The WSOP Main Event is converging into one full field today for the first time with 3,538 players left on Day 3.
The money bubble is at 1,507 so it will be a tough ask to make the money today as last year it required an extended day to reach it late in the night and that was with just 2,993 players returning needing ~ 1,6000 players to be eliminated to reach the money while today will need over 2,000 to drop.
The players who, for the most part, should not be concerned with only reaching the money are big stacks to start the day. As in the last three years 14 of the 15 top 5 stacks to start Day 3 have made the money.
Top 10 Chip Counts; Day 3 Start
Chip Position
Player
Hometown
Chip Count
1
Maurice Hawkins
West Palm Beach, FL
941,000
2
Nicholas Rigby
South Park, PA
921,500
3
Christopher Brammer
Southampton, England
879,000
4
Jeffrey Shapiro
Woodstock, GA
878,000
5
Julio Belluscio
Buenos Aires, Argentina
825,500
6
Beqir Salihu
Forth Worth, TX
801,000
7
John Sofillas
Lititz, PA
780,000
8
Nich Marchington
Hornchurch, England
716,000
9
Heitor Saraiva
Newnan, GA
665,500
10
Jacob Mitich
El Cajon, CA
660,000
Those big stacks are headlined by two enigmatic figures in Nicholas Rigby and Maurice Hawkins.
Rigby entertained viewers on the PokerGO live stream for hours on Day 2D as he successfully employed his loose, any two cards, no fear style of play. He pressured his opponents again and again, sometimes having it and sometimes not. He eliminated Phil Hellmuth when he flipped two pair over two pair to collect a signature former champ knockout. Rigby will start the day as the second-biggest stack with 921,500.
Hawkins is the largest stack to begin the day and is an enigmatic figure for different reasons than Rigby. Anyone with any familiarity with the WSOP circuit will know Hawkins from leading the all-time ring winner count and being always near the center of controversy for various reasons.
The rest of the field is littered with massive names still, a few of the ones in the top 100 in chips to start the day include; Nick Marchington (9th), James Obst (18th), Patrik Antonius (19th), Kathy Liebert (60th), Stephen Chidwick (64th), Chance Kornuth (85th).
Frankly, there are too many to list but we have them all covered in our instant coverage today!
