2023 WSOP Day 8: Three New First-Time Bracelet Winners

The 2023 World Series of Poker crowned three new first-time winners at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

Jeremy Eyer won the biggest prize of the day of $649,550 in Event #12: $5,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout, while Joseph Altomonte snagged his first taste at WSOP gold after shipping Event #13: $600 Pot-Limit Hold’em Deepstack for $217,102.

Also, the marathon Online Event #4: $600 No-Hold’em Ultra Deepstack hosted at WSOP.com was the final bracelet event to conclude play with Danny “jackdaniels1” Wong defeating a field of 1,032 entries to win the $130,648 top prize.

Read on to learn more about these events and others in progress in our daily WSOP recap.

Jeremy Eyer Wins Event #12: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout ($649,550)

The three-day Event #12: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout drew 735 unique players to create a $3,381,000 prize pool. Jeremy Eyer came out on top to win his first bracelet along with the huge $649,550 top prize after he defeated GGPoker Ambassador Felipe Ramos heads-up.

“It was a back-and-forth battle, you know,” Eyer shared about his heads-up battle with WSOP. “I had him down a little bit, and he had me down. It was back and forth, and finally, we just got into a cooler, and I was on the right end of it.”

The cooler at the end was Ramos running his jacks into Eyer’s queens. Had the hands been reversed, we could have easily been looking at Ramos winning his first bracelet as he would have had a commanding lead instead of finishing one person shy to collect the hefty $401,460 runner-up prize.

Event #12: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Final Table Results

Place	Winner	Country	Prize
1	Jeremy Eyer	United States	$649,550
2	Felipe Ramos	Brazil	$401,460
3	Nozomu Shimizu	Japan	$287,106
4	Jinho Hong	South Korea	$208,158
5	Ronald Minnis	United States	$153,032
6	Jeffrey Halcomb	United States	$114,102
7	Ivan Galinec	Croatia	$86,300
8	Shiva Dudani	United States	$66,226
9	James Vecchio	United States	$51,769

Joseph Altomonte Wins Event #13: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack

The two-day Event #13: 600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack garnered significant interest from players seeking a different poker variant than hold’em, at a more affordable buy-in compared to most bracelet events. This led to a massive turnout of 3,200 participants, resulting in a prize pool of $1,632,000.

Joseph Altomonte took the most advantage of the huge prize pool after emerging victorious in a short heads-up battle against Michael Holmes to secure his first bracelet and claim the top prize of $217,102.

Numerous notable players with previous bracelet wins showcased their skills in this event, including Jonathan Dimmig (10th place – $16,772), Shaun Deeb, a five-time champion and the 2018 WSOP Player of the Year (17th place – $8,647), Scott “BigRiskky” Clements, a three-time bracelet winner (61st place – $3,323), Ian Matakis (93rd place – $2,051), and Brandon Shack-Harris, a two-time champion (95th place – $2,051).

However, as the final table approached, it became evident that a first-time bracelet winner would be crowned. Altomonte held a commanding chip lead during the heads-up play. Holmes managed to double up once but ultimately fell short on his second attempt and had to settle for the healthy runner-up prize of $401,460.

Event #13: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack Final Table Results

Place	Winner	Country	Prize
1	Joseph Altomonte	United States	$217,102
2	Michael Holmes	United States	$134,171
3	Stephen Wheeland	United States	$100,976
4	Jorge Ufano	United States	$76,516
5	Clayton Fletcher	United States	$58,382
6	Xing He	Canada	$44,856
7	Ardit Bitincka	Canada	$34,706
8	Jerome Hickel	United States	$27,042

Max Hoffman Leads Final 11 in Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship

At the end of a two-day battle, Max Hoffman emerged as the frontrunner in his quest for his first WSOP bracelet in Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, with only 11 players left vying for the title.

Among the remaining contenders are several distinguished bracelet winners, such as Maxx Coleman, Brian Yoon, Ben Diebold, David “Bakes” Baker, Ben Yu, Alex Livingston, and Chad Eveslage, who already secured his second bracelet earlier in the year. However, Hoffman is not the sole participant in search of his inaugural bracelet in this event. Johannes Becker, George Alexander, and Dan Shak are also still in the running, hopeful to claim their first taste of WSOP glory.

The action is set to resume on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at The Horseshoe, with blind levels lasting 90 minutes, until a new champion is ultimately crowned in the prestigious Stud Championship.

Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship Final Day Seat Draw

Table	Seat	Player	Country	Chips
1	1	Maxx Coleman	United States	1,238,000
1	2	Benjamin Diebold	United States	684,000
1	3	Leonard August	United States	299,000
1	5	Ben Yu	United States	422,000
1	6	Chad Eveslage	United States	472,000
1	7	George Alexander	United States	652,000
1	8	Alex Livingston	Canada	309,000
2	1	Julien Martini	France	273,000
2	2	Brian Yoon	United States	800,000
2	3	Max Hoffman	United States	1,522,000
2	4	Johannes Becker	Germany	144,000
2	6	David “Bakes” Baker	United States	586,000
2	8	Dan Shak	United States	417,000

Brandon Hall Leads Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em

The three-day Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted a significant following of players who relish short-handed gameplay. The event garnered an impressive field of 2,454 entries, resulting in a staggering prize pool of $3,276,090. The top 369 players were guaranteed a minimum cash of $2,400 with a massive $465,501 top prize up for grabs for Thursday’s bracelet winner.

As the intense action unfolded, the field gradually dwindled, leaving only 161 survivors after enduring 17 blind levels of 40-minute each on Day 1. Each returning player will be assured a payout of at least $3,564.

Brandon Hall showcased an exceptional performance, transforming his initial 25,000-chip stack into an astounding 1,440,000 chips. Stevens Chen (1,100,000) was the only other player to conclude the opening day with a million chips or more.

Numerous bracelet winners notably secured spots among the top 25 chip stacks, including Allan Le (800,000), Upsheka De Silva (709,000), Bradley Jansen (651,000), John Monnette (640,000), and Norbert Szecsi (617,000).

The action will resume on Wednesday at 10 a.m with a slightly shorter with ten blind levels lasting 40 minutes each.

Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Day 1 Top 10 Leaderboard 

Place	Player	Country	Chips	Big Blinds
1	Brandon Hall	United States	1,440,000	144
2	Stevens Chen	United States	1,100,000	110
3	Mathew Moore	United States	924,000	92
4	Allan Le	United States	800,000	80
5	Michael Jagroo	United States	798,000	80
6	Matthew Wantman	United States	774,000	77
7	Adam Swan	United States	765,000	77
8	Jack O’Neill	United Kingdom	762,000	76
9	Eduardo Bernal Sanchez	Colombia	762,000	76
10	Dorian Rios	Venezuela	752,000	75

Calvin Anderson Chasing Third Bracelet in Event #16: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed

The three-day Event #16: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em lived up to its prestigious reputation, attracting a star-studded field comprised of renowned poker players. The high buy-in and the event’s esteemed status drew many of the biggest names in the poker world.

An impressive 93 players survived the intense competition on Day 1, with a two-time bracelet winner Calvin Anderson leading the pack after converting their initial 150,000-chip stack into a 1,609,000 in chips. Freddy Deeb (1,440,000), Brian Kim (1,291,000), Isaac Haxton (1,195,000), and Alex Nguyen (1,060,000) also finished the day with a seven-figure stack in their bags.

Eight former WSOP Main Event winners were in the hunt. The 2022 WSOP Main Event Champion Espen Jorstad (377,000) and the 2015 WSOP Main Event winner Joe McKeehen (320,000) found bags after the eight one-hour blind levels. Meanwhile, former Main Event champions Phil Hellmuth, Martin Jacobson, Joe Cada, Koray Aldemir, and Ryan Riess all lost their stacks on the opening day.

Currently, the event has garnered 264 entries, contributing an impressive $6,204,000 to the prize pool. It is anticipated that the prize pool will continue to grow as late registration remains open until the start of Day 2 at 10 a.m. when players will engage in a lengthier battle with ten one-hour blind levels.

Event #16: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed Day 1 Top 10 Leaderboard

Place	Player	Country	Chips	Big Blinds
1	Calvin Anderson	United States	1,609,000	161
2	Freddy Deeb	United States	1,440,000	144
3	Brian Kim	United States	1,291,000	129
4	Isaac Haxton	United States	1,195,000	120
5	Alex Nguyen	United States	1,060,000	106
6	Calvin Lee	United States	979,000	98
7	Ting-Yi Tsai	Taiwan	947,000	95
8	Biao Ding	United States	790,000	79
9	Nick Maimone	United States	783,000	78
10	Eric Wasserson	United States	780,000	78

Adel Shakerian Leads Event #17: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better

Event #17: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better has demonstrated its enduring popularity by surpassing last year’s record of 1,067 entrants. Instead, it attracted an additional 73 entries, resulting in a remarkable field of 1,143 participants and a substantial prize pool of $1,525,905.

The field is still big with 394 players surviving 15 blind levels of 40 minutes each. The structure will deepen further for the final two days starting with Day 2 consisting of 10 blind levels of one hour each when the action resumes on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

The action will reach well past the money bubble on Day 2 with the top 172 players securing at least a $2,404 payout. The ultimate prize for Thursday’s victor is an enticing $262,542, in addition to the prestigious WSOP gold bracelet.

Heading into the penultimate day, Adel Shakerian leads the pack after skillfully converting his initial 25,000-chip stack into an impressive 239,000. Benjamin Vidal (210,500) and Colin Burton (202,500) also bagged more than 200,000 in chips.

Notably, 16-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth continues to persevere in this event after being eliminated from Event #16: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed. However, Hellmuth faces a challenging task with a shorter stack of 45,000. Other bracelet winners who accumulated larger chip stacks include Smith Sirisakorn (169,000), Connor Drinan (157,000), Chris Tryba (146,500), Ismael Bojang (145,000), Max Pescatori (130,000), and Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson (129,000).

Event #17: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Day 1 Top 10 Leaderboard

Place	Player	Country	Chips	Big Blinds
1	Adel Shakerian	United States	239,000	60
2	Benjamin Vidal	United States	210,500	53
3	Colin Burton	Canada	202,500	51
4	Sergey Zaporozhets	Russia	187,000	47
5	Nitesh Rawtani	United States	177,500	44
6	Jason Daly	United States	176,500	44
7	Ryan Scully	United States	175,000	44
8	Smith Sirisakorn	United States	169,000	42
9	Hlias Azakas	United States	167,000	42
10	Glen Munro	United States	166,500	42

June 7, 2023 WSOP Schedule

On June 7, 2023, Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship will culminate with the crowning of a bracelet winner on its third and final day. Simultaneously, two other events will reach their penultimate days, promising an exciting atmosphere.

Anticipate huge crowds on Wednesday as Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold’em commences with its first of four opening flights. We strongly advise those planning to compete in this event to secure their seats early due to the expected high turnout. This event presents an opportunity to chase WSOP glory while vying for a substantial prize pool, all for a modest $300 buy-in.

Furthermore, Wednesday marks the commencement of Event #19: $2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em and Event #20: $1,500 Badugi. Both tournaments will span three days, promising captivating action for hold’em and mixed game enthusiasts alike.

Below is a look at today’s schedule while head to the PokerPro opening WSOP article to check out the full schedule of the 2023 World Series of Poker.

Time	Event	Info
10 a.m.	Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em	Day 2 of 3
10 a.m.	Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-limit Hold’em – Flight A	Day 1 of 3
12 p.m.	Event #16: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed	Day 2 of 3
12 p.m.	Event #19: $2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em	Day 1 of 3
1 p.m.	Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship	Day 3 of 3
2 p.m.	Event #20: $1,500 Badugi	Day 1 of 3

Images courtesy of WSOP/PokerNews.
Article by Jason Glatzer
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