Fortunately for everyone involved, Day 1B of the 2021 WSOP Main Event proved to be a lot less hectic than Day 1A. With no lockdown incidents at the Rio or rumors of bomb threats circulating, the focus returned to poker on Friday. The second day of the World Series of Poker Main Event drew 845 entries, up significantly from Thursday’s 523 runners on Day 1A. A handful of big names were among those 234 players on Day 1B that failed to advance to Day 2.
Shaun Deeb, Johnny Chan, Brian Rast among those to hit the rail early
Former WSOP Main Event champion and ten-time WSOP bracelet winner Doyle Brunson returned to the Main Event on Thursday and actually did quite well, bagging 151,000 chips ahead of his Day 2 return. Another former world champion and 10-time bracelet winner Johnny Chan got in the mix on Day 1B but was never really able to get anything going.
In a massive pot played in the second level of the tournament, Chan was a non-believer every step of the way in a hand against Steve Foutty. Foutty limped in with A♠K♠ and re-raised to 5400 after Chan made it 1600 to go with A♣J♣. Chan called and the flop came A♦️K❤️7❤️. Foutty bet 4,400 and Chan called. The turn brought in the 6♣, and this time Chan called a bet of 16,000 chips leaving himself only 6,500 behind. The 4❤️ completed the board on the river and Foutty put Chan all in. The two-time Main Event champ’s day 2021 run was over just like that.
A pair of recent bracelet winners were also eliminated on Day 1B. Shaun Deeb (who won his fifth bracelet in the $25,000 PLO High Roller last week) and Brian Rast (who also won his fifth bracelet in the $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event) are both already out of this year’s Main Event. Other notables who entered on Day 1B who failed to advance include Freddy Deeb, Ryan Depaulo, Brian Hastings, John Racener and Nick Schulman. Schulman’s exit was a particularly brutal one as he flopped a set of eights on a K-Q-8 board and ran into a set-over-set situation as his opponent held a pair of kings.
Foutty bags Day 1B chip lead, handful of notables advance
Johnny Chan wasn’t the only casualty of the day at the hands of Las Vegas local Steve Foutty, who finished the day with a Day 1B-leading 287,000 chips. Matthew Traylor (279,500), Maxime Canevet (277,000), Justin Garcia (243,500) and Kayvon Shahbaz (238,500) rounded out the day’s top five in chips.
Justin Bonomo (18,900), Stephen Chidwick (124,900), two-time 2021 WSOP bracelet winner Kevin Gerhart (112,400) and Mike Matusow (56,500) were among the most well-known players in the field to advance to Day 2. Matusow lost 40,000 in chips in the last level of the night. That happened when he flopped a set and got all of his chips in against an opponent with a straight flush draw. The opponent hit the straight flush on the turn to erase the chipping up “The Mouth” had done during the day.
Featured Image Credit: PokerGO
