The juggernaut that is the World Series of Poker Main Event returned for another five levels of play on Sunday, bringing together the players who battled through Flights 1A, 1B and 1C, as well as 206 who opted to register late and start their tournament on Day 2.
It was, of course, absolutely enormous and kept the room(s) crackling with anticipation throughout.
Those late registrants brought the field so far to 9,494 entries and kept organisers and reporters guessing as to whether the field will reach the symbolic 10,000 milestone, or the 10,044 that would represent a new record. It now seems unlikely, but there are still two levels of registration left on Monday, so expect a good few more.
But to review Sunday's action: No fewer than 13 former WSOP champions played, though all of Chris Moneymaker, Jerry Yang, Jamie Gold, Joe Hachem, Phil Hellmuth and Qui Nguyen were eliminated, leaving German duo Hossein Ensan (353,000) and Koray Aldemir (236,000), as well as the 2017 champ Scott Blumstein (242,000), to lead the two-time hopes.
There are also still a ton of big names near the upper echelons of the chip counts, including Hall of Famers Erik Seidel (319,000) and John Hennigan (461,500), WPT Player of the Year Bin Weng (350,500), streaming pioneer Parker Talbot (416,500) and Hollywood star Arden Cho (328,000). The EPT founder John Duthie has a healthy stack of 419,500, and is among a European contingent also featuring Adrian Mateos (330,000) and Max Pescatori (285,500) among many others.
At this stage, American pro Anthony Marsico leads the way, however, looking to improve on his fourth-placed finish in the $10K Limit Hold'em Championship earlier during the Series. From a 60,000 starting stack two days ago, Marsico has 797,000 chips. That's more than anybody else. But every single interview and article offering WSOP Main Event advice focuses on one thing: this is a marathon not a sprint, and stacks really don't mean an awful lot until at least another couple of days from now.
That said, this is how we keep score in this game, and the rest of the top five after Sunday's play is as follows:
Christopher Vincent: 772,000
Manuel Machado: 680,500
Jangkyu Lee: 665,500
Karo Nuri: 646,500
All of those players will enjoy a day off on Monday, ready to return for more of the same on Tuesday, aka Day 3.
Agarwal gets over the line at last
Alongside the Main Event, three other tournaments played through various stages on Sunday - none more spectacularly so than Event #82: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em, which ended in a famous triumph for India's Aditya Agarwal.
This tournament looked for all the world as though it would need another day to finish. It was past 1am, the Main Event was done and dusted for the day, yet seven players still remained. Things then picked up pace, however, with Agarwal in particular rising up the counts.
He knocked out Tengqi Zhan (seventh, for $27,143), Alexander Holtz (fifth, for $48,313), Jesse Wigan (third, for $90,584) and eventually Augusto Hagen (second, for $126,424). Wigan knocked out Frank Lagodich (sixth, for $35,975) and Suhail Khan (fourth, for $65,731).
Agarwal made his name in online poker as the much-feared 'Intervention', before becoming the first Indian to represent Team PokerStars Pro. He made numerous deep WSOP Main Event runs, but came up short at his two biggest major tournament final tables, finishing runner up in a $10K Super Turbo Bounty at the 2021 WSOP and in an APPT Main Event in 2018.
But after Sunday's showing, Agarwal now has that WSOP bracelet, with $189,661 to go with it. He becomes the 10th Indian player to win at the WSOP and follows his countryman Santhosh Suvarna as a champion this year.
Seiver eyes record-setting fourth
Event #83: $1,500 Eight Game Mixed played its first day (of three) and attracted many strays who had busted the Main Event. These included Phil Hellmuth, whose entrance to the low buy-in, tail-between-legs side events is a little less grand than the show he puts on for the Big Dance.
Hellmuth was knocked out of this one too, but 103 players remain, from a starting field of 494, and double WSOP champ Marco Johnson leads the way. It's a fine looking top 10 too, featuring Viktor Blom in second and Scott Seiver in fifth. Seiver seems very well placed to make a charge for a fourth bracelet of the summer, a feat that would stand him apart from all who have come before.
Ultra packs them in
You never have to look far for a massive field tournament at the WSOP, and even if you somehow miss the vast Main Event, you might catch sight of the $600 Ultra Stack, which got started on Sunday. According to WSOP, 1,500 players sat down to play (the number sounds a little too round to be official), with 284 making it through.
This was the first of two starting flights, where players have 60,000 chips in their 'ultra stack'. However, with 30 minute levels and a steep structure, they're not going to last long.
Michael Bell led the way at bagging time, with a mighty pile of 2,365,000 chips. His closest challenger, Lee Clark, had 1,620,000. British boxer Audley Harrison was near the top of the counts for a while and, though he slipped back, he will return for Day 2. Former November Niner Kenny Hallaert is also in the returning field.
Photo of the day
Two of the most influential figures in poker: Chris Moneymaker, left, and Isai Scheinberg. Both dropped by the PokerOrg clubhouse on Sunday.
Hand of the day
The best hand of the day played out as the bags were coming into view. Jonathan Little had been on a late-night heater when he was dealt 
and flopped a straight flush when the dealer landed the 
on the table.
From that point, it was all about trying to get the maximum, and Little was certainly helped by the fact that his opponent, Jonas Witdoek, had flopped a draw to the second nut flush, with 
and then went runner-runner two pair, with the 
turn and 
river rolling off.
Little check-raised the flop, sized his bet on the turn to allow a river shove. "I guess you could be value-betting worse," Witdoek said as he made a tank-call on the river. Little also managed to get a beer order in just at the point that Witdoek was pondering that final call. Little was able to enjoy the refreshment as his stack hit a new high of more than 400,000.
Tweet of the day
No one likes a $400 Daily more than Jeremy Becker, and nothing is going to change that.
Video of the day
Where can you find pros, podcasters, WSOP champions and online poker site founders, alongside free snacks and drinks and plenty of cushions? It's the PokerOrg Clubhouse, open through July 10. You're welcome.
The day in numbers
9,494
Entries so far in the 2024 WSOP Main Event. Any late, late arrivals still have two levels to get involved on Monday, after which the drawbridge is officially lifted and the portcullis rolls down.
206
Players entering the WSOP Main Event before registration closed on Day 2ABC.
50
Gift card value, in USD, won by PokerOrg photographer Matt Berglund for seventh place in the WSOP Media Tournament.
Coming up on Day #42
The 3,823 players who survived Day 1D of the Main Event pour back into the tournament room to play their second day. It's a repeat of what happened on Sunday: five levels of two-hours apiece. The key difference is that registration officially closes after the first two levels, which will put an official number on this beast. The prize pool should be announced relatively soon after.
There's a growing roster of sideshows too: the $1,500 Eight Game Mix (Event #83) will find its final table, and there will also be room for Flight B of the $600 Ultra Stack (Event #84). If none of that is to a player's liking, then perhaps Event #85: Flip & Go No Limit Hold'em will work. That highly-skilled (ahem) variant kicks off on Monday.
Day #41 gallery
Results
Event #82: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aditya Agarwal | $189,661 |
| 2 | Augusto Hagen | $126,424 |
| 3 | Jesse Wigan | $90,584 |
| 4 | Suhail Khan | $65,731 |
| 5 | Alexander Holtz | $48,313 |
| 6 | Frank Lagodich | $35,975 |
| 7 | Tengqi Zhan | $27,143 |
| 8 | Robert Macri | $20,754 |
| 9 | Lucas Regier | $16,085 |
| 10 | Nick Kocman | $12,639 |
Full results on WSOP
Ongoing events
Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship (Day 2ABC)
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Marsico | 797,000 |
| 2 | Christopher Vincent | 772,000 |
| 3 | Manuel Machado | 680,500 |
| 4 | Jangkyu Lee | 665,500 |
| 5 | Karo Nuri | 646,500 |
| 6 | Diogo Veiga | 615,500 |
| 7 | Damarjai Davenport | 615,000 |
| 8 | Valentin Oberhauser | 613,500 |
| 9 | Assaf Zeharia | 601,000 |
| 10 | Mehrdad Vahabi | 595,000 |
| Notables | ||
| 35 | John Hennigan |
461,500 |
| 58 | Parker Talbot | 416,500 |
| 98 | Nacho Barbero | 375,500 |
| 120 | Hossein Ensan | 353,000 |
| 150 | Adrian Mateos | 330,000 |
Full chip counts on WSOP
Event #83: $1,500 Eight Game Mixed (6-Handed)
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marco Johnson | 325,300 |
| 2 | Viktor Blom | 296,600 |
| 3 | Paul Clotar | 293,200 |
| 4 | Joshua Musson | 260,000 |
| 5 | Scott Seiver | 253,700 |
| 6 | Qiang Xu | 251,800 |
| 7 | Robert O'Connell | 235,600 |
| 8 | Antonios Onoufriou | 231,100 |
| 9 | Calen McNeil | 221,000 |
| 10 | Kyle Loman | 215,400 |
| Notables | ||
| 20 | Jared Bleznick | 168,300 |
| 33 | John Cernuto | 145,200 |
| 47 | Dylan Weisman | 118,300 |
| 58 | John Racener | 103,100 |
| 62 | Josh Arieh | 93,500 |
| 89 | Jeff Madsen | 52,800 |
| 103 | Yuri Dzivielevski | 17,600 |
Full chip counts on WSOP
Event #84: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Bell | 2,365,000 |
| 2 | Lee Clark | 1,620,000 |
| 3 | Yingcong Chen | 1,590,000 |
| 4 | Yijie Zhang | 1,590,000 |
| 5 | Bhavin Khatri | 1,555,000 |
| 6 | Felix Weis | 1,485,000 |
| 7 | Eric Hall | 1,485,000 |
| 8 | John Fagg | 1,455,000 |
| 9 | Berman Hillman | 1,435,000 |
| 10 | Fuat Temiz | 1,400,000 |
| Notables | ||
| 76 | Kenny Hallaert | 665,000 |
| 101 | Audley Harrison | 595,000 |
| 102 | Daniel Smiljkovic | 595,000 |
Full chip counts on 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)
- 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)
