Jason Simon won the sole bracelet on Monday, June 12 at the 2023 World Series of Poker after winning the inaugural Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker…
2023 WSOP Day 14: Jason Simon Wins Inaugural Gladiators of Poker
Jason Simon won the sole bracelet on Monday, June 12 at the 2023 World Series of Poker after winning the inaugural Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker for $499,852. This is obviously one of the feel-good stories of the WSOP with a player winning nearly half a million dollars for just a $300 buy-in.
The action was also hopping during many of the other events at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino with several events reaching their final tables or even heads-up action before calling it a day.
Meanwhile, Adrian Mateos is in a prime position to add to his already impressive poker resume as he leads Event #29: $100,000 High Roller.
Several other events progressed to their penultimate and final days. Read on to learn more.
Jason Simon Wins Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker ($499,852)
The three-day Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker was one of the new additions to the WSOP schedule this year allowing players to potentially earn a coveted WSOP bracelet along with a mountain of cash for just a $300 buy-in.
Players responded enthusiastically, with 23,088 runners creating a huge $3,603,162 prize pool to smash the lofty $3,000,000 guarantee slapped on this event.
The lead changed hands between all of the final four players before Jason Simon rose to the top to win his first bracelet and the $499,852 top prize. He first eliminated Wade Wallace (fourth – $160,818) when his cowboys held against ace-ten. Shortly after, he sent Wesley Cannon (third – $210,024) after his queen-nine got there against king-eight suited. Simon held a substantial chip lead against Eric Trexler (second – $301,097) to start heads-up before sealing the deal in front of his many friends and family on the rail with his king-eight proving to be good against jack-ten suited.
It was awesome,” Simon said to WSOP after the win. “Having your friends here with you and cheering for you in the all-ins definitely helps.”
Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Simon | United States | $499,852 |
| 2 | Eric Trexler | United States | $301,097 |
| 3 | Wesley Cannon | United States | $210,024 |
| 4 | Wade Wallace | United States | $160,818 |
| 5 | Kfir Nahum | Israel | $123,831 |
| 6 | Bohdan Slyvinskyi | United States | $95,883 |
| 7 | Jonson Chatterley | United States | $74,664 |
| 8 | Caio Sobral | Brazil | $58,466 |
| 9 | Thomas Reeves | United States | $46,051 |
Lamb Leads Final Seven; While Seidel Hunts for 10th Bracelet in Event #25: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
Event #25: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship attracted 212 entries for a $1,971,600 prize pool to establish a new record for this event. The field was trimmed down to seven hopefuls heading into the fourth and final day of play, which will kick off at 2 p.m. at the Horseshoe Event Center and the final table will be broadcasted live at PokerGO after the first break.
Ben Lamb leads the way with 2,545,000 good for 24 big blinds in the hunt for his second bracelet. However, there are plenty close on his tail including Luis Velador (2,390,000), Eric Seidel (2,360,000), and Brad Ruben (2,005,000). Seidel, who is already deservedly in the Poker Hall of Fame, is hunting for his 10th bracelet in hopes to get closer to the record 16 bracelet won by Phil Hellmuth.
Meanwhile, it is anyone’s game with the shallow stacks in play with Robert Yass (1,375,000), Johannes Becker (1,090,000), and James Chen (985,000) all still alive in hopes of winning the title.
The final seven have each locked up $61,919 with Tuesday’s winner going home with some WSOP hardware and the $492,795 top prize.
Event #25: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannes Becker | Germany | 1,090,000 | 11 | 5 |
| 2 | Erik Seidel | United States | 2,360,000 | 24 | 12 |
| 3 | Brad Ruben | United States | 2,005,000 | 20 | 10 |
| 4 | Luis Velador | Mexico | 2,390,000 | 24 | 12 |
| 5 | Robert Yass | United States | 1,375,000 | 14 | 7 |
| 6 | Ben Lamb | United States | 2,545,000 | 25 | 13 |
| 7 | James Chen | United States | 985,000 | 10 | 5 |
Elsby Battles Mao Heads-Up in Event #26: $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack
Event #26: $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack was another popular event at the WSOP with 4,747 entries generating a prize pool of $3,341,888.
The event was scheduled to be a two-day affair but the action was stopped during the wee hours of the morning with just two contenders remaining for the title.
Renji Mao entered heads-up play against Matthew Elsby and if he was able to complete a flush draw would have won a title on Monday evening. Instead, Elsby doubled through his opponent and will resume the heads-up battle with the chip lead.
Both players have already locked up $248,833 with $402,588 and the WSOP bracelet on the line for Tuesday’s champion.
Chad Campbell Leads Final 21 in Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix
Mixed-game enthusiasts and pros alike came out in huge numbers for Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix with 789 entries creating a $1,053,315 prize pool. The action dwindled down to just 21 hopefuls in contention for the title after two days of play.
Chad Campbell will enter the final day when the action resumes at the Horseshoe Event Center at 1 p.m with a chip-leading stack of 1,991,000 in chips with two-time WSOP champion Daniel Strelitz (1,793,000) hot on his tail. Four-time WSOP champion Robert Mizrachi (1,198,000) and five-time champion Shaun Deeb (868,000) are also in the top 10 while David “ODB” Baker (444,000) is looking to add his fourth bracelet and claim his second in less than a week after winning Event #24: $1,500 Razz for $152,991 a couple of days ago.
Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix Day 2 Top 10 Leaderboard
| Place | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad Campbell | United States | 1,991,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Strelitz | United States | 1,793,000 |
| 3 | Aloisio Dourado | Brazil | 1,705,000 |
| 4 | John Bunch | United States | 1,685,000 |
| 5 | Robert Mizrachi | United States | 1,198,000 |
| 6 | Gary Kosakowski | United States | 1,164,000 |
| 7 | Kyle Loman | United States | 1,140,000 |
| 8 | Dave Stann | United States | 1,087,000 |
| 9 | Obli Prabhu | United States | 905,000 |
| 10 | Shaun Deeb | United States | 868,000 |
Hao Zhao Leads Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout
A banner field of 2,016 individual players joined in on the action in Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout to create a $2,731,410 prize pool. This represents a more than a 15 percent increase in the 1,774 entries attracted last year won by Justin Peche for $365,899.
This year’s winner will go home with much more with a $406,403 top prize on the line for the bracelet winner.
The top 307 players will collect at least a min-cash of $2,406 with the 188 returning players each locking up at least a $3,007 payout.
A relatively unknown Hao Zhao leads the way after parlaying his opening stack of 25,000 into a sick stack of 970,000 in chips. Taylor Paur is closest on Zhao’s chip lead when Day 2 kicks off on Tuesday at 10 a.m. with 876,000 in hopes of securing his second bracelet.
Meanwhile, bracelet winners Jonas Wexler (670,000), Ryan Lang (562,000), Justin Pechie (557,000), and Ryan Bambrick (500,000) are all in the top 20 in hopes to adding to their collection of WSOP jewelry.
Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Day 1 Top 10 Leaderboard
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hao Zhou | United States | 970,000 | 121 |
| 2 | Taylor Paur | United States | 876,000 | 110 |
| 3 | Turbo Nguyen | United States | 850,000 | 106 |
| 4 | Tzur Levy | Israel | 818,000 | 102 |
| 5 | Mario Navarro | United Kingdom | 810,000 | 101 |
| 6 | Peter Nigh | United States | 728,000 | 91 |
| 7 | Jonas Wexler | United States | 670,000 | 84 |
| 8 | Ugur Secilmis | Turkey | 670,000 | 84 |
| 9 | Rene Lazaro | Hungary | 661,000 | 83 |
| 10 | Samuel Bifarella | France | 659,000 | 82 |
Adrian Mateos Leads Event #29: $100,000 High Roller
Dozens of the biggest names in poker came out for the nosebleed Event #29: $100,000 High Roller with the opening day attracting 79 entries for a $7,643,250 prize pool. This already exceeds the 62 entries attracted last year when Aleksejs Ponakovs denied Phil Ivey his 11th WSOP bracelet en route to winning the $1,897,363 top prize.
A few more entries will likely get into the mix in this three-day event with late registration open until the start of Day 2 at 12 p.m. on Tuesday.
Adrian Mateos made the most of the opening day after converting his 600,000 chip opening stack into 3,650,000 in chips. Chris Hunichen is inches behind at 3,630,000, while Chance Kornuth (3,375,000), 2022 WSOP Main Event Champion Espen Jorstad (2,200,000), and Jeremy Ausmus (2,190,000) rounding out the top five among the 35 players to find a bag on the opening day.
Event #29: $100,000 High Roller Day 1 Top 10 Leaderboard
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | 3,650,000 | 91 |
| 2 | Chris Hunichen | United States | 3,620,000 | 91 |
| 3 | Chance Kornuth | United States | 3,375,000 | 84 |
| 4 | Espen Jorstad | Norway | 2,200,000 | 55 |
| 5 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 2,190,000 | 55 |
| 6 | Talal Shakerchi | United Kingdom | 2,120,000 | 53 |
| 7 | Cary Katz | United States | 1,880,000 | 47 |
| 8 | Koray Aldemir | Austria | 1,800,000 | 45 |
| 9 | Justin Bonomo | United States | 1,795,000 | 45 |
| 10 | Ren Lin | United States | 1,655,000 | 41 |
More Records Set in Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw
The 2023 WSOP has been all about setting records and the three-day Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw was no different. A new WSOP record of 522 entries participated on the opening day to create a record $698,870 prize pool. This absolutely smashed the 350 entries attracted in 2022 when Denis Nesterenko won the $108,250 top prize.
Just 166 players found bags on the opening day and they aren’t too near the money quite yet with the top 79 players guaranteed to bank at least $2,405. The eventual winner will not only be added to the ever-growing list of WSOP bracelet winners but also add a hefty $145,683 top prize to their wallets.
Jason Gola found the biggest bag on Day 1 with his 25,000 opening stack growing into 221,500 in chips with four-time bracelet winner John Monnette (189,000) hungry on his tail in pursuit of his fifth bracelet. Four-time bracelet winner Tom Schneider (186,000), David Prociak (185,000), and Alex Epstein (182,500) are all in the top 10 hunting for more WSOP hardware when the action resumes on Tuesday at 1 p.m.
Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Day 1 Top 10 Leaderboard
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Gola | United States | 221,500 | 74 |
| 2 | John Monnette | United States | 189,000 | 63 |
| 3 | Zoltan Gal | Hungary | 187,000 | 62 |
| 4 | Tom Schneider | United States | 186,000 | 62 |
| 5 | David Prociak | United States | 185,000 | 62 |
| 6 | Alex Epstein | United States | 182,500 | 61 |
| 7 | Samuel Sternfield | United States | 171,500 | 57 |
| 8 | Daniel Vargas | United States | 171,000 | 57 |
| 9 | John Hutchinson | United States | 167,500 | 56 |
| 10 | David Funkhouser | United States | 163,500 | 55 |
June 12, 2023 WSOP Schedule
Three new bracelet events with two of them scheduled to crown winners in just two days kick off on June 12 including Event #31: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em; Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack at 10 a.m. and Event #32: $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em at 12 p.m. High-stakes lowball players will also be noticeably present at the WSOP with Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship commencing at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile, six other events including the juicy Event #29: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em continue with several of the events scheduled to also crown winners on Tuesday.
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 #28: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Holdem | Day 2 of 3 |
| 10 a.m. | Event #31: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em; Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack | Day 1 of 2 |
| 12 p.m. | Event #26: $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack | Day 3 of 3 |
| 12 p.m. | Event #29: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em | Day 2 of 3 |
| 12 p.m. | Event #32: $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em | Day 1 of 2 |
| 1 p.m. | Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix | Day 3 of 3 |
| 1 p.m. | Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw | Day 2 of 3 |
| 2 p.m. | Event #25: Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | Day 4 of 4 |
| 2 p.m. | Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship | Day 1 of 3 |
Images courtesy of WSOP/PokerNews.
Article by Jason Glatzer
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