents on his way to glory.

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Hellmuth Reaches $25,000 H.O.R.S.E Final Table; Glaser Leads the Way

Benny Glaser
Benny Glaser

The $25,000 H.O.R.S.E event is down to only nine players and what an incredible group they are. Big hands came thick and fast on Day 2 of this high-stakes event, including the final hand of the evening.

British mixed game specialist, and three-time WSOP champion, Benny Glaser busted Roland Israelashvili and Daniel Negreanu on the last hand of the night. Irsaelashvili bowed out in 11th, Negreanu tenth, while Glaser soared into the chip lead with 2,590,000 chips.

All eyes will be on Phil Hellmuth when the nine-handed final table commences at 2:00 p.m. PST on October 2 because the self-proclaimed "Poker Brat" has a legitimate chance of winning his 16th WSOP bracelet.

Hellmuth nor Glaser will have matters their own way because each of their opponents has reached this final table on merit. Jesse Klein (1,800,000), David Benyamine (1,680,000), Philip Sternheimer (865,00), Day 1 chip leader Chad Eveslage (860,000), Ben Yu (830,000), Matt Glantz (410,000), and DJ Buckley (160,000) will all fancy their chances of WSOP glory.

$25,000 H.O.R.S.E. Final Table Chip Counts

PlacePlayerChips
1Benny Glaser2,590,000
2Jesse Klein1,800,000
3David Benyamine1,680,000
4Phil Hellmuth1,640,000
5Philip Sternheimer865,000
6Chad Eveslage860,000
7Ben Yu830,000
8Matt Glantz410,000
9DJ Buckley160,000

Tune into the $25K HORSE Final Table Right Here

Alfa Bags Reunion Day 1A Chip Lead

Dave Alfa
Dave Alfa

The eagerly anticipated Event #4: $500 The Reunion No-Limit Hold’em drew in a field of 2,649 entries on the first of three starting flights, which helps push the prize pool towards the $5 million guarantee the WSOP placed on it.

Only 129 players made it through to Day 2 at the first attempt, and nobody bagged up more chips than David Alfa. The man from Austin, Texas, finished the opening flight with a tournament-leading stack of 3,070,000 chips, which has done his chances of winning a bracelet no harm at all.

Alfa has two WSOP Circuit rings on his poker resume, but a bracelet eludes him. Perhaps that will change over the next couple of days.

The Reunion End of Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts

PlacePlayerChips
1Dave Alfa3,070,000
2Danny Martinez3,030,000
3Kostantinos Gennaios2,650,000
4Ryan Leng2,500,000
5Paul Herberger2,380,000
6Joey Weissman2,275,000
7Massimo Costantini2,270,000
8Walter Atwood2,205,000
9Alex Greenslatt2,175,000
10Adrian Curry2,70,000

Three players who already have bracelets safely navigated their way to Day 2. Two-time WSOP champion Ryan Leng (2,500,000), Joey Weissman (2,275,000), and Ryan Laplante (2,100,000) all progressed with sizeable stacks.

Day 1B commences at 10:00 a.m. PST on October 2, and PokerNews’ Live Reporting team will be with you every step of the way.

$500 The Reunion No-Limit Hold'em updates are here

Stephen Leads the Way in the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Event

Christopher Stephen
Christopher Stephen

Day 1 of Event #5: $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better has reached its conclusion after 15 levels of play. The event drew 607 entries and only 230 of those starters progressed to Day 2.

Christopher Stephen leads the pack courtesy of accumulating 206,500 chips before the curtain came down on proceedings. Two-time WSOP champion Dan Heimiller (177,000) is hot on Stephen’s heels while Robert Mizrachi, a man with four gold bracelets, returns to the fray with 173,500 chips. Mizrachi ran golden during Day 1, scooping three pots with quads, according to his tablemates.

Day 2 commences at 2:00 p.m. on October 2. The plan is to complete another 11 levels or until only five players remain, whichever comes first.

$1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Top 10 Chip Counts

PlacePlayerChips
1Christopher Stephen206,500
2Joe Dean198,500
3John Goyette179,000
4Dan Heimiller177,000
5Robert Mizrachi173,500
6Noel Edwards173,000
7Connor Drinan164,000
8JJ Liu160,500
9Jake Schwartz158,500
10Hernan Salazar154,500

Can Stephen Hold Onto His Chip Lead in the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo?

What’s In Store For Day 3 of the 2021 WSOP?

October 2 is Day 3 of the 2021 World Series of Poker, and what an incredible day of poker it should be. The day kicks off with the second of three $500 Reunion flights. The first flight drew in more than 2,600 players, so Day 1b should be even busier with it taking place on a weekend.

Two events crown their champions: the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. and the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo. Both those events shuffle up and deal at 2:00 p.m. PT, and PokerNews will be on the ground to give you a blow-by-blow account of what is going on.

An hour after those two tournaments begin, the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed kicks off. We are expecting to see some of the world’s elite players head to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino for this high-stakes affair.

Time (PT)Event
10:00 a.m.Event #4: $500 The Reunion Flight B
2:00 p.m.Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. Day 3
2:00 p.m.Event #5: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Day 2
3:00 p.m.Event #6: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed
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Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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