Aleksandr Denisov Bags Lead; Two WSOP Main Event Final Tablists Still Alive
Aleksander Denisov notched his first-ever World Series of Poker cash today, and he's a favorite to make it a big one. The Russian bagged 668,000 in chips to lead the final six players here in Event #34: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud.
Play ended for the night with just over 22 minutes remaining on the clock in Level 20, as the elimination of Mallory Smith stopped play, per WSOP rules.
We noted Denisov near the top of the chip counts a couple of hours into the day, and he stayed near the top of the counts after that. In a key pot late in the night, he made a wheel in a three-way affair where six big bets went in on sixth street. His allowed Denisov to retake the chip lead and stay there.
Other standouts set to make Day 3 appearances would be Eric Buchman ($4.1 million in live cashes), Alex Kravchenko ($4.1 million), and Bryn Kenney ($3.5 million). Kravchenko and Buchman both boast appearances at the WSOP Main Event final table, in 2007 and 2009, respectively.
Big names falling today included Alan Boston, C.K. Hua, Barry Greenstein, Stephen Chidwick, Phil Laak, John D'Agostino, Bryan Campanello, Sergey Rybachenko, Steve Sung, and Daniel Negreanu. Negreanu busted just short of the final table in 10th, continuing his very impressive 2014 WSOP.
Play resumes tomorrow at 2 p.m. PT, so be sure to come back to see if one of the aforementioned superstars takes down the title or we see a fresh face crowned.