WSOP Day #49: Meanwhile, aside from the Main Event…

Richez, of France, achieved that goal on Monday evening with victory in the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship, landing himself not only the bracelet of his dreams but a huge $1,041,989 in prize money.

With his distinctive tattoos, some may remember Richez from his deep run in last year’s Main Event, where he finished in 5th place for what was then a career-best score of $188K. He made it through to the final day of this event 4th in chips with 17 remaining, and after a quick two hours had secured a spot at the final table.

That table included coach and poker vlogger Alec Torelli (3rd, $517,525) and British pro Adam Owen, who entered heads-up play with the lead but couldn’t close it out, bagging $696,714 for the third best cash of his live tournament career. It was the second runner-up finish for Owen at the 2024 WSOP, after his near-miss in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event.

Adam Owen

"I was very focused and didn't feel any doubt,” Richez said after his win, “I did not even check what first-place money was. I was just playing hand by hand and trying to play well."

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First bracelet for Joseph Sanders in $1,500 PLO

A Nevada local who spends most of his time playing cash games, Joseph ‘Toe’ Sanders has been known to enjoy the odd tournament, especially when the WSOP circus is in town. He’s tasted some success over the years, too, winning a WPT PLO event at the Aria in 2019, and now he’s bagged his first bracelet in a PLO event at the World Series.

1,306 players combined to build a prize pool of $1,740,840, of which Sanders took the biggest chunk of $269,530 when he defeated Russia’s Anatoliy Zlotnikov ($179,689) after a brief heads-up duel. The final table also featured Canada’s Mike Leah (5th, $63,321), Long Tran of the USA (4th, $88,273) and Sweden’s Alfred Karlsson (3rd, $124,984).

What next for PLO specialist Sanders? He confessed to having one eye on the $3K PLO event, starting Monday, July 15. More on that, below.

Bolden wins $3K HORSE on unscheduled Day 4

Gary Bolden

Three days were almost enough to get the 357 entrants of the 8-handed $3,000 HORSE event down to a winner, but not quite. So it was that two remained for a surprise Day 4, when two-time bracelet winner John Racener and Gary Bolden returned to put a bow on the penultimate mixed-game event of the summer.

Bolden and Racener are good friends away from the table, and came back for the unscheduled final day with the latter enjoying a significant chip lead. That would not last long, as Bolden won some big pots to quickly close the gap, eventually taking the lead for himself and ultimately winning the event with a scoop in a round of Stud Hi-Lo.

Racener and Bolden Heads Up

Bolden took $206,321 and his first WSOP bracelet, while Racener’s consolation prize was worth $135,877. The two friends now have one bracelet apiece this summer.

Having just played an event that lasted more than three days, Bolden was keen to get right back on the horse, telling reporters he intended to hop into the $25K HORSE event in a bid to go back-to-back.

Bleznick wins first bracelet in $50K High Roller

Jared Bleznick and friends

As expected, the $50,000 High Roller was filled with familiar faces, including the likes of Erik Seidel, Bryn Kenney, Viktor Blom and former PokerStars boss Isai Scheinberg. Would an unknown player emerge out of nowhere to defeat these big names?

No, is the answer, and for good reason. If a player exists who can easily tame these high rolling beasts, they’re unlikely to be some anonymous face in the crowd. Running with a pack this fast takes practice, and when it comes to the eventual winner - Jared Bleznick - perhaps the only surprise is that this was his first bracelet win.

But then, Bleznick is not known for his tournament exploits, as he told WSOP.com after his win. “I already know I can compete at the highest level and I've never given myself a chance to play a lot of tournament poker. I love tournament poker, I want to keep playing more and more. It does mean a lot to me. Having to do it in No-Limit Hold'em without any experience (playing High Roller No-Limit Hold'em tournaments) is unbelievable."

For defeating the 150-strong field - and a final table which included the likes of Justin Saliba (5th, $499,097), Nacho Barbero (4th, $685,405), Christoph Vogelsang (3rd, $957,104) and Jesse Lonis (2nd, 1,358,633) - Bleznick wins a huge $2,037,947.

Bleznick and Lonis, heads-up in the $50,000 High Roller

Rocco closes the big spot in $10K 6-Max

It was just last month that Michael Rocco gave a painfully honest appraisal of his final table play, telling interviewer Jeff Platt that “I always don’t close big spots, that’s just what I do.”

A month later, Rocco can look back on that interview and smile, all while throwing $942,922 in cash in the air like confetti. That’s the cash prize Rocco took home after his success in the $10K Championship (6-Handed) event, along with his very first WSOP winner’s bracelet.

After no fewer than 10 WSOP final table appearances, you could say Rocco was due a win. To get there he had to negotiate a field of 418 entries, which over three days played down to a final table that ultimately saw Rocco face off against last year’s victor, Alexandre Reard. The Frenchman was unable to go back-to-back, finishing in runner-up spot for a healthy $610,013, while Rocco took the hard-fought ‘W’.

"I woke up at four in the morning for 98 days straight and studied for six hours daily,” Rocco told WSOP.com, “I feel like it helped me at this tournament. I was quite short most of the time. I think I would have played a few hands differently had I not studied. It ended up working out."

Michael Rocco

Coming up on Day #50

Also playing out in the halls of the Horseshoe and Paris today are a number of side events with some way to go.

Those which will be finishing first are the $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty NLH, which has just nine players remaining, and the $25K High Roller HORSE, which has 10.

Among the nine contesting the former are David Stamm, who has the chip lead with 6,350,000, at a final table which also features the likes of Adam Hendrix (4th, 4,475,000), Ankit Ahuja (6th, 2,975,000) and Martin Finger (8th, 1,800,000). All players have $25,559 locked up, with the winner looking at a prize of $313,370.

WSOP 2024: not done yet

The $25K HORSE attracted 120 runners and saw deep runs for Phil Hellmuth (18th, $52,632), Paul Volpe (15th, $52,632) and Jason Mercier (11th, $55,263) before the final 10 were set for the night. Those 10 return to play to a winner, with Albert Daher of the Lebanon leading the way with a stack of 3,630,000. It’s a stacked final 10, with big names still in the mix include David Benyamine (3rd, 3,235,000), Phil Ivey (7th, 1,210,000) and Scott Seiver (9th, 830,000) who is seeking to nail down his Player of the Year title beyond any question.

Tournaments with a little longer to run include the $777 Lucky 7s event, which is down to 300 from 3,235 and which will take a couple more days to crown a winner. Likewise the $3K PLO event, which has played the first of three days and returns with 134 runners for Day 2, and the $1,500 Closer, which has a second starting flight to come before a final day on Wednesday.

Bracelet winners

• Event #1: $5,000 Champions Reunion – Asher Conniff (USA)
• Event #2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em – Jose Garcia (USA)
• Event #3: $500 Kickoff No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout – Daniel Willis (UK)
• Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better (8-Handed) – James Chen (USA)
• Event #5: $1,000 Mystery Millions - Malcolm Trayner (Australia)
• Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship – Darius Samual (UK)
• Event #7: $1,500 Dealer's Choice – John Hennigan (USA)
• Event #8: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha (8-Handed) - Bryce Yockey (USA)
• Event #9: $1,500 Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Nick Guagenti (USA)
• Event #10: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship - Scott Seiver (USA)
• Event #11: $1,500 Badugi - David Prociak (USA)
• Event #12: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em - Simeon Spasov (Bulgaria)
• Event #13: $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship - Robert Mizrachi (USA)
• Event #14: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold'em - Thibault Perissat (France)
• Event #15: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better - Caleb Furth (USA)
• Event #16: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Brent Hart (USA)
• Event #17: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack - TJ Murphy (USA)
• Event #18: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha - Dylan Weisman (USA)
• Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship - John Racener (USA)
• Event #20: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold'em - Stephen Winters (USA)
• Event #21: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (6-Handed) - Brek Schutten (USA)
• Event #22: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw (6-Handed) - Aaron Cummings (USA)
• Event #23: Event #23: $1,500 SHOOTOUT No-Limit Hold'em - Dan Sepiol (USA)
• Event #24: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship - Sean Troha (USA)
• Event #25: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Handed - Daniel Vampan (USA)
• Event #26: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Nick Schulman (USA)
• Event #27: $1,500 Big O - Michael Christ (USA)
• Event #28: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em - Evan Benton (USA)
• Event #29: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship (6-Handed) - Phil Ivey (USA)
• Event #30: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack - Alen Bakovic (Canada)
• Event #31: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed - Nicholas Seward (USA)
• Event #32: $1,500 Seven Card Stud - Richard Ashby (UK)
• Event #33: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack (8-Handed) - Alex Manzano (Chile)
• Event #34: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout - Antonio Galiana (Spain)
• Event #35: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - Phillip Hui (USA)
• Event #36: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack (8-Handed) – Timur Margolin (Israel)
• Event #37: $10,000 Big O Championship – John Fauver (USA)
• Event #38: $1,500 MONSTER STACK No-Limit Hold'em - Pedro Neves (Portugal)
• Event #39: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Sergio Aido (Spain)
• Event #40: $1,500 Razz – Scott Seiver (USA)
• Event #41: $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha Double Board Bomb Pot - Xixiang Luo (China)
• Event #42: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship - James Obst (Australia)
• Event #43: $1,500 Mixed: PLO Hi-Lo 8; Omaha Hi-Lo 8; Big O - Magnus Edengren (Sweden)
• Event #44: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Jared Kingery (USA)
• Event #45: $10,000 HORSE Championship - Maksim Pisarenko (Russia)
• Event #46: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship - Khang Pham (USA)
• Event #47: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em - Chris Hunichen (USA)
• Event #48: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed) - Chris Vitch (USA)
• Event #49: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em - Erlend Melsom (Norway)
• Event #50: $10,000 Razz Championship - George Alexander (USA)
• Event #51: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout - Peter Park (USA)
• Event #52: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em – Mostafa Haidary (Australia)
• Event #53: $3,000 Nine Game Mixed - Yuri Dzivielevski (Brazil)
• Event #54: $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold'em - Franco Spitale (Argentina)
• Event #55: $250,000 Super High Roller – Santhosh Suvarna (India)
• Event #56: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball (2-7, A-5, Badugi) – Patrick Moulder (USA)
• Event #57: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em – Frank Funaro (USA)
• Event #58: $50,000 Poker Players Championship - Daniel Negreanu (Canada)
• Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em - Sean Jazayeri (USA)
• Event #60: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Paolo Boi (Italy)
• Event #61: $2,500 Mixed: Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better; Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better - Dario Sammartino (Italy)
• Event #62: $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship - Hector Berry (UK)
• Event #63: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw - David Funkhouser (USA)
• Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack - Chris Moen (USA)
• Event #65: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold'em - Mark Checkwicz (USA)
• Event #66: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship - Elie Nakache (France)
• Event #67: $500 Salute to Warriors - No-Limit Hold'em - Ben Collins (UK)
• Event #68: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Colin Robinson (USA)
• Event #69: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better - Nikolay Fal (Russia)
• Event #70: $400 Colossus - Martin Alcaide (Bulgaria)
• Event #71: $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship - Shiina Okamoto (Japan)
• Event #72: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship - Scott Seiver (USA)
• Event #73: $25,000 Hit Roller Pot-Limit Omaha - David Eldridge (USA)
• Event #74: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship - Arash Ghaneian (USA)
• Event #75: $1,000 TAG TEAM No-Limit Hold'em - Jimmy Setna & Jason James (Canada)
• Event #76: $10,000 Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Matthew Lambrecht (USA)
• Event #77: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet (6-Handed) - Wing Liu (Hong Kong/UK)
• Event #78: $1,000 Mini Main Event - Georgios Skarparis (Cyprus)
• Event #79: $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha - Daniel Perkusic (Germany)
• Event #80: $800 Independence Day Celebration - No-Limit Hold'em - Francis Anderson (USA)
• Event #82: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Aditya Agarwal (India)
• Event #83: $1,500 Eight Game Mix (6-Handed) - Garth Yettick (USA)
• Event #84: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em - Carsten Heidemann (Germany)
• Event #85: $1,000 FLIP & GO No-Limit Hold'em Presented by GGPoker - Chance Kornuth (USA)
• Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha - Sascha Wilhelm (Germany)
• Event #87: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Matthew Alsante (USA)
• Event #88: $10,000 Eight Game Mixed Championship - Calvin Anderson (USA)
• Event #90: $1,500 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha - Joseph Sanders (USA)
• Event #91: $3,000 HORSE (8-Handed) - Gary Bolden (USA)
• Event #92: $50,000 HIGH ROLLER No-Limit Holdem - Jared Bleznick (USA)
• Event #94: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Championship (6-Handed) - Michael Rocco (USA)