It’s not every day the World Series of Poker launches a new tournament format, but Sunday saw a fun twist take flight for the first time.
The $1,000 Battle of the Ages is a no-limit hold’em event featuring two starting flights, each taking place on the same day. What’s different? The clue is in the name: The event is open to everyone, but the starting flights were separated into one for players aged 50 and over (Day 1a) and one for those aged 49 and under.
In the 50+ category, a number of high profile players including Daniel Negreanu (50 years young) pulled up a chair, and while Negreanu wouldn’t manage to find a bag at the end of the day, 208 of 1,390 did. The younger side of the field drew a slightly bigger field of 1,684, with 253 advancing to Monday’s Day 2.
Will the whippersnappers win out, or will the elders claim the respect they’re due? The 461 survivors combine to (hopefully) play all the way down to a winner from 2pm.
Dylan goes electric
It was just a few days’ back that Dylan Linde made it all the way to the final table of the Monster Stack, and got his stack in the middle with pocket kings. Sadly for him, Klemens Roiter happened to have pocket aces. The superior pair held, Roiter went on to win $1,204,457 and the Monster Stack title, and Linde hit the bricks in 7th.
On Sunday, however, things went a little differently. Playing the $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller final table, Linde enjoyed the rub of the green in a number of key spots.
And with the caliber of opposition, Linde needed luck on his side in addition to his a-game. It would all come down to a three-way battle with Richard Gryko and the masterful Stephen Chidwick, who had appeared in full control as the final table simmered its way up to boiling point.
After Linde eliminated Gryko, however, the two-time bracelet winner from Idaho would have the vast majority of chips in play. Heads-up play versus Chidwick would only last a couple of hands, and Linde emerged with a third bracelet and his biggest ever tournament win of $2,146,414.
Get the inside story in Mike Patrick’s interview with the new champ.
Moorman on a mission in Millionaire Maker
Chris Moorman (above) has already made a million at this year’s WSOP, courtesy of his runner-up finish to Blaz Zerjav in the $25K NLH 6-Max High Roller. The silver medal finish was good for $1,129,608, but not the bracelet.
He’ll be looking to go one better in the $1,500 Millionaire Maker, which has played down from 11,996 to 357, with Moorman in possession of a top 10 stack. Also troubling the top end of the chip counts as the event heads into Day 3 are Olga Iermolcheva (below) and Matt Glantz, chasing the top prize of $1,255,180. The event will make two millionaires by the time all is said and done, with the runner-up spot paying $1,012,320.
A smaller top prize of $228,115 is up for grabs in the $3,000 Nine Game Mix, but getting there is no cakewalk. 409 entries are down to just 18, and casualties of Day 2 included the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Viktor Blom and Mike Matusow.
Jonathan Glendinning and Jon Kyte are just about neck-and-neck at the top of the chip counts, in a field which still contains numerous bracelet winners including Jeff Madsen and recent PLO8 championship winner Philip Sternheimer. Meanwhile, Brazil’s Yuri Dzivielevski still has chips and will be looking to add a sixth bracelet to his collection in the event he won last year.
They’ll be back to see it out on Monday and so will we — we’re on the ground every day at the 2025 WSOP, so check back regularly for all the news from the heart of the series!
