2022 WSOP Day 32: Eli Elezra Wins Again, Hellmuth Chasing a Bracelet

Jon Sofen
Senior Editor U.S.
3 min read
eli elezra 2022 wsop

Friday was a busy day at the 2022 World Series of Poker with four players being awarded gold bracelets, including Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra, who tacked on his fifth WSOP title.

Elezra, the Israeli-born high-stakes legend, took down Event #63: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for $611,362, beating out 284 players, including Chino Rheem, the runner-up. He won his fifth career bracelet, further validating his 2021 Poker HOF induction.

Konstantin Angelov won a bracelet, his first, on Friday when he took down Event #64: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack for $199,466. Shota Nakanishi was the third to win a bracelet on Day 32 when he shipped Event #60: $10,000 Short Deck No-Limit Hold'em for $277,212.

Last but not least is Massoud Eskandari, the champion of the five-day Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors for $330,609, outlasting a field of 2,669 players.

Hof Among Final Eight in Ladies Event

Natalie Hof
Natalie Hof

Event #61: $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em began with 1,074 entrants, second most in the history of the tournament. Heading into Saturday's Day 4 session, only eight players remain, all vying for the gold bracelet and the $166,975 that comes with it.

Natalie Hof has an opportunity to win her first bracelet and more than double her Hendon Mob results ($111,556). Play resumes at 2 p.m. and won't conclude until a champion is crowned.

Event #61: Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship Final Table Seat Draw

SEATPLAYERCOUNTRYCHIPCOUNTBIG BLINDS
1Natalie HofGermany965,0009
2Felisa WestermannGermany2,910,00029
3Sandy TranUnited States2,555,00025
4Meikat SiuUnited States3,020,00030
5Jessica TeuslAustria985,0009
6Lynh NguyenUnited States3,870,00038
7Christina GollinsUnited States3,845,00038
8Julie LeUnited States3,100,00031

Follow Ladies Event Final Table Action

Hellmuth Could Win 17th Bracelet on Saturday

Jake Schwartz
Jake Schwartz

Phil Hellmuth is among the final 26 players in Event #65: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em, which began with 1,359 players. The "Poker Brat" holds the record with 16 WSOP titles, and could tack on one more on Saturday.

Hellmuth is fifth in chips with 3,290,000 heading into the final day of play. Keiji Ito, a Japanese poker player, held the chip lead after Day 2, good for 80 big blinds. The action on Day 3 should move fast as the blinds are getting big. Play will continue at 2 p.m. PST in Las Vegas.

Event #65: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em Top Ten Chip Counts

RANKPLAYERCOUNTRYCHIPSBIG BLINDS
1Keiji ItoJapan6,360,00080
2Richard ScardinaUnited States4,835,00060
3David JacksonUnited States4,700,00059
4Jeffrey LoHong Kong4,585,00057
5Phil HellmuthUnited States3,290,00041
6Timothy SullivanUnited States2,615,00033
7Neel JoshiIndia2,215,00028
8Samy DubonnetFrance2,045,00026
9Chad BrewerUnited States1,975,00025
10Onur UnsalTurkey1,875,00023

Follow Hellmuth's Chase for #17 Here

Mini Main Event a Rousing Success

Jake Schwartz
Jake Schwartz

If you spent any time at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas on Friday, you probably noticed a packed house. That's largely due to the massive field and lines in Event #66: $1,000 Mini Main Event, which attracted a whopping 5,833 entries.

At the end of the day, only 487 advanced to Day 2. Jake Bluston from the United Kingdom bagged the chip lead at 2,825,000, and James Dike, an American player, in second place with 2,505,000. Day 2 kicked off at 2,505,000.

Event #66: $1,000 Mini Main Event Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts

RANKPLAYERCITY / STATE / COUNTRYCHIP COUNTBig Blinds
1Jake BlustonUnited Kingdom2,825,00071
2James DikeUnited States2,505,00063
3Jaeyoung ChoiSouth Korea2,380,00060
4Vincent LiChina2,315,00058
5Jake SchwartzUnited States2,275,00057
6Andres VasquezUnited States2,275,00057
7Kyle MontgomeryUnited States2,200,00055
8Kenneth O'DonnellUnited States2,100,00053
9Nektarios VasilakisGreece2,090,00052
10Victor ChoupeauxFrance2,035,00051

Mini Main Event Coverage

Barbero Leads at $10k Super Turbo Bounty Final Table

Nacho Barbero
Nacho Barbero

Event #67: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em kicked off Friday with 419 players and played down to the final six. The final table will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Nacho Barbero bagged the biggest stack following Day 1 with 12,225,000, a massive chip lead over Ilya Nikiforov (4,875,000). But with only 49 big blinds, Barbero's lead is far from insurmountable.

Event #67: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Chip Counts

RankPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Nacho BarberoArgentina12,225,00049
2Ilya NikiforovEstonia4,875,00020
3Rob HollinkNetherlands3,250,00013
4Andrew LichtenbergerUnited States2,500,00010
5Maria HoUnited States1,875,0008
6Fabiano KovalskiBrazil425,0002

Super Turbo Bounty Final Table Coverage

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Jon Sofen
Senior Editor U.S.

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