Brian Frasca opened 4,000 and Jimmy D'Ambrosio defended the big blind.
When the 6♦4♦2♣ flop hit the felt, D'Ambrosio check-called a bet of 4,500.
The 5♥ landed on the turn, and both players tapped the table to see the A♦ on the river.
D'Ambrosio checked for a final time before being faced with a bet of 11,500. After a couple of seconds, he emphatically called as he slammed the chips across the line.
Frasca rolled Q♥10♥ for queen-high and D'Ambrosio took down the pot with a pair of fives as he tabled 10♠5♦.
Charlie Reed and Arthur Morris were battling over a 50,000-chip pot when Reed bet 21,000 from under the gun on a flop of 7♦J♠J♦. Morris snap called in the hijack and bet 42,000 chips when Reed checked to him on the 10♦ turn.
The 4♦ river then fell and Reed checked again, prompting Morris to bet 105,000 chips. Reed grabbed the required chips for a call and put them in the middle.
Morris tabled J♣10♣ for jacks full, causing Reed to toss his cards into the muck after a slight delay.
Damian Elias, an aspiring poker player with a relentless spirit, recently won a satellite tournament, securing his entry into the prestigious Main Event. As the night nears its end, he has already built a massive stack, an achievement that reflects his strategic prowess and determination.
Although he counts renowned players like Nacho Barbero and 2020 Main Event Champion Damian Salas among his friends, Elias humbly admits that he doesn't consider himself on their level. Instead, he likens himself to Rocky from the classic movie, an underdog with a fighting spirit, determined to prove himself in the high-stakes world of poker.
With his newfound opportunity, Elias is ready to channel his inner Rocky as he looks to head into Day 3 with a healthy stack.
Daniel Negreanu raised to 4,000 from early position. Mayuko Morita three-bet to 10,000 on his left. Patrick Leonard then made it 18,000 with a four-bet from the hijack, leaving himself only 1,500 behind. Anthony Migliaccio was in the big blind and five-bet it to 32,000. Negreanu quickly folded. Morita folded after a moment and Leonard committed the rest of his chips.
Patrick Leonard: J♦J♣
Anthony Migliaccio: Q♠Q♦
The flop came A♠4♣2♣, the turn was the 7♦ and the river the 4♦ to end the day for Leonard.
Cameron Mixson opened 5,500 in the hijack and the button called as did Jimmy D'Ambrosio in the small blind.
Before the dealer spread a flop of Q♠J♣10♣, D'Ambrosio checked smoke. Mixson fired 14,500, forcing the button out and D'Ambrosio stuck around with a call.
The 3♥ fell on the turn and D'Ambrosio check-called another bet, this time for 22,000.
When the 9♣ completed the board on the river, both players checked.
D'Ambrosio tabled Q♣J♦ for two pair to drag the pot as Mixson showed A♠Q♥.
James Dempsey was in middle position and moved all in for around 70,000 on a board of 7♠6♥J♠9♦. John Duthie put him at risk from early position.
Dempsey showed A♠6♠ for a pair and flush draw, while Duthie had 7♦6♦ for two pair. The 10♣ completed the board on the river and Dempsey failed to improve as he was sent to the rail in the closing moments of Day 2.
The action was caught on a turn of A♥10♥3♠J♦. Evan Benton checked to his opponent, who made a pot-sized bet of 23,000 chips. Benton then jammed all in for 100,000 chips and was snap called.
Evan Benton: Q♥9♥
Opponent: K♦Q♠
Benton needed a king or heart to stay alive in the Main Event, and the river brought him the 7♥ to double up just before then end of Day 2.
Day 2abc of Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event saw 3,143 hopefuls reconvene in the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas to continue their shot at becoming poker's next world champion. They were joined by 206 late-registrants, bringing the total entrants for this year's Main Event up to 9,493 — just 550 shy of the record-breaking 10,043 entrants from last year.
By the time play ended for the day, fewer than half of those who sat down secured a spot on Day 3. Anthony Marsico claimed the top spot after running his modest 76,900 into a massive stack of 797,000 by the time the last hand was dealt. Marsico, who recently placed fourth in the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship, explained he won an enormous pot wherein a player four-bet shoved for over 200,000 after Marsico three-bet with kings. His opponent held ace-king, and Marsico held up.
The final number of entrants, along with prize pool and payout information, will be determined at some point after late registration ends on Day 2d. Late registration will officially close at the end of Level 7 on Day 2d, so a record-setting Main Event is still within reach. The remaining players from Day 2abc and Day 2d will reconvene for Day 3 on Tuesday, July 9, at noon.
End of Day 2abc Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chips
Day 3 Big Blinds
1
Anthony Marsico
United States
797,000
319
2
Christopher Vincent
United States
772,000
309
3
Manuel Machado
United States
680,500
272
4
Jangkyu Lee
South Korea
665,500
266
5
Karo Nuri
Switzerland
646,500
259
6
Diogo Veiga
Portugal
615,500
246
7
Damarjai Davenport
United States
615,000
246
8
Valentin Oberhauser
France
613,500
245
9
Assaf Zeharia
Israel
601,000
240
10
Mehrdad Vahabi
United States
595,000
238
Koray Aldemir
Several Main Event champions took their seats at the start of the day in hopes of becoming the first person to win the Main Event more than once since Stu Ungar, who accomplished the feat for a third time in 1997. While many were unable to bag, including Joe Hachem, Jamie Gold, Phil Hellmuth, Qui Nguyen, and Chris Moneymaker, a few kept their repeat dreams alive.
Faring best of the bunch was Hossein Ensan, who ended the day with 353,000. Scott Blumstein and Koray Aldemir also bagged up a respectable 236,000 and 242,000, respectively.
"I always enjoy playing the Main Event a lot. It's a great structure, of course. I've got off to a good start. Nothing crazy so far," Aldemir explained.
Aldemir, who is no stranger to deep Main Event runs (having cashed it four separate times, including his win), had this to say for anyone running deep in the event:
"It's still a normal poker tournament...same rules as any other tournament. I think some people overestimate the fact that it is the Main Event. Maybe they're too scared to put the money on the line and things like that. Just stick to your game."
John Duthie
Other notables who earned a Day 3 berth include Diogo Veiga (540,000), John Hennigan (470,000), Bin Weng (350,500), Arden Cho (328,000), Daniel Negreanu (95,000), and John Duthie — who benefitted from a late-night surge after eliminating James Dempsey late in the evening en route to bagging 419,500.
However, as is always the case in poker, one person's success means another's misfortune. Among those who will have to wait until next year for Main Event glory are Dominik Nitsche, Julien Martini, Noah Schwartz, Patrick Leonard, and three-time bracelet winner Vanessa Selbst, who made a rare appearance at the WSOP after giving up playing poker full time back in 2018. Selbst wasted little time getting involved in pots and experienced a rollercoaster of ups and downs early on. As the day progressed, Selbst found herself largely card dead and ultimately ended up busting in the evening hours.
Kevin Martin of Big Brother and Twitch fame was also eliminated after getting his pocket kings cracked by queens and took to Twitter to vent his frustrations.
Action resumes on Monday, July 8 at noon for Day 2d. Play will begin on Level 6, which features 400/800 blinds with an 800 big blind ante. Day 3 kicks off on July 9, also at noon, with Level 11, where blinds are 1,000/2,500 and a 2,500 big blind ante.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you all the action in the coming days leading to the next Main Event champion!
