It’s here! The WSOP Main Event is up and running, cards were shuffled up and dealt, and plenty of players have already come and gone in what was an exciting first day for poker’s most famous live tournament.
Will this year’s Main Event hit even bigger numbers than last year’s record breaker? It’s early days, of course, but all the signs are pointing to another great year in poker's Big Dance.
Final numbers for those who put up the $10,000 entry fee on Day 1a are still being crunched but it's looking close to a thousand, of whom 620 survived the 5 x two-hour levels. Those players who made it through put in 10 hours of play, not including 20 minute breaks after every level and a longer one for the dinner break.
And while the survivors of Day 1a can now safely take a few days off, there’s not exactly time to get comfortable. Sunday’s first Day 2 will combine players from Day 1a, as well as today’s Day 1b and tomorrow’s Day 1c. If you’re still on the fence about playing - or drumming up the funds - Day 1d takes place on Saturday with 1d players returning for their own Day 2 on Monday.
Monday at noon will also be the last chance to enter. All remaining players will combine on Tuesday for Day 3, and after that, well, there’s simply the matter of playing another 8 consecutive days of poker until a winner emerges.
At this early stage, then, even the very biggest stacks still have an absolute Everest of a mountain to climb. While leading the way after Day 1 is far from a guarantee of success, those players with healthy stacks will surely rest a little easier on their days off. Among them are already some notable names, including Frank Funaro - winner of last week’s $10K Super Turbo Bounty bracelet - who has a top 3 stack (265,000) after five levels. Also in the top 10 is Naoya Kihara (228,300), who’s been making deep runs all series. USA’s Joshua Feiger is leading the way at this early stage with a stack of 311,900, good for 390 big blinds.
Day 1b drew 1,118 last year. Will 2024 put that in the shade? We’ll soon see: the action kicks off again at noon.
Two bracelets are better than one
Ask any poker pro and they’ll stress the importance of having friends in the game with whom you can discuss hands, strategies, tactics and ideas. Event #75: $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'em put that camaraderie in fresh perspective as only teams of two were allowed to enter.
1,437 such teams entered this event, and when all was said and done it was the duo of Jason James and Jimmy Setna holding the hardware. The Canadian pros defeated the team of Aaron Thomas and Burcu Dagli heads-up to clinch their first WSOP bracelets (they get one each), and combined prize money of $190,910.
"I always had a lot of belief," James told WSOP.com, "I knew it was gonna happen for Jimmy as well."
It’s always great to see teamwork making the dream work.
Lambrecht tops big $10K Mystery Bounty field
The $10,000 Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) event drew 568 last year - a figure that pales in comparison to the 965 entries who played the 2024 version. And while mystery is - literally - the name of the game, that success is no surprise: mystery bounty tournaments have never been more popular than they are right now.
The day started with nine players remaining, and ended when USA’s Matthew Lambrecht defeated Damarjai Davenport ($678,707) for a career-high $1,018,933 and his first WSOP bracelet. Lambrecht had to overcome a final table which included the likes of Eshaan ‘Brownballa’ Bhalla - a familiar face to many from his appearances on live-streamed games such as Hustler Casino Live.
Bhalla finished 6th for $182,846, and was quick to give a shout out to a legend of the modern game, Isaac Haxton.
For his part, Haxton made the money (120th, $13,605), as did any number of big name players including Maria Ho (102nd, $13,605), Stephen Chidwick (75th, $15,265), Sergio Aido (65th, $16,626), Patrick Leonard (43rd, $24,010) and Adrian Mateos (11th, $62,942).
Stud Hi-Lo goes long
The $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship was scheduled for three days, played four, and could have reached a fifth. Day 3 brought the field down to just two - Arash Ghaneian and Richard Sklar - but play concluded without a winner. The two returned to play an unscheduled Day 4, but things would not fly to a speedy conclusion.
In the end the pair played a marathon heads-up session - surely one of the longest in the WSOP’s history - which only ended around 8pm when Sklar got the last of his chips in, only to find Ghaneian had made the wheel to scoop the whole pot, the bracelet and the $376,476 up top.
Sklar, whose rail included such poker luminaries as Jason Mercier and Scott Seiver, had to settle for the $250,984 runner-up prize. But for Ghaneian it wasn’t just about the money.
"The money is great. I love the money,” Ghaneian told WSOP.com, “but I definitely wanted the bracelet ... I would almost want to get second-place money and get the bracelet as well because it's just that important."
Wing wins the battle of the big bets
It took 12 hours of play, but the 19 players who returned to close out event #77: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet (6-Handed) were eventually boiled down to a winner, as Wing Liu of Hong Kong claimed top spot and $209,942.
This seven-game mix includes all manner of no-limit and pot-limit games, making it a tightrope of a tournament where slip ups can be fatal and concentration is key. It’s also a game which attracts skilled players, and Liu’s victory came at the expense of a number of recognizable names in a field which included Alex Foxen (6th, $30,988), Denis Strebkov (10th, $13,285), Andy Black (14th, $10,575) and Phil Hellmuth (21st, $8,660).
Liu came into the final day with the chip lead and rode it home to victory, beating Hye Park of the USA ($136,574) in the heads-up finale. Liu, whose biggest win to date came last year at the WSOP Europe, is a successful PLO and hold’em player, but has less experience when it comes to the other games in the rotation for this event.
"I am not very familiar with the other games,” he told WSOP.com, “but I just use my own way to think about the games. More exploitative and less theory based strategies."
The win marks his first WSOP bracelet on American soil.
More tourneys play out on a busy day 37
While Day 37 saw four events end - and five bracelets awarded (go team!) - there was plenty more happening around the Paris and Horseshoe casinos, and that’s not even counting Day 1a of the Main Event.
The $1K Mini Main Event played down from 486 to just five, and while anything could happen it’s tough to envisage Kyle Williamson or Georgios Skarparis not going a good deal deeper. Williamson of the USA has the big stack of 146.3M, good for 49 big blinds, while Skarparis of Cyprus sits just behind with 143.7M. The next biggest stack is just 36.8M, while the shortie - Germany’s Dirk Bruns - has just 6 bigs heading into the final day.
Today marks America’s Independence Day, of course, and the WSOP has its own way of celebrating with event #80: $800 Independence Day Celebration No-Limit Hold'em. The first of two starting flights drew a staggering 2,864 players which played all the way down to 150. With Day 1b to come there’s no telling how big the field for this one will eventually be, but when all’s said and done at the end of Friday’s final day, one player can certainly expect to enjoy their independence. Financial independence, that is.
Just five players will return to close out the $50K PLO High Roller on Thursday, all of whom are guaranteed a cash of at least $503,085. Hong Kong crusher Danny Tang is out in front with a stack of 20,725,000, comfortably ahead of Ronald Keijzer of the Netherlands, currently second with 13,275,000. Daniel Perkusic (12,150,000), three-time bracelet winner Jim Collopy (5,100,000) and recent Super High Roller champion Santhosh Suvarna (4,850,000) round out the final five. $2,100,325 awaits the winner.
Photo of the day
Where else could we look but to the start of the most iconic tournament in poker. Shuffle up and deal!
Tweet of the day
Barny Boatman may have been nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame, but he's still not sure exactly why.
Hand of the day
You dream about it for years, you travel out to Las Vegas, you pay $10,000 and you bust. That’s a story many will experience before July is out, but most will last more than one hand.
For the full story on the hand that saw one player blow his entire stack the first chance he got, read our exclusive interview here.
Video of the day
It’s got to be last year’s winner Daniel Weinman getting proceedings started. He’s still wearing the grin a full year later.
The day in numbers
$2,100,325
Top prize in the $50K PLO High Roller, with five players remaining to fight it out
6,076
Players who took part in this year’s Mini Main Event
77
Events completed so far at the 2024 WSOP
Coming up on Day #38
Events returning on Thursday include the finales of the $50K PLO High Roller and the $1K Mini Main. Each is down to just five players, with top prizes on offer of over $2M in the PLO and $554,925 for the Mini Main.
The $800 Independence Day Celebration will offer a second starting flight, as of course will the Main Event, with Day 1b commencing at noon. Former champion Greg Raymer is expected to formally start proceedings with a ‘Shuffle Up and Deal’ of his own.
With the first day of this year’s Main Event bringing in the crowds, there's every chance a new record could be set. Will you be playing?
If you are - and even if you're not - make sure to stop off at the PokerOrg Legends Lounge, next to the Jack Binion Steakhouse in the Horseshoe. You can recharge your batteries (in your mind and your phone), meet some legends, grab a free drink and perhaps a few more free goodies. Drop by and say hi.
Not in town? Not to worry. Check back here every day to find out all the ins and outs of each day in this year’s incredible World Series of Poker!
Day #37 gallery
Results
Event #74: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arash Ghaneian | $376,476 |
| 2 | Richard Sklar | $250,984 |
| 3 | Thomas Taylor | $173,533 |
| 4 | Todd Brunson | $122,663 |
| 5 | Eric Wasserson | $88,686 |
| 6 | Dario Alioto | $65,620 |
| 7 | Andrey Zhigalov | $49,715 |
| 8 | Michael Rocco | $38,589 |
Full results on WSOP
Event #75: $1,000 TAG TEAM No-Limit Hold'em
| Place | Players | Prize (each) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason James / Jimmy Setna | $95,455 |
| 2 | Aaron Thomas / Burcu Dagli | $63,627 |
| 3 | Kevin Bagin / Mark Bagin | $45,617 |
| 4 | Patsy Altomari / Richard Ali | $33,119 |
| 5 | Charles Honkonen / Joshua Hopkins | $24,354 |
| 6 | Anthony Nardi / Jason Wheeler | $18,141 |
| 7 | Malcolm Trayner / Sheraton Hall | $13,691 |
| 8 | Henry Fischer / Marcos Exterkotter | $10,471 |
Full results on WSOP
Event #76: $10,000 Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed)
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Lambrecht | $1,018,033 |
| 2 | Damarjai Davenport | $678,707 |
| 3 | Tauan De Oliveira | $478,247 |
| 4 | Simas Karaliunas | $341,963 |
| 5 | Vladimir Minko | $248,174 |
| 6 | Eshaan Bhalla | $182,846 |
| 7 | Andrei Konopelko | $136,792 |
| 8 | Robert Heidorn | $103,942 |
Full results on WSOP
Event #77: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet (6-Handed)
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wing Liu | $209,942 |
| 2 | Hye Park | $136,574 |
| 3 | Xixiang Luo | $90,920 |
| 4 | Kane Kalas | $61,977 |
| 5 | Norberto Korn | $43,283 |
| 6 | Alex Foxen | $30,988 |
| 7 | Allan Le | $22,758 |
| 8 | Nitesh Rawtani | $17,156 |
Full results on WSOP
Ongoing events
Event #78: $1,000 MINI Main Event
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Williamson | 146,300,000 |
| 2 | Georgios Skarparis | 143,700,000 |
| 3 | Alexandre Barbaranelli | 36,800,000 |
| 4 | Mikhail Zavoloka | 20,200,000 |
| 5 | Dirk Bruns | 17,500,000 |
Event #79: $50,000 HIGH ROLLER Pot-Limit Omaha
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danny Tang | 20,725,000 |
| 2 | Ronald Keijzer | 13,275,000 |
| 3 | Daniel Perkusic | 12,150,000 |
| 4 | Jim Collopy | 5,100,000 |
| 5 | Santhosh Suvarna | 4,850,000 |
Event #80: $800 Independence Day Celebration - No-Limit Hold'em
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivan Denev | 2,480,000 |
| 2 | Michael Phillips | 2,010,000 |
| 3 | Mark Seif | 1,895,000 |
| 4 | Lukas Hafner | 1,875,000 |
| 5 | Brandon Sheils | 1,865,000 |
| 6 | Yoshiya Agata | 1,860,000 |
| 7 | Shalom Elharar | 1,785,000 |
| 8 | Agharzi Babayev | 1,780,000 |
| Notables | ||
| 68 | Men Nguyen | 703,000 |
| 87 | Dan Heimiller | 540,000 |
| 108 | Kevin MacPhee | 450,000 |
| 122 | Yang Zhang | 370,000 |
| 143 | Ari Engel | 215,000 |
Full chip counts at WSOP
Event #81: $10,000 MAIN EVENT No-Limit Hold'em World Championship (Day 1a)
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Feiger | 311,900 |
| 2 | Assaf Zeharia | 276,600 |
| 3 | Frank Funaro | 265,000 |
| 4 | Mark Stockton | 260,700 |
| 5 | Jie Wu | 252,300 |
| 6 | Nan Li | 247,500 |
| 7 | Vid Zagar | 241,300 |
| 8 | Jonathan Wong | 239,800 |
| Notables | ||
| 9 | Naoya Kihara | 228,300 |
| 27 | Connor Drinan | 192,000 |
| 37 | Phil Galfond | 182,700 |
| 54 | Parker Talbot | 170,000 |
| 62 | Matt Affleck | 161,700 |
| 90 | Bryce Yockey | 149,000 |
Full chip counts at WSOP
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)
Additional images courtesy of Alicia Skillman/Spenser Sembrat/WSOP
