Event #90: $50,000 Final Fifty No-Limit Hold'em Day 1 | 2019 World Series of Poker

07-09-2019 02:16 UTC-8

Seth Davies Leads 44 Survivors on Day 1 of Final Fifty

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Level 12 : 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante

Day 1 of the Event #90: $50,000 Final Fifty has come to a conclusion with the 109-entrant field reduced to the final 44 players with Seth Davies in the lead.

Once the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was in full swing, a 90th bracelet event was added to the schedule for the 50th Annual WSOP with this Final Fifty looking to bookend another successful WSOP.

"We got some feedback from players who thought [the initial $50k event] was too early in the series and they weren’t around for it," said VP of Corporate Communications Seth Palansky. "We also goofed by not having a $25K High Roller NLH on the schedule this year, which was more feedback we received from players."

Following the success of the first $50,000 buy-in high roller event at the start of the WSOP that saw Ben Heath top a 110-entrant field to capture his first WSOP bracelet and the $1,484,085 first-place prize, another strong turnout came to play on Day 1 as a total of 109 entrants took to the felt. 70 of those entrants would be unique entrants as a plethora of players fired multiple bullets in this unlimited re-entry format.

Once the dust settled, the likes of WSOP bracelet winners Joe Cada, Erik Seidel, Dominik Nitsche, Michael Addamo, Stephen Chidwick, Justin Bonomo, Bryn Kenney, Nick Petrangelo, Kristen Bicknell, Joao Vieira, and Anthony Zinno found themselves on the rail throughout the day. Fortunately for the above mentioned - along with anyone that hasn't yet entered - registration is open through the start of Day 2 which is Tuesday, July 9, at 4 p.m. (PDT).

With just 44 players surviving into Day 2, it would be Seth Davies leading the charge after finishing with 2,250,000 and is the only player to surpass the two-million chip-mark. Right on his heels is Dan Smith (1,680,000), Elior Sion (1,520,000), Adrian Mateos (1,450,000), Fedor Holz (1,320,000), and Ali Imsirovic (1,290,000). Also surviving into Day 2 are WSOP bracelet winners Ivan Luca, Brian Rast, Brandon Adams, David Peters, Ben Yu, Daniel Negreanu, Julien Martini, Martin Kabrhel, Sam Soverel, Johannes Becker, and Heath.

Day 2 play is set to begin at 4 p.m. (PDT) on Tuesday, July 9, and once cards are in the air, registration for the Final Fifty will be closed. Players that take advantage of late registration will begin with 300,000 in starting chips, and blinds will be 10,000-20,000 with a big blind ante of 20,000.

The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand to provide continuous live updates of all the Final Fifty action from Day 2 as the tournament plays down to a final table of six players that will return at 12 p.m. (PDT) on Wednesday, July 10, to play out the final table which will be live streamed on PokerGO. So stay tuned right here to PokerNews.com for all your live reporting needs from the Final Fifty, and every event of the 2019 World Series of Poker.

Tags: Seth Davies

07-09-2019 01:24 UTC-8

Cada Doubles Through Tilston

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Level 12 : 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante

Joe Cada moved all in from the hijack for 146,000 and Keith Tilston called from the big blind.

Cada:
Tilston:

The board ran out and Cada secured the double.

Player	Chips	Progress
Keith Tilston	1,030,000 -170,000	-170,000

Joe Cada	316,000 170,000	170,000

Tags: Joe Cada Keith Tilston

07-09-2019 00:26 UTC-8

Aldemir Eliminated by Rast

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Level 10 : 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Koray Aldemir raised to 21,000 in middle position and Manig Loeser called next to act in the hijack.

Erik Seidel called on the button, and from the small blind, Brian Rast moved all in for 295,000.

Aldemir called all in for 235,000, and Loeser and Seidel mucked.

Aldemir:
Rast:

The board ran out and Aldemir was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
Brian Rast	592,000 292,000	292,000

Koray Aldemir	Busted

Tags: Brian Rast Erik Seidel Koray Aldemir Manig Loeser

07-08-2019 23:31 UTC-8

Soverel Eliminated by Chen

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Level 9 : 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante

James Chen opened to 16,000 from early position and Sergio Aido called next to act in the hijack.

From the big blind, Sam Soverel moved all in for 123,000, and Chen isolated for his 290,000 total. Aido used a time extension chip, and then folded.

Chen:
Soverel:

The board ran out and Soverel was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
James Chen	450,000 105,000	105,000

Sergio Aido	395,000 -10,000	-10,000

Sam Soverel	Busted

Tags: James Chen Sam Soverel Sergio Aido

07-08-2019 22:38 UTC-8

Koon Eliminated by Ekmen

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Level 8 : 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

Matt Hyman raised to 15,000 from under the gun, and Jason Koon moved all in from the cutoff for 43,000.

[Removed:144] called in the small blind, as did Hyman, before the board checked through to the river where Ekmen tossed in 50,000 and Hyman folded.

Koon revealed his , and once Ekmen tabled his , Koon headed to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
[Removed:144]	570,000 290,000	290,000
Matt Hyman	163,000 -237,000	-237,000
Jason Koon	Busted

Tags: Jason Koon Matt Hyman

07-08-2019 21:57 UTC-8

Chidwick Doubles Through Kempe

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Level 7 : 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante

Juan Pardo Dominguez opened to 10,000 from under the gun and Rainer Kempe three-bet to 32,000 in late position.

From the hijack, Stephen Chidwick four-bet to 70,000, and once the blinds and Dominguez folded, Kempe used a time extension chip and then announced he was all in. Chidwick snap-called all in for 337,000.

Chidwick:
Kempe:

The board ran out and Chidwick secured the double.

Player	Chips	Progress
Stephen Chidwick	699,000 399,000	399,000

Rainer Kempe	197,000 -228,000	-228,000

Tags: Rainer Kempe Stephen Chidwick

07-08-2019 20:56 UTC-8

Eibinger Eliminated by Peters

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Level 6 : 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

Catching the action on the turn with the board reading and Matthias Eibinger already all in from the small blind, David Peters bet 65,000 into the side pot from the big blind, and Leon Tsoukernik folded from middle position.

Eibinger:
Peters:

The river fell the , and Eibinger was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
David Peters	445,000 145,000	145,000

Leon Tsoukernik	250,000 -41,500	-41,500
Matthias Eibinger	Busted

Tags: David Peters Leon Tsoukernik Matthias Eibinger

07-08-2019 19:24 UTC-8

Grafton Doubles Through Badziakouski

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Level 4 : 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

On a board of with roughly 100,000 in the middle, Sam Grafton checked from the big blind, and Mikita Badziakouski bet 45,000.

Grafton called, and when the river fell the , he checked.

Badziakouski used his full extension of time before announcing he was all in. Grafton snap-called for his remaining 134,500, and when Badziakouski sheepishly revealed his , Grafton tabled his for a straight to collect the double.

Player	Chips	Progress
Sam Grafton	459,000 159,000	159,000

Mikita Badziakouski	248,000 -97,000	-97,000

Tags: Mikita Badziakouski Sam Grafton

07-08-2019 09:21 UTC-8

Welcome to Day 1 of Event #90: $50,000 Final Fifty No-Limit Hold'em

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Welcome back to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for Day 1 of Event #90: $50,000 Final Fifty No-Limit Hold'em.

In early June with the 2019 WSOP in full swing, a 90th bracelet event was added to the schedule for the 50th annual WSOP with this Final Fifty looking to bookend another successful WSOP.

"We got some feedback from players who thought [the initial $50k event] was too early in the series and they weren’t around for it," said VP of Corporate Communications Seth Palansky. "We also goofed by not having a $25K High Roller NLH on the schedule this year, which was more feedback we received from players."

With the WSOP schedule always packed with events and buy-ins satisfying all types of players, fitting in the Final Fifty was tough, but eventually, it was decided on July 8 - 10, just prior to Event #83: $100,000 High Roller. "It’s tough at this stage to fit things in, but we found this slot on July 8 that we thought could satisfy everyone," Palansky said.

What's not surprising is the continuation of the "Fifty" theme after the BIG 50 was such a huge success this year. "We decided to make it a $50k instead of $25k to properly close out the 50 theme of the WSOP this year," said Palansky, who added: "The event is well positioned right before the $100k."

The first High Roller tournament of the 2019 WSOP concluded over a month ago with Ben Heath topping a 110-entrant field to capture his first WSOP bracelet and the $1,484,085 first-place prize in Event #5: 50th Annual High Roller. Heath defeated Andrew Lichtenberger heads-up, and the likes of Sam Soverel, Nick Petrangelo, Chance Kornuth, Elio Fox, Cary Katz, Manig Loeser, Bryn Kenney, and Johannes Becker on his way to capturing the first high roller bracelet of the series.

Event #5: 50th Annual High Roller Champion Ben Heath

The history of high roller tournaments at the WSOP stretches back to the 40th Annual WSOP in 2009 when Vitaly Lunkin won the $40,000 buy-in high roller. Since then, the 'The Big One for One Drop,' and the 'High Roller for One Drop' have been the key high roller events awarding over $170 million in prize money. With another $29 million paid out in other high rollers in the last decade, the World Series of Poker has awarded over $199 million in high roller prize money.

WSOP No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Results

Year	Buy-in	Event	Entrants	Prize Pool	Winner	Country	First Prize
2009	$40,000	40th Annual High Roller	201	$7,718,400	Vitaly Lunkin	Russia	$1,891,018
2012	$1,000,000	The Big One for One Drop	48	$42,666,672	Antonio Esfandiari	United States	$18,346,673
2013	$111,111	One Drop High Roller	166	$17,891,148	Anthony Gregg	United States	$4,830,619
2014	$1,000,000	The Big One for One Drop	42	$37,333,338	Dan Colman	United States	$15,306,668
2015	$111,111	High Roller for One Drop	135	$14,249,925	Jonathan Duhamel	Canada	$3,989,985
2016	$111,111	High Roller for One Drop	183	$19,316,565	Fedor Holz	Germany	$3,981,775
2017	$111,111	High Roller for One Drop	130	$13,722,150	Doug Polk	United States	$3,686,865
2018	$100,000	High Roller	105	$10,185,000	Nick Petrangelo	United States	$2,910,227
2018	$50,000	High Roller	128	$6,144,000	Ben Yu	United States	$1,650,773
2018	$1,000,000	The Big One for One Drop	27	$24,840,000	Justin Bonomo	United States	$10,000,000
2019	$50,000	50th Annual High Roller	110	$5,280,000	Ben Heath	United Kingdom	$1,484,085

_{* List doesn't include six-handed or mixed-max tournaments. Click event for tournament reporting, click winner's name for final table recap.}

Players will begin with 300,000 in starting chips with levels lasting 40 minutes and a 15-minute break every three levels. Day 1 will play twelve levels with play ending at approximately 2:45 a.m. (PDT), while on Day 2, play will conclude once six players remain with the final table returning on Wednesday, July 10, at 12 p.m. (PDT) to be live-streamed.

Late registration for the Final Fifty will conclude at the start of Day 2 (approximately Tuesday, July 9, at 4 p.m. PDT), and players are allowed unlimited re-entry. A shot clock will be in play for the duration of the tournament.

The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand to provide continuous live updates of all the Final Fifty action once play is underway at 6 p.m. (PDT). So stay tuned right here to PokerNews.com for all your live reporting needs from the Final Fifty, and every event of the 2019 World Series of Poker.

Tags: Ben Heath