Time. None of us know how much of it we’ve got, we just know it’s not enough, whether in big bet games like No-Limit Hold’em or life itself. The blinds go up and up, and for all but one player at the table, any hand could be the last.
Tournament players are used to living on that edge; as $25K High Roller winner Nick Schulman recently told us, “This is the life we’ve chosen, we’re all built for it.”
Limit poker is kinda different, though. If no-limit players are hummingbirds - fluttering around with heartbeats going a mile a minute, constantly evaluating terminal risk and huge reward - limit players might be thought of as something closer to elephants. With a limit placed on all bets, momentum can be more important than the ability to turn on a dime. Though in the case of a head-on collision the results can be something to behold.
Ivey, Mercier and Wong run out of time in the Deuce
Event #29, the $10,000 2-7 Limit Triple Draw Championship was the big draw of the day for a few reasons, chief among them Phil Ivey, Jason Mercier, Benny Glaser and Allen ‘Chainsaw’ Kessler.
The day began with 13 boss-level crushers remaining to compete for the $347,440 first prize and the Champion’s title. One by one the titans fell, including the Chainsaw who ran out of fuel in 10th place ($28,060), as the limits - and the tension - slowly crept up and up.
With Phil Ivey so close to his first WSOP bracelet in a decade, there was no looking away - even if proceedings tended to drag on (see our Video of the Day from Blaise Bourgeois, below). Ivey rode a shortstack, and his luck, at times but the man some call the GOAT wouldn’t be put out to pasture. With the clock ticking on… and on… the field got down to just four: Phil Ivey, Jason Mercier, Danny Wong and defending champion Benny Glaser.
Alas for Glaser, his time as champion came to an end. In a heads-up pot with Phil Ivey both players made pat hands after two draws, but Glaser’s 
was no match for Ivey’s 
wheel, and the Englishman was left with just a few bets. Watch the cooler play out in our Hand of the Day, below.
Not long after Glaser was dealt a pat and got the last of his chips in against Danny Wong, who drew two, two and one to suck out for and send Glaser out in fourth for $104,825.
A new 2-7 Champion was therefore assured, but who will it be? We won’t know until tomorrow; they ran out of time.
Three-handed play resumes at 4pm, with the stream available from 5pm.
Two more tourneys stop the clocks at the business end
Also running out of time before a killing blow could be dealt was the $3,000 NLH 6-Max, which reached a final table of six but will return to play it out on Thursday.
Day 2 started with plenty of big names remaining, but only 187 would make the money. Chance Kornuth made a min-cash (185th, $2,005), followed out the door by players including Brian Rast (170th, $6,015), Martin Kabrhel (71st, $7,567), Alex Foxen (50th, $9,455) and Maria Ho (30th, $15,273). Anuj Agarwal was the last bracelet-holder standing, but went out in 9th for $48,904.
David Coleman of the USA has a healthy tournament resume, with over $5M in tournament earnings, but as of yet no WSOP bracelet. There’s a good chance that could change sooner rather than later, given the huge lead he takes into Day 3. His stack of 24,300,000 represents close to half the chips in play, putting him well ahead of Ukrainian Konstantyn Holsky in second place (7,800,000).
Also stopping short before the climax was the $1,500 7-Card Stud event. Day 2 started with 107 left from the starting field of 406, and ended with just nine. These include former WSOP winners Chris Tryba, Brandon Shack-Harris, Richard Ashby and Michael Noori, who holds the chip lead with a stack of 2,310,000.
A winner was due to be crowned on Day 2, but 12 hours of play couldn’t produce one. They’ll be back for an unscheduled Day 3, when the top prize of $113,725 will be awarded.
Benton intent on having fun in the Freezeout
While we all have one life to live, the same’s not always true when it comes to your tournament life. Rebuys and re-entries are the Mulligans of poker, giving the fallen a chance of resurrection - if they can afford it. That’s what makes the freezeout format so special: everyone gets one shot, come what may. Would the Main Event be quite so special if it wasn’t the world’s biggest freezeout?
Two such ‘one-and-done’ tourneys were on the menu on Day 16 of the 2024 WSOP, and one of them crowned a winner. Event #28: $1,500 Freezeout NLH started its third and final day with 22 of 2,317 still in the running. That 22 included one player who only took up poker seriously last year, making his debut appearance at the WSOP. Evan Benton of Louisiana picked up a few bucks last week in the $800 NLH Deepstack, but that’s nothing compared to the $412,484 he’s just scored for first place in the freezeout.
"I used to play back then when I was like 12 years old, but I didn't know anything,” Benton told the WSOP following his victory, “About a year and a few months ago, I just played with some friends and I was like, 'man, this is kind of fun,' and I just ran with it.” Talk about making up for lost time.
The other freezeout running yesterday had a slightly higher price tag, but the $439,395 up top is comparable to Benton’s big score. Event #34: $2,500 Freezeout NLH played its first day of three, as 1,267 runners were reduced down to just 191, all of whom are in the money for at the very least a min-cash of $5,000.
Players had to wait until late in the day for the bubble to burst, after which officials called time on the action. Former Main Event winner Qui Nguyen was the unfortunate ‘bubble boy’, while those still in the hunt include his fellow WSOP Champ Koray Aldemir (67,000), Patrick Leonard (143,000), Adrian Mateos (405,000), Erik Seidel (223,000), Jeremy Ausmus (399,000) and Maurice Hawkins (671,000).
A late charge saw Joshua Wang take the lead at the top of the chip count with 1,086,000, the only seven-figure stack, while Kristen Foxen is also flying high with 739,000 - good for fourth in the counts at the end of the day - ahead of Josh Arieh with 710,000 in sixth.
Breaking News: Final tables don’t have to be tense, drawn-out affairs
Unlike the action in the 2-7 Championship, the $600 Mixed NLH/PLO event didn’t run late into the night. Not only did the final table run to just four hours, it was largely played in a convivial, friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Canada’s Alen Bakovic can take plenty of credit for both those things, as his poker skills and easygoing manner saw him emerge with a win seemingly as popular as it was rapid.
145 of 3,351 started the day, and with three tables left Bakovic found himself at the bottom of the chip counts. By the time the final table was set, however, he’d grinded his way back to the very top.
It may have been his healthy chip lead over the field, which included Brian Keith Etheridge in second as well as 2018 bracelet-winner Joe Couden, but Bakovic was able to maintain his relaxed and engaging approach even as the pay jumps got steeper. By the time he got heads-up with Etheridge both players appeared to be enjoying the experience, sharing laughs and jokes even with almost $70,000 on the line - the difference between first and second place.
When Bakovic eventually put away the win, courtesy of a flopped set in a round of PLO, his rail - and no doubt many of his fellow players, even if through slightly gritted teeth - celebrated a victory for someone who has certainly brought a breath of fresh air to the WSOP.
Photo of the day
The rail thinned out as the action ran late in the $10K 2-7 Triple Draw Championship, but a nearby reminder of what they’re playing for kept the players on point.
Hand of the day
This crucial hand at the $10K 2-7 Triple Draw Championship left Benny Glaser on fumes, and moved Phil Ivey right into contention for his 11th WSOP bracelet.
Tweet of the day
At one point the WSOP literally stopped the clocks… to watch the basketball.
Video of the day
Being a poker reporter can be amazing, exhilarating and fun. Some times more than others.
The day in numbers
22
Bracelets among the final four in the 2-7 Championship: Phil Ivey (10), Jason Mercier (6), Benny Glaser (5), Danny Wong (1)
4
Hours it took for Alen Bakovic to run over the final table of the $600 NLH/PLO mix
$26,011
Evan Benton’s lifetime recorded results before the 2024 WSOP
$412,484
Amount Benton won in the $1,500 NLH Freezeout
Results
Event #28: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evan Benton | $412,484 |
| 2 | Balakrishna Patur | $274,972 |
| 3 | Andres Gonzalez | $201,518 |
| 4 | Haiyang Yang | $149,145 |
| 5 | Mukul Pahuja | $111,485 |
| 6 | Guofeng Wang | $84,175 |
| 7 | Nick Maimone | $64,202 |
| 8 | George Tomescu | $49,472 |
| 9 | Nicolas Vayssieres | $38,517 |
| 10 | Fahredin Mustafov | $30,304 |
Event #30: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alen Bakovic | $207,064 |
| 2 | Brian Keith Etheridge | $138,051 |
| 3 | Olegs Buiko | $101,682 |
| 4 | Sergio Benso | $75,518 |
| 5 | Quan Tran | $56,557 |
| 6 | Marcus Ruiz | $42,715 |
| 7 | Joseph Couden | $32,537 |
| 8 | Daniel Goldberg | $24,997 |
| 9 | Jianqiang Yu | $19,371 |
| 10 | Dylan Kalisky | $15,143 |
Ongoing events
Event #29: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship (6-Handed)
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danny Wong | 3,730,000 |
| 2 | Jason Mercier | 2,955,000 |
| 3 | Phil Ivey | 2,260,000 |
Event #31: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Coleman | 23,400,000 |
| 2 | Nicholas Seward | 9,000,000 |
| 3 | Konstantyn Holskyi | 6,900,000 |
| 4 | Nikolaos Angelou | 4,500,000 |
| 5 | Akinobu Maeda | 2,600,000 |
| 6 | Stephen Buell | 2,200,000 |
Event #32: $1,500 7-Card Stud
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Noori | 2,310,000 |
| 2 | Adam Owen | 2,190,000 |
| 3 | Richard Ashby | 1,750,000 |
| 4 | MengQi Chen | 1,620,000 |
| 5 | Jaycin Cross | 625,000 |
| 6 | Brandon Shack-Harris | 610,000 |
| 7 | Hal Rotholz | 510,000 |
| 8 | Chris Tryba | 320,000 |
| 9 | Aaron Kupin | 255,000 |
Event #33: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack (8-Handed)
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natalio Pereira | 2,240,000 |
| 2 | Jose Ferro | 2,200,000 |
| 3 | Maxx Coleman | 1,810,000 |
| 4 | Jacob Hamed | 1,800,000 |
| 5 | Alex Manzano | 1,795,000 |
| 6 | Iury Wolf | 1,635,000 |
| 7 | Robert Hurtig | 1,500,000 |
| 8 | Liran Betito | 1,445,000 |
Event #34: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Wang | 1,086,000 |
| 2 | Pei Li | 840,000 |
| 3 | Boris Angelov | 750,000 |
| 4 | Kristen Foxen | 739,000 |
| 5 | Antonio Galiana | 721,000 |
| 6 | Josh Arieh | 710,000 |
| 7 | Christian Pham | 705,000 |
| 8 | Andrew Dean | 704,000 |
| Notables | ||
| 11 | Maurice Hawkins | 671,000 |
| 21 | Farah Galfond | 472,000 |
| 26 | Adrian Mateos | 405,000 |
| 27 | Jeremy Ausmus | 399,000 |
| 81 | Erik Seidel | 223,000 |
Event #35: $1,500 HORSE
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Mayoh | 309,000 |
| 2 | Bryan Jolly | 307,000 |
| 3 | David Bach | 291,000 |
| 4 | Calvin Anderson | 257,500 |
| 5 | Billie Walter | 253,500 |
| 6 | Xixiang Luo | 250,500 |
| 7 | Jorge Ufano | 218,500 |
| 8 | Michael Horowitz | 217,500 |
| Notables | ||
| 19 | Yuri Dzivielevski | 179,000 |
| 26 | Shaun Deeb | 167,500 |
| 48 | Todd Brunson | 135,500 |
| 118 | Ari Engel | 81,000 |
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 #30: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack - Alen Bakovic (Canada)
Coming up on Day #17
The $600 PLO Deepstack got started yesterday, and 95 players will return on Thursday to hopefully play to a winner. Natalio Pereira has the big stack overnight with 2,240,000, with 2022 Lowball winner Maxx Coleman close behind in third (1,810,000).
The $10K 2-7, $3K NLH and $1.5K 7-Card Stud have just 3, 6 and 9 players respectively, so we definitely expect these events to close it out, while the $2,500 NLH Freezeout and $1,500 HORSE will each be trimming their fields for a final day on Friday.
Coming up fast on Thursday’s schedule we have event #36: $800 NLH Deepstack at 10am, followed by event #37: $10,000 Big O Championship at 2pm.
Will Ivey win his 11th bracelet? Will Mercier win his 7th? The stream will be up from 5pm, but we’ll be sure to bring you all the news in tomorrow’s daily wrap alongside everything else that matters from Day 17. And we promise we’ll keep it snappy. After all, time is money.
WSOP Day #16 gallery
