Liu and Foxen Lead the Final 19 Into Day 3 of the $2,500 Big Bet Mix
PLO – PLO 8 – Big O - PLTD: 8,000/16,000, 16,000 Ante
No-Limit Hold’em: 8,000/16,000, 24,000 Ante
A mix of seven games occupy the plaques played with in Event #77: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet here at the 2024 WSOP. Each one of the games has a pot-limit or a no-limit betting structure, ensuring that the pots played would be very sizable and the swings would be particularly wild. Registration for the tournament was open until an hour into the day, and the field saw a total of 468 entrants try to capture the bracelet. With nearly one hundred players more in this year’s field than last year’s, this saw a total a prizepool of $1,041,300 which was divided up among the final 71 players. Each one of the players in the money was guaranteed a cash of $5,011, with the eventual winner set to receive $209,942.
Leading the way of the final 19 is Wing Liu, who ended their day with 2,387,000. Originally from Hong Kong, Liu has had quite a productive past year as far as the WSOP is concerned. The 2023 WSOP saw him collect eight cashes, including a third-place finish for $241,767 in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max. After that, the WSOPE happened, and Liu collected his first bracelet in the $5,000 PLO for $246,797. Most of the day, Liu spent flirting with the top spot, but a massive pot in Big O that he took off of Per Hildebrand propelled him into the chip lead, a spot he never relinquished as the night went on. With his recent WSOP success, a second bracelet would fit nicely into his burgeoning resume.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wing Liu | Hong Kong | 2,387,000 |
| 2 | Alex Foxen | United States | 2,243,000 |
| 3 | Allan Le | United States | 1,500,000 |
| 4 | Xixiang Luo | China | 1,370,000 |
| 5 | Chris Klodnicki | United States | 1,053,000 |
| 6 | Craig Hartman | United States | 1,048,000 |
| 7 | Hye Park | United States | 937,000 |
| 8 | Denis Strebkov | Russia | 842,000 |
| 9 | Andy Black | Ireland | 756,000 |
| 10 | David Lin | United States | 657,000 |
Sitting right behind him is WSOP bracelet winner and ChipLeaderCoaching team member Alex Foxen, who ended his night with 2,243,000. Despite being known primarily for his success on the NLH felt, Foxen has shown his ability to adapt and play other game types, with many cashes and successes in non-NLH events throughout his career, as well as a deep run in this year’s $10,000 PLO8 Event. Foxen spent much of the later part of the day nearing the top of the chip counts, building the chip walls he is known for. A very memorable confrontation with 17-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth gave him a pot that pushed him up to second in chips. With $32,587,809 in lifetime earnings, the highly respected pro will be looking to add another bracelet to his decorated trophy collection.
Bracelet winner Allan Le (1,500,000) rounded out the top three, with recently crowned bracelet winner Xixiang Luo (1,370,000) coming in right behind him. Others that found bags included old school legends like Chris Klodnicki (1,053,000) and Andy Black (756,000), as well as others like Andres Korn (420,000), Lawrence Brandt (273,000), and Kane Kalas (267,000). They will be among the few to compete tomorrow for this bracelet.
Day 2 Action
The players returned to an action-packed beginning of the day as they quickly entered the tournament and took their seats, with players busting the tournament and leaving just as quickly. David Williams, Jeff Madsen, Sylvain Naets, Brian Hastings and more departed the field before the money.
The money bubble burst courtesy of Ray Fishman (33rd - $6,344) who eliminated Stephen Moreschi in Pot-Limit 2-7 Triple Draw as Fishman made a seven off of the second draw, besting Moreschi’s eight. He departed the field quickly as the remaining 71 players all secured themselves a minimum payout.
After that, many big names continued to fall. Ryan Riess (62nd - $5,011), Ari Engel (57th - $5,011), Daniel Weinman (43rd - $5,136), Ryan Leng (39th - $5,686), and Joey Couden (23rd - $8,660) were among those to fall prior to finding a bag at the end of the day. They were among a group of highly decorated cashers that occupied the seats of today’s tournament. With the Main Event starting tomorrow, those players are likely to have their sights set on a banner on the wall.
Perhaps the most memorable elimination of the tournament came near the end of the night when Foxen and Hellmuth clashed in 2-7 Single Draw. Foxen opened with a four-card seven draw, prompting Hellmuth to move all in with his pat ten. Foxen called and drew to his hand, making an eight and prompting a “Poker Brat” tirade. Foxen and Hellmuth continued to discuss the hand in raised voices, ending with Hellmuth screaming from the other side of the room, “Nice call, Alex!” before collecting his payout in 21st place.
While all that chaos was happening, Per Hildebrand was eliminated at another table when his nine-seven got all in against an eight-seven in Pot-Limit 2-7 Triple Draw. He was eliminated, and the final 19 players bagged up their chips for the night.
Players will return to Horseshoe at 1:00 p.m. in Level 22. The blinds will be 5,000/10,000 with a 15,000 ante in the Pot-Limit 2-7 Triple Draw and No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw rounds, 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante in the Pot-Limit Omaha, Pot-Limit Omaha Eight or Better, and Big O round, and 4,000/8,000 with a 12,000 big blind ante. Levels will last an hour each, with play continuing until a winner is reached.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all updates on the 2024 WSOP.