While the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event has the poker world's eyes riveted, the ongoing World Poker Tour (WPT) EveryOne for One Drop has been (almost) matching the excitement every step of the way, featuring an impressive roster of poker superstars battling it out for the championship and for the honor of having their names inscribed on the prestigious Mike Sexton WPT trophy.
The tournament's $10 million guarantee was quickly left in the dust as 1,676 players entered the event, and the remaining six are now battling for a whopping $2,561,480 first place prize.
The excitement of Day 3 kicked off on a somber note as the first player to exit was the crowd's favorite, blind poker player Steven Iglesias. Although Iglesias, who had a special assistant Daniel to help with his cards, had been a formidable competitor, his tournament journey ended in 70th place for $35,480.
Iglesias, who goes online as blindguy789, doesn't let anything get in the way of his love for the game. Despite losing his sight in 2014, he has managed to become a respectable poker player and regularly streams his games on Twitch. Norwegian has more than $150,000 in live tournament winnings and he also cashed in the recent 2023 WSOP Main Event.
Steven Iglesias with his assistant on the rightAn unusual situation then unfolded with player David Stamm, who accidentally exposed his pocket aces early and received a one-round penalty. After misinterpreting an opponent's move as an all-in, Stamm revealed his cards. Though Stamm eventually took the pot, his error cost him a one-round penalty, as per Wynn policy and 210,000 was lost.
As the competition intensified, so too did the eliminations. Day 1A chip leader Stephen Song (39th - $62,620), WSOP bracelet winners Bryce Yockey (32nd - $74,300) and Paul Volpe (22nd - $89,080), and WPT Main Event winner Darren Elias (19th - $107,900) met their respective tournament ends at the hands of Stephen Chidwick, Bin Weng, Hannes Jeschka, and Freddy Heller.
We got words from our Final 6 as they bagged up after a long day @wynnpoker!
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) July 14, 2023
Tomorrow they return to play down to a winner who will take home the trophy and over $2.5 million! 💰
Who are you rooting for?! pic.twitter.com/G9X3QPfW9k
The highlight of the day, however, was Bin Weng's continued domination. After clinching a memorable victory in the $3,500 No Limit Hold'em - WPT Showdown Championship at WPT Seminole and bagging a cool $1,128,250, this is now his third consecutive lead in a WPT final table. With a guarantee of $524,500, he is set to eclipse the $5 million milestone in live tournament winnings.
Tomorrow he will return at a six-handed final table with 21,025,000 chips, followed by Niko Koop with 14,825,000. It’s a deep final table, with only Tom Cannuli on a shorter size with 11 big blinds and 2,800,000 chips.
The final table is scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm PDT, with the WPT Live Stream beginning at 1:30 pm on a 30-minute delay.
World Poker Tour EveryOne for One Drop Top Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominik Nitsche | Germany | 8,125,000 | 33 bb |
| 2 | Scott Baumstein | United States | 10,975,000 | 44 bb |
| 3 | Freddy Heller | United States | 9,300,000 | 37 bb |
| 4 | Niko Koop | Russia | 14,825,000 | 59 bb |
| 5 | Bin Weng | United States | 21,025,000 | 84 bb |
| 6 | Tom Cannuli | United States | 2,800,000 | 11 bb |
World Poker Tour EveryOne for One Drop Top Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $2,561,480 |
| 2nd | $1,740,000 |
| 3rd | $1,302,000 |
| 4th | $956,000 |
| 5th | $700,100 |
| 6th | $524,500 |
