Day 1 of Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship has come to an end at the 2023 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, with David Williams amassing a huge chip lead of 530,500 through ten levels of play, 213,000 in front of the second tallest stack, Max Hoffman.
The event has drawn a total of 111 players, which has already surpassed last year's field of 96 and stands to grow as late registration is still open until the beginning of play on June 6. Fifty-five of the players who entered remain after one day of play.
End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Williams | United States | 530,500 |
| 2 | Max Hoffman | United States | 317,500 |
| 3 | Tamon Nakamura | Japan | 289,500 |
| 4 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | Poland | 247,000 |
| 5 | Brian Yoon | United States | 216,500 |
| 6 | Matt Vengrin | United States | 208,500 |
| 7 | justin Liberto | United States | 205,000 |
| 8 | Joey Couden | United States | 196,000 |
| 9 | Frank Kassela | United States | 186,000 |
| 10 | Eli Elezra | Israel | 184,500 |
Williams, whose one WSOP bracelet came in seven card stud in 2006, and who has two other WSOP stud final tables, built his stack steadily throughout the day and is in pole position to make a run at his second piece of poker hardware.
A big portion of Williams’ chip stack came in a confrontation with James Paluszek. The two put in bets and raises on several streets, with Williams’ aggression finally moving Paluszek to muck on the river.
Other notables who survived into Day 2 include WSOP Hall of Famers Daniel Negreanu and Eli Elezra, four-time bracelet winner and 2006 WSOP Player of the Year Jeff Madsen, three-time mixed games bracelet winner and 2010 Player of the Year Frank Kassela, and two-time bracelet winner David "ODB" Baker.
Those to hit the rail on Day 1 included Nacho Barbero, Josh Arieh, Jack McClelland, Allen Kessler, and Humberto Brenes.
Perhaps the most incendiary exit belonged to Nick Schulman. Having just earned his fourth bracelet on Sunday in the $1,500 stud event, Schulman late registered and was busted just a short time later. The majority of the damage was done in a hand in which Schulman’s two pair was beaten by the straight of Andre Akkari. The hand left Schulman with only 7,000 chips, and he was eliminated just a few hands later, ending his run at winning back-to-back stud events and a fifth bracelet.
Defending champion Adam Friedman remains with a chance to defend his crown and add another bracelet to the five already on his shelf. Former champion Robert Mizrachi also remains. The 2021 champion Anthony Zinno, 2018 champion Yaniv Birman’s runs ended shortly before the conclusion of Day 1.
The remaining players will return Tuesday, June 3 at 1:00 p.m. local time to play seven 90-minute levels, with ten-minute breaks after each level and a 60-minute dinner break after Level 14, approximately 7:30 p.m. local time.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you all the action from this and other WSOP bracelet events throughout the day at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
