The Quest for the 2024 Gladiator: Day 2 Dawns
After four intense starting flights, the field is narrowing in Event #20, the Gladiators of Poker at the renowned Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas at the 2024 World Series of Poker. A staggering 20,647 players entered the fray, but only 757 remain to vie for the $401,210 first-place prize and the iconic gold bracelet. The official prize pool will be released shortly.
Day 1a witnessed 3,792 contenders, with a mere 124 warriors advancing to Day 2. Leading the pack was Caleb Levesque, boasting an impressive 3,145,000 in chips.
Day 1b's gates welcomed 4,317 hopefuls, from which 155 emerged victoriously, including chip leader Dan Heimiller, wielding a formidable 3,875,000 chip stack.
In the heat of Day 1c, 5,669 challengers battled fiercely, with 203 earning passage to Day 2. Among them, Giovanny Rodriguez Ocampo of Columbia shone as the chip leader, with a commendable 3,010,000 chips.
Finally, Day 1d unfolded with 6,869 contenders. The chip leader is a mystery as of now, but will be released shortly, returning among the 275 survivors.
Notable names still in the field include World Series bracelet winners Roberto Romanello (2,200,000), Rafael Reis (200,000), Brett Shaffer (1,200,000), Dalibor Dula (1,150,000), Ori Hasson (1,045,000), Men Nguyen (800,000), and Mark Seif (700,000).
Eyes will also be on the $25K Fantasy players remaining in the tournament which include Shaun Deeb (365,000), Arthur Morris (680,000), Steven Wolansky (90,000), and Michael Moncek (1,575,000). Joining these players battling it out in Day 2 is poker hall of famer Barry Greenstein (525,000) and Game of Gold's Olga Iermolcheva (830,000).
Some names who tried their luck but didn’t make it through to Day 2 include Nick Jivkov, David Simon, and Greg Raymer.
Start of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Dan Heimiller | US | 3,875,000 | 778 |
| 2 | Nao Yang | Us | 3,220,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Caleb Levesque | US | 3,145,000 | 623 |
| 4 | Giovanny Rodriguez Ocampo | Columbia | 3,010,000 | 60 |
| 5 | Thomas Osmun | US | 2,780,000 | 56 |
| 6 | Rami Hammoud | Canada | 2,760,000 | 55 |
| 7 | Charles Jones | US | 2,690,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Travis Egbert | US | 2,600,000 | 52 |
| 9 | David Gonia | US | 2,520,000 | 50 |
| 10 | Mohammadreza Soltany | US | 2,480,000 | 50 |
As the sun rises on Day 2, action recommences at 11 a.m. local time at the Horseshoe. Participants will navigate through 17 intense 40-minute levels, punctuated by a respite every three levels for 20 minutes. Following Level 31, players will enjoy a well-deserved 60-minute dinner break, slated for approximately 5:40 p.m. local time.
Keep your eyes glued to PokerNews for live coverage as we journey towards crowning the victor of this thrilling event, and for all the latest updates from the 2024 WSOP.