WSOP Day 18: Jerry Wong Gets Monkey Off His Back With First Bracelet

Friday was another busy day at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino with four new winners crowned at 2023 World Series o…

Friday was another busy day at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino with four new winners crowned at 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Jerry Wong crossed his name off of this author’s personal list of the best players to never win a WSOP bracelet on Friday with Chris Klodnicki and Sean Troha both winning their second career bracelets. Meanwhile, Ryutaro Suzuki won the first bracelet for Japan during the 2023 WSOP.

Many other events continued along including the exclusive $250,000 Super High Roller. Read on to learn more about Day 17 of the 2023 WSOP.

Jerry Wong Wins Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship ($298,682)

WSOP Day 18: Jerry Wong Gets Monkey Off His Back With First Bracelet

Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship added a fourth day to its schedule with just three players remaining. Jerry Wong came into the final day with the chip lead with hopes to finally win an elusive WSOP gold bracelet after previously appearing at 11 different WSOP bracelet final table events including three podium finishes and an eighth-place performance in the 2016 WSOP Main Event.

Wong got the bracelet monkey off his back live on PokerGO after denying Carlos Chadha his first chance at WSOP gold during heads-up play. Michael Moncek was also not only vying for his third bracelet but his second this festival after he shipped Event #6: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em / Pot-Limit Omaha for $534,499 earlier this summer. Although he missed out on a bracelet, his third-place finish added some points to the WSOP Player of the Year race.

“I’m kind of speechless,” Wong said about finally winning his first WSOP bracelet. “What I want to say is hello, Frisco, and give a shout-out to all my guys in Florida.”

Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship Final Table Results

Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship attracted 123 low-ball enthusiasts to create a $1,143,900 prize pool. The top 16 players cashed for at least a $16,264 min-cash. Check out the final table results:

PlaceWinnerCountryPrize
1Jerry WongUnited States$298,682
2Carlos ChadhaUnited States$184,599
3Michael MoncekUnited States$133,177
4Elior SionUnited Kingdom$97,960
5Talal ShakerchiUnited Kingdom$73,495
6John HenniganUnited States$56,265
7Bryce YockeyUnited States$43,970
8Yuval BronshteinUnited States$35,092

Sean Troha Wins Event #34: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha ($298,192)

WSOP Day 18: Jerry Wong Gets Monkey Off His Back With First Bracelet

Sean Troha defeated Ryan Coon heads-up to win Event #34: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha for $298,192. Troha now is the proud owner of a bracelet for each wrist and has proven his four-card game prowess as last year he won the 2022 WSOP Event #69: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for a much bigger haul of $1,246,770.

“I guess I’m as confident as I’ve been, there are still better players out there, but I’ve done a little bit of work and I guess I’m just trying to do my best”, Troha shared with PokerNews after winning his second WSOP gold bracelet.

Troha entered the final table near the top of the pack and soon had the chip lead and never looked back. Calling him the final table terminator may be an understatement as he not only sent Coon packing in second place for $184,305, but he also sent Matthew Parry (third – $134,156), Matthew Beinner (fifth – $73,530), Naor Slobodskoy (sixth – $55,381), and four-time WSOP bracelet winner Robert Mizrachi (seventh – $42,200) to the rail en route to victory.

Event #34: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table Results

The three-day Event #34: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha witnessed 1,355 PLO enthusiasts create a prize pool of $1,808,925. The top 203 players cashed for at least a $2,402 min-cash. Check out the final table results:

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1Sean TrohaUnited States$298,192
2Ryan CoonUnited States$184,305
3Matthew ParryUnited States$134,156
4Benjamin VorelandNorway$98,575
5Matthew BeinnerUnited States$73,530
6Naor SlobodskoyIsrael$55,381
7Robert MizrachiUnited States$42,200
8Jason BullockUnited States$32,537
9Ryan ChristophersonUnited States$25,387

Chris Klodnicki Wins Event #35: $10,000 Secret Bounty ($733,317)

WSOP Day 18: Jerry Wong Gets Monkey Off His Back With First Bracelet

Chis Klodnicki won his second WSOP bracelet in style. He shipped the three-day Event #35: $10,000 Secret Bounty when his pocket rockets held against nine-eight to deny Aram Oganyan a chance to mount a comeback for his first WSOP bracelet.

The hand may sound simple enough and it was from one aspect that Oganyan shoved for 13 big blinds from the button and was quickly called by Klodnicki. Oganyan had a gutshot on the ten-queen-ten flop and completed his draw for a straight after a jack came on the turn. However, Klodnicki spiked his four-outer on the river when an ace completed his full house and the rest was history.

Ali Shahni also had a big reason to celebrate on Day 2 despite hitting the rail in 12th place for $36,332 thanks to earlier eliminating Edward Grinko in 17th place for $24,504. Shahni managed to parlay this elimination into winning the biggest secret bounty prize on tap of a cool $250,000.

“I always like when things change a lot in tournaments,” Klodnicki told PokerNews about the secret bounty aspect of the event. “I just feel like I have a bit of an advantage when it comes to inflection points where other people might not be paying quite as much attention. When the bounties were in play, I tried to do some calculations to figure out how much they were worth. I was fighting hard for the bounties but didn’t get any big ones. I was fighting for the $250K.”

Event #35: $10,000 Secret Bounty Final Table Results

The three-day Event #35: $10,000 Secret Bounty attracted 568 entries to generate a $5,282,400 prize pool. The top 86 players collected at least a $10,858 min-cash plus whatever secret bounties they collected along the way. Check out the final table results keeping in mind this does not include secret bounty earnings.

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1Chris KlodnickiUnited States$733,317
2Aram OganyanMexico$453,226
3Barak WisbrodIsrael$323,181
4Jeremy AusmusUnited States$233,690
5Tracy NguyenUnited States$171,389
6Angel GuillenMexico$127,515
7Daniel RezaeiAustria$96,265
8Eric YanovskyUnited States$73,756

Ryutaro Suzuki Wins Event #36: $3,000 Nine Game Mix ($221,124)

WSOP Day 18: Jerry Wong Gets Monkey Off His Back With First Bracelet

The three-day Event #36: $3,000 Nine Game Mix attracted mixed-game enthusiasts from around the world with the games rotating between no-limit hold’em, seven card stud, Omaha hi-lo 8 or better, razz, pot-limit Omaha, limit hold’em, no-limit 2-7 lowball draw, seven card stud hi-lo 8 or better, and 2-7 lowball triple draw.

The Japanese poker community was elated by the end result with 22-year-old Ryutaro Suzuki coming out on top to win the country’s ninth total WSOP bracelet and the $221,124 top prize after defeating Walter Chambers heads-up.

Japan had two chances at claiming the bracelet with Tamon Nakamura bowing out in fourth place for $64,320. Nakamura was kind enough after the event to act as an English translator for Ryutaro.

“I’m not so long experienced in mixed games,” Ryutaro said through Nakamura to PokerNews after the win. “But last year I experienced mixed games and it was really fun for me. So, I target this year for mixed game events. I practice a lot. [Nakamura] also told me and I prayed a lot. Luckily, I won. I’m not a master. I tried and had some luck,”

Event #36: $3,000 Nine Game Mix Final Table Results

Event #36: $3,000 Nine Game Mix attracted 361 entries to create a $963,870 prize pool. The top 55 players banked at least a $4,800 min-cash. Check out the final table results of this mixed game event.

PlaceWinnerCountryPrize
1Ryutaro SuzukiJapan$221,124
2Walter ChambersUnited States$136,667
3Jason PedigoUnited States$92,860
4Tamon NakamuraJapan$64,320
5Ian SteinmanUnited States$45,434
6Renan BruschiBrazil$32,741
7Per HildebrandSweden$24,081

Yuan Li Leads Event #37: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em

WSOP Day 18: Jerry Wong Gets Monkey Off His Back With First Bracelet

The three-day Event #37: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em witnessed its field of 1,962 entries for a $3,492,360 prize pool dwindle down to just 36 hopefuls on the third and final day when the action resumes on Saturday at 10 a.m.

The money bubble broke on Day 2 with the top 295 entries collecting at least a $3,202 min-cash. Returning Day 3 players are each guaranteed at least a $12,807 payday with the eventual bracelet winner going home with a much bigger prize of $524,777.

Yuan Li leads the way, with Patrick Truong, Jeremy Joseph, WSOP bracelet winner Mark Seif, and 2009 WSOP third-place finisher Antoine Saout rounding out the top five.

Event #37: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em Day 2 Top 10 Leaderboard

PlacePlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Yuan LiChina5,350,00089
2Patrick TruongUnited States5,220,00087
3Jeremy JosephUnited States3,930,00065
4Mark SeifUnited States3,850,00064
5Antoine SaoutFrance3,615,00060
6Darryl RonconiUnited States3,585,00060
7Daniel LeCanada3,290,00055
8Pavels SpirinsLatvia3,000,07550
9Marc MacDonnellIreland2,970,00050
10Lee PiniatoglouUnited States2,610,00044

Benny Glaser Leads Final 10 in Event #38: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship

WSOP Day 18: Jerry Wong Gets Monkey Off His Back With First Bracelet

United Kingdom’s Benny Glaser is one of the most recognizable names in terms of mixed-game prowess. He is in a prime position to win his fifth WSOP bracelet as he leads the final 10 players heading into the final day of the three-day Event #38: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship.

The event attracted 130 lowball enthusiasts to create a $1,209,000 prize pool. The top 20 players secured at least $16,378 min-cash. Four-time WSOP bracelet winner Mike Matusow (12th – $20,425), GGPoker Ambassador, six-time WSOP champion, and Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu (13th – $20,425), five-time WSOP winner John Monette (15th – $20,425), and poker grinder Allen “The Chainsaw” Kessler (18th – $16,378) were among the notable players to cash but watch their dreams of winning the bracelet in this event blow up in smoke.

Glaser isn’t the only bracelet winner looking to add hardware in this event as WSOP champions Joao Vieira, David “Bakes” Baker, Michael Rodrigues, and Julien Martini are still in the hunt.

Event #38: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship Final Day Seat Draw

The final day of the $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw Championship will be played out at The Horseshoe starting at 2 p.m. Check out the seat draw below.

TableSeatPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
11Jason PapastavrouUnited States860,00043
13Benny GlaserUnited Kingdom1,695,00085
14Sampo RyynanenFinland1,240,00062
15George AlexanderUnited States120,0006
16Julien MartiniFrance660,00033
      
21David “Bakes” BakerUnited States750,00038
22Oscar JohanssonSweden500,00025
23Michael RodriguesPortugal735,00037
24Andrew WilkinsonUnited States85,0004
26Joao VieiraPortugal1,105,00055

Nearly 4,000 Entries on Day 1a of Event #39: $1,500 Monster Stack

The four-day Event #39: $1,500 Monster Stack boasted a banner day on its first of two opening flights with 3,945 entries already adding $5,266,575 to the prize pool. This crushed the 2,947 entries attracted on Day 1a of this same event last year.

Bulgaria’s Pavlin Kanakikov parlayed his 50,000 opening stack into 593,500 to end Day 1a with the chip lead after 10 levels of one hour each. Several other players also bagged more than half a million in chips including Arun Malhotra, Adrian Bertini, Micha Bitton, Yuhan Huo, Todd Sekli, Viktor Lavi, Fabian Gumz, Shahin Edalatdju, Jorge Consiglieri, and Dean Henry.

The action will resume with Day 1b on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Event #39: $1,500 Monster Stack Day 1a Top 10 Leaderboard

PlacePlayerCountryChipsBig Blinds
1Pavlin KanakikovBulgaria593,500237
2Arun MalhotraCanada563,500225
3Adrian BertiniUnited States549,500220
4Micha BittonUnited States544,000218
5Yuhan HuoUnited States538,000215
6Todd SekliAustralia530,000212
7Viktor LaviEgypt516,000206
8Fabian GumzGermany512,000205
9Shahin EdalatdjuUnited States510,000204
10Jorge ConsiglieriUnited States509,000204

Businessman Dustin Bailey Outshines the Stars on Day 1 of Event #40: $250,000 Super High Roller

WSOP Day 18: Jerry Wong Gets Monkey Off His Back With First Bracelet

The three-day Event #40: $250,000 Super High Roller generated a ton of buzz with a huge rail thanks to this featuring the largest buy-in of the festival of $250,000.

Obviously, some of the best players in the world are being staked or selling action. Of course, some bought in entirely from their own bankroll while a handful of businessmen were happy to get into the action on their own dime in hopes of winning this prestigious event along with a hefty top prize.

Despite all the big names in the field, it was businessman Dustin Bailey who shined on Day 1 of this event by more than tripling his 1,500,000 opening stack into 4,850,000 after eight blind levels of one hour each. Bailey held his own against the best of the best including battling it out against the legendary Phil Ivey and Chance Kornuth.

The field thus far has attracted 56 entries $13,944,000 prize pool with 37 players surviving the opening day. These figures will likely grow with late registration not closing until cards are back in the air on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Event #40: $250,000 Super High Roller Day 1 Top 10 Leaderboard

PlacePlayerCountryChipsBig Blinds
1Dustin BaileyUnited States4,850,000162
2Chance KornuthUnited States4,340,000145
3Steven VenezianoUnited States4,315,000144
4Henrik HecklenDenmark4,285,000143
5Artur MartirosianRussia3,785,000126
6Ben HeathUnited Kingdom3,720,000124
7Alex KulevBulgaria3,625,000121
8Koray AldemirGermany3,535,000118
9James ChenTaiwain3,485,000116
10Espen JorstadNorway2,800,00093

June 16, 2023 WSOP Schedule

Saturday, June 17 is scheduled to award two bracelet winners in Event #37: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em and Event #38: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship. Two other events continue to plug away including Day 1b of Event #39: $1,500 Monster Stack and Day 2 of the eye-catching Event #40: $250,000 Super High Roller.

Only one new event will be commencing on Saturday in Event #41: $1,500 Big O at 2 p.m. However, expect a busy crowd on Saturday at the WSOP with the Monster Stack expected to draw even more entries than the nearly 4,000 that participated on Friday.

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.

TimeEventInfo
10 a.m.Event #37: $2,000 No-Limit HoldemDay 3 of 3
10 a.m.Event #39: $1,500 MONSTER STACK No-Limit Hold’em – Flight BDay 1 of 4
1 p.m.Event #38: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw ChampionshipDay 3 of 3
1 p.m.Event #40: $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’emDay 2 of 3
2 p.m.Event #41: $1,500 Big ODay 1 of 3

Images courtesy of WSOP/PokerNews.
Article by Jason Glatzer
Follow JaxonPoker on Twitter

Read More
Clicky