Rafael Reis Bags Up Top Ten Stack on Day 1d of the Gladiators of Poker
Day 1d of Event #20: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold'em is done and dusted here at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The fourth and final flight of this monster-sized event drew in another 6,869 entrants, taking the total attendance to 20,647. The WSOP will release official numbers shortly after Day 2 begins.
The chip leader on Day 1d didn't write their name on their overnight chip bag, which is a shame because that bag contains an impressive 2,600,000 chips. [That stack belongs to Travis Egbert.] Bracelet winner Rafael Reis of Brazil did scribble his name in his bag, so we know he heads into Day 2 with 2,000,000 chips at his disposal, enough for ninth place in the Day 1d chip counts.
Reis became a WSOP champion in 2023 after taking down the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed event for a career-best $465,501. There's a long way to go in this event, but it would be silly to write off Reis' chances of becoming a two-time bracelet winner.
End of Day 1d Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Egbert | United States | 2,600,000 | 52 |
| 2 | Trey Brabham | United States | 2,425,000 | 49 |
| 3 | Robert Hover | United States | 2,275,000 | 46 |
| 4 | Rodrigo Zouvi | Mexico | 2,250,000 | 45 |
| 5 | Justin Datloff | United States | 2,245,000 | 45 |
| 6 | Varanpreet Sidhu | Canada | 2,205,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Jeremie Bilodeau | Canada | 2,125,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Tero Laurila | United States | 2,100,000 | 42 |
| 9 | Rafael Reis | Brazil | 2,000,000 | 40 |
| 10 | William Shultz | United States | 1,990,000 | 40 |
Reis is not the only bracelet winner to navigate their way through the treacherous Day 1d waters. Rajaee Wazwaz (1,240,000) punched his Day 2 ticket, as did Quincy Borland (1,040,000), Hassan Kamoei (555,000), and Pei Li (540,000).
On Day 2, the 757 surviving players from all four flights will combine into one field at 11 a.m. on June 10. Those players should be sitting down to Level 23, meaning blinds are 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante. The plan is to complete 17 40-minutes levels. Players will enjoy a 20-minute break every three levels, with an hour-long dinner break penciled in after Level 31, which will be around 5:40 p.m. local time.
As always, PokerNews is the place to get all the updates from this and every live bracelet-awarding event of the 2024 WSOP.