Joseph Cheong Bags Huge Chip Lead in Event #92: $50,000 High Roller; Seidel Sitting in Second
Day 1 of Event #92: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em has concluded here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas after 12 levels of play. Of the 150 runners who started the day, only 53 players will return for Day 2. With late registration still available through the first level of play (Level 13) on Day 2, it is yet to be determined if the event will break last year's record of 176 entrants.
The overwhelming chip leader heading into Day 2 is Joseph Cheong (3,350,000), who is on the hunt for his second World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet. Cheong had built a healthy stack throughout the day, but amassed a huge chunk of his chips in a shocking hand against David Coleman, where Cheong slow-rolled him on the river. In what turned out to be the biggest pot of the tournament, Coleman was not happy at first, but laughed it off afterwards.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Cheong | United States | 3,350,000 | 168 |
| 2 | Erik Seidel | United States | 1,930,000 | 97 |
| 3 | David Peters | United States | 1,760,000 | 88 |
| 4 | Brek Schutten | United States | 1,660,000 | 83 |
| 5 | Michael Moncek | United States | 1,575,000 | 79 |
| 6 | Lander Lijo | Spain | 1,445,000 | 72 |
| 7 | Dominik Nitsche | Germany | 1,385,000 | 69 |
| 8 | Paulius Plausinaitis | Lithuania | 1,365,000 | 68 |
| 9 | Michael Rocco | United States | 1,325,000 | 66 |
| 10 | Seth Davies | United States | 1,275,000 | 64 |
Hall of Famer Erik Seidel will enter Day 2 second in chips with 1,930,000. Seidel won his tenth bracelet less than a year ago at the 2023 World Series of Poker Paradise in Event #7: Super High Roller No-Limit Hold'em. He will be looking to follow up that performance with another win in a star-studded field.
Not far behind is David Peters in third with 1,760,000. He eliminated Anthony Zinno at the end of the night when he was all in preflop with pocket queens against Zinno's pocket aces. Peters spiked a queen on the flop to send Zinno to the rail.
Rounding out the top five are Brek Schutten (1,660,000) and Michael Moncek (1,575,000). Schutten won his first bracelet this summer in Event #21: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (6-Handed), and looks to add another. Moncek climbed to the top of the chip counts in a big hand against Fahredin Mustafov when his full house was paid off on the river.
Notable Eliminations
Alex Foxen's ace-ten fell to the pocket queens of John Pannucci.
Robert Mizrachi couldn't win a flip against Philip Wiszowaty. Jonathan Jaffe was short-stacked and all in with king-jack against Coleman's pocket jacks, but couldn't find a king. Justin Saliba was knocked out when his pocket nines were bested by Cheong's pocket queens.
Chris Hunichen, who captured his first bracelet this summer in Event #47: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em, ran into Dominik Nitsche's quads.
Scott Seiver, who currently sits atop the 2024 WSOP POY Leaderboard, exited on Day 1 when he got it all in with top pair versus Wing Po Liu's flush draw.
UFC Octagon Announcer Bruce Buffer, who finsished 8th in Event #39: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em, was eliminated towards the end of the day.
The event allows one reentry, so it is possible some players who exited on Day 1 may return for Day 2 to fire another bullet.
Action will begin on Day 2 at 1 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 13, at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, where the event will play down to the final five players. The prize pool and payouts will be announced after late registration has ended.
The tournament will resume at Level 13, with blinds at 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 big blind ante. Levels will be 40 minutes in length, with 15-minute breaks every three levels. A one-hour dinner break will take place after Level 21 at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time.
Be sure to follow PokerNews throughout this event, as well as future coverage throughout the summer.