James Obst Hops Out to an Early Lead in $50,000 Poker Players Championship
Day 1 of Event #58: $50,000 Poker Players Championship has come to an end here inside the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas with James Obst leading the way after bagging up 1,208,000 in chips. WSOP bracelet winner Aaron Katz joins Obst as the only other player to bag over a million after ending with 1,192,500. Rounding out the top three is German pro (and also one-time bracelet winner) Johannes Becker, who finished the night with 898,000.
Obst was able to steadily increase his stack throughout the day, including in a hand where he busted Dzmitry Urbanovich after catching two pair on the river. Obst entered fresh off of his victory in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for his second career bracelet and is currently best positioned to make a run at his third.
The event has drawn 75 entrants so far, which is close to the same number Day 1 ended with last year. More are expected to enter tomorrow as the poker world's best and brightest take their shot at arguably the most prestigious tournament of the year.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Obst | Australia | 1,208,000 | 101 |
| 2 | Aaron Katz | United States | 1,192,500 | 99 |
| 3 | Johannes Becker | Germany | 898,000 | 75 |
| 4 | Bryce Yockey | United States | 780,000 | 65 |
| 5 | Phil Hui | United States | 733,000 | 61 |
| 6 | Maksim Pisarenko | Russian Federation | 693,000 | 58 |
| 7 | Gus Hansen | Denmark | 652,500 | 54 |
| 8 | Phil Ivey | United States | 567,000 | 47 |
| 9 | Chino Rheem | United States | 567,000 | 47 |
| 10 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | 543,000 | 45 |
Day 1 Action
Day 1 got off to a modest start with 12 players, as is typically the case in championship events, with many players opting to enter in later levels when blinds are more significant. Among the early birds were Scott Seiver, Viktor Blom, Dylan Linde, David Benyamine, Bryce Yockey and Daniel Negreanu — who entered looking to turn his summer around after a rough first half of the 2024 WSOP.
While Negreanu was able to navigate his way to a top-ten stack, Seiver found himself making an early exit after getting short and shoving preflop with ace-five suited into Yockey's ace-king.
Unlike years prior, two-time Poker Player's Championship winner Dan Cates made a subdued entrance in the latter part of Level 1, opting to wear a black t-shirt with jeans instead of a costume. The casual-looking Cates was able to find a bag but will have some work to do as he currently sits with less than half a starting stack at 124,500.
Gus Hansen also made a rare appearance after deciding to late reg a couple of levels after the start. The last time "The Great Dane" cashed in a WSOP event was back in 2019, when he placed 689th in the Main Event. Despite his relative absence on the tournament scene, Hansen proved he can still hang with the best by finishing seventh in chips with 652,500.
Some other notables who bagged into Day 2 include Eli Elezra (164,000), Benny Glaser (205,500), Nick Schulman (311,500), Jason Mercier (344,500), Erick Lindgren (480,000), three-time PPC winner Michael Mizrachi (489,000), and the man with the second-most bracelets — Phil Ivey, who bagged up a very healthy 567,000.
Defending champion Brian Rast had a rough go of it and was left short after being scooped by Maxx Coleman in a hand of Omaha Hi-Lo. Talal Shakerchi and Erick Lindgren chopped up the rest of Rast's chips in the same game a while later.
Among those joining Rast on the rail were David "ODB" Baker, Felipe Ramos, Philip Sternheimer, Koray Aldemir, and Yuri Dzivielevski — who busted late in the evening in a three-way clash with Saya Ono and John Monnette.
The tournament will resume on Monday, June 24, at 1 p.m. local time for Day 2. Play will resume on Level 7, which features 3,000/6,000 blinds with 6,000/12,000 betting limits. Levels will remain 100 minutes each and players will get 15-minute breaks after each level, with an extended 60-minute dinner break after Level 9. Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 10 (approximately 7:45 p.m.)
Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we bring you all the mixed-game action leading to the money bubble and beyond in the renowned $50,000 Poker Player's Championship!