A total of 1,189 entrants filled the tables at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for Event #2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em at the 2024 World Series of Poker, with 179 participants making the money and advancing to Day 2 tomorrow.
The turnout, which surpassed the number of entries from last year's event, generated a prize pool of $499,380. At the end of play tomorrow, the eventual champion will receive the lion’s share, $79,134 and the coveted WSOP bracelet.
After just over 15 levels of play, Caleb O’Donnell of Canada secured the chip lead with 583,000, with Bryan Lapham following in a close second with 529,000. The final player edging their way onto the podium was Juan Carlos Latuff with 479,000. Latuff catapulted his stack into one of the top positions after eliminating two players in quick succession during Level 14.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caleb O'Donnell | Canada | 583,000 | 97 |
| 2 | Bryan Lapham | United States | 529,000 | 88 |
| 3 | Juan Carlos Latuff | United States | 479,000 | 80 |
| 4 | Johnathan Sanchez | United States | 468,000 | 78 |
| 5 | Willie Coleman | United States | 451,000 | 75 |
| 6 | Andrew Rivero | United States | 443,000 | 74 |
| 7 | Alexander Green | United States | 436,000 | 73 |
| 8 | Michael Bailey | United States | 434,000 | 72 |
| 9 | William Mccool | United States | 421,000 | 70 |
| 10 | Eric Roberts | United States | 418,000 | 70 |
Other notable players who built and bagged a big stack include Jonathan Sanchez (468,000), Alexander ‘Optinal’ Green (436,000), William McCool (421,000), and Michael ‘Skull Mike’ Reisman (233,000).
PokerNews' Claudio Elizalde (308,000), Tyler Boyer (292,000), Chance Castro (159,000), Nick Becker (113,000), Lukas Robinson (110,000), Connor Richards (82,000), and Tyler Foran (52,000) also made it through to Day 2
Some notable players who didn't bag a stack include PokerNews' own Chad Holloway, the 2013 winner of this event, who won't be adding a second WSOP Employees title this time. Kyna England, Jesse Fullen, and Terrance Reid also fell just short of the end of play today.
Players will reconvene at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29, at the Horseshoe for the Day 2 finale. Twenty-six minutes remain in Level 16, with blinds starting at 3,000/6,000 and a 6,000 big blind ante, continuing until a winner is crowned.
Stay tuned for all the excitement as the PokerNews Live Reporting team covers Day 2, along with our comprehensive summer-long coverage of the 2024 WSOP at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
