The third of four starting flights in Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event No-Limit Hold'em World Championship has come to an end, and it proved to be the biggest one yet after drawing approximately 3,080 players here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Of those players, it was Christopher Brammer who rose to the top after bagging 386,100 in chips through five levels of play. Other big stacks include Sreekanth Nistala (260,200) and Tom Cannuli (248,000). Some 2,326 players progressed.
Brammer, a poker professional from the United Kingdom, is no stranger to poker success, with over $2 million in career tournament earnings in the live arena and millions more from the online poker world. The Brit won his first and only bracelet back in 2017 in a Turbo No-Limit Hold'em event, and he is now in prime position to make a deep run in the Main Event.
End of Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Brammer | United Kingdom | 386,100 | 483 |
| 2 | Michael Banducci | United States | 292,600 | 366 |
| 3 | Lawrence Chang | United States | 280,900 | 351 |
| 4 | Roman Valerstein | United States | 273,300 | 342 |
| 5 | Michael Pinto | Netherlands | 266,600 | 333 |
| 6 | Daniel Kirsch | Canada | 252,800 | 316 |
| 7 | DID NOT REPORT 11 | United States | 248,100 | 310 |
| 8 | Adrian Buckley | United States | 245,000 | 306 |
| 9 | Patrick Beuter | United States | 244,200 | 305 |
| 10 | Keith Cummins | Ireland | 244,000 | 305 |
Former Champions Continue to Bag, and Agüero Makes a Special Appearance
The trend of WSOP Main Event champions bagging into Day 2 continued after Joe McKeehen (111,500), Tom McEvoy (90,400), Scott Blumstein (71,900), Espen Jorstad (62,000), and Ryan Riess (68,100) all navigated their way through Day 1c. They will be joining fellow champions Greg Raymer, Johnny Chan, Martin Jacobson, Damian Salas, and Jamie Gold for Day 2abc on July 7.
Speaking of Main Event champions, Phil Hellmuth teased another grand entrance for tomorrow, which he tweeted will consist of him dressing up as “The Greatest Showman” alongside two-time Poker Player’s Championship winner Dan Cates, who is expected to don a lion costume.
https://twitter.com/phil_hellmuth/status/1676673208966324224
Former professional footballer (soccer player) Sergio Agüero, widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the Premier League, made a late appearance in the day and managed to bag up a respectable 85,500. The Manchester City all-time top goalscorer has dabbled in poker before, having just under $6,000 in live tournament earnings, and will be looking to make a splash in the poker world from Day 2 onward.
Day 1c had no shortage of other top pros and notables who took their shot at WSOP glory. A few who earned a Day 2 berth include Josh Arieh (181,200), Michael Wang (158,600), Phil Laak (146,100), Mustapha Kanit (142,400), Ronnie Bardah (121,400), Stephen Chidwick (105,000), Masato Yokosawa (100,600), and Todd Brunson (88,200).
Daniel Negreanu spent much of his day at the feature table alongside Shelby Wells, whose first and only WSOP cash came last year after she won a seat to the Main Event from Nadya Magnus via a Twitter competition. Shelby went on to place 97th in 2022, but she ended up busting late in the evening despite being up to as much as 140,000 earlier in the day. Negreanu didn't fare much better as he was unable to build any real momentum and ended up bagging 25,900.
Some notables who will have to wait until next year for another shot at the title include Maria Ho, Vanessa Selbst, Erik Seidel, Mikita Badziakouski, Darren Elias, and Kevin Martin, who, despite getting off to a hot start and pulling off a sick bluff, fizzled out and was eliminated in Level 4.
Koray Aldemir was also sent out during one of the last hands of the evening in brutal fashion after running kings into aces to become the first Main Event winner to fail to find a bag during this year's tournament.
So far, approximately 5,217 players have entered across the first three start days. This means that Day 1d will need to attract more than 3,500 players in order to break the record number of 8,773 entrants – a record that has stood since 2006 when Gold became the world champion. Day 1d is anticipated to attract the most number of players by a large margin, so the record is well within reach. And even if the record is not broken by the end of Day 1d, registration will remain open through the first two levels of both Day 2s.
Day 1d gets underway on July 6 at 12 p.m. local time. Blind structures remain the same as previous Day 1s, and play will last for five 120-minute levels. Twenty-minute breaks will be held after each level, and a 75-minute dinner break will commence after level three.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you all the action for Day 1d, which is sure to draw the most players, heartache, and elation yet here at the 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event!