2023 WSOP Day 1: Big Guns Turn Out in Force for the $25K High Roller; Razaei Leads
Table Of Contents
The wait is finally over; the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is underway at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas! It feels like it has been forever since the PokerNews Live Reporting team was last on the ground, bringing you all of the action from the WSOP, but here we are again, ready for another summer of incredible poker action.
Day 1 of the 2023 WSOP saw two events shuffle up and deal: the $500 Casino Employees event and the eagerly anticipated $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed. The $500 Casino Employees saw its 1,015-strong field whittled to a more manageable 89 over the course of 17 levels, while the $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed ended with only 65 of the 187 entrants in contention for a WSOP bracelet.
Daniel Rezaei Gets Off to a Flying Start in the $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed
Event #2: $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed is a new addition to the WSOP schedule, with last year's equivalent played as an 8-handed tournament. Day 1 saw 187 entrants, including re-entries, enter the fray, although that number is set to increase because late registration remains open until the start of Day 2 on May 31.
As you would expect from such a prestigious tournament, dozens of elite-level players bought into the first big buy-in event of the summer. When the curtain came down on Day 1 proceedings, and the dust had settled, only 65 players had chips requiring bagging and tagging. Nobody crammed more betting tokens into the overnight bag than Austria's Daniel Rezaei.
End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
Place | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Daniel Rezaei | Austria | 1,368,000 | 137 |
2 | Justin Liberto | United States | 1,147,000 | 115 |
3 | Brek Schutten | United States | 1,050,000 | 105 |
4 | Sean Winter | United States | 1,047,000 | 105 |
5 | Brock Wilson | United States | 1,009,000 | 101 |
6 | Keith Lehr | United States | 997,000 | 100 |
7 | Bin Weng | United States | 975,000 | 98 |
8 | Christopher Brewer | United States | 899,000 | 90 |
9 | Bill Klein | United States | 888,000 | 89 |
10 | Samuel Laskowitz | United States | 790,000 | 79 |
Rezaei finished Day 1 in the envious position of chip leader, having turned his 150,000 starting stack into a colossal pile worth 1,368,000, or 137 big blinds on Day 2 if you prefer. The Austrian built a substantial stack early into Day 1 and was propelled to the chip counts' summit when he eliminated Shannon Shorr during the seventh level of the evening. Razaei turned a flush, which crushed Shorr's middle pair. Shorr re-entered and finished with 304,000.
Four other players return to their seats armed with seven-figure stacks. Justin Liberto (1,147,000), Brek Schutten (1,050,000), Sean Winter (1,047,000), and Brock Wilson (1,009,000) is that big stacked quartet.
Keith Lehr (997,000), Bin Weng (975,000), Christopher Brewer (899,000), Bill Klein (888,000), and Samuel Laskowitz (790,000) round out the current top ten.
Further down the chip counts, but still in with a shot of glory is a whole host of stellar names. Adrian Mateos (775,000) is lurking just outside the top ten, while Daniel Negreanu (610,000), on his second $25,000 bullet, is in the top 20.
Also still in the mix are such luminaries as reigning WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad (563,000), Kristen Foxen (411,000), Isaac Haxton (355,000), the legendary Phil Hellmuth (340,000), Brian Rast (230,000), and Justin Bonomo (228,000). Shaun Deeb (75,000) sits down on Day 2 with the shortest stack.
Play resumes at noon local time on May 31, and PokerNews will be on hand to bring you all of the action as it happens.
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PokerNews' Jesse Fullen Second in Chips Going Into Day 2
Event #1: $500 Casino Employees Day 1 is done and dusted. Some 1,015 players bought in, up from 832 last year, but only 89 will return for Day 2 on May 31. PokerNews' very own Jesse Fullen finds himself second in chips and with a realistic chance of having to work the rest of the series with a gold WSOP adorning his wrist.
You may recall that PokerNews' Chad Holloway triumphed in this very event in 2013. Holloway is still in the mix in the 2023 edition, although his 211,000 stack places him 59th at the restart.
On the other hand, Fullen scooped a massive pot during the final level of the night, one that catapulted him toward the top of the chip counts. Fullen flopped a full house, eights full of threes, and eliminated Terra Dorvall, who held a pair of tens on the hole. The turn and river did not help Dorvell, and Fullen flew up the leaderboard.
Only Benson Tam (889,000) has more chips than Fullen right now.
At least both Fullen and Holloway faired better than PokerNews' Senior Content Manager, Yori Epskamp. Epskamp three-bet all-in with ace-king over an opening raise from David Eaton, made with the dominated ace-seven of diamonds. Eaton called and flopped a flush draw, which came in on the turn, leaving Epskamp drawing dead. Epskamp collected $876 for his efforts.
End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
Place | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Benson Tam | United States | 889,000 | 89 |
2 | Jesse Fullen | United States | 861,000 | 86 |
3 | Lisa Eckstein | United States | 775,000 | 78 |
4 | Zaen Qatan | United States | 773,000 | 77 |
5 | James Urbanic | United States | 618,000 | 62 |
6 | John Vournas | United States | 613,000 | 61 |
7 | Burcu Dagli | United States | 583,000 | 58 |
8 | Joshua Honegger | United States | 529,000 | 53 |
9 | Joshua Brodsky | United States | 527,000 | 53 |
10 | Sandra Faabeng | United States | 499,000 | 50 |
Others that bagged and tagged sizeable stacks include Lisa Eckstein (775,000), Zaen Qatan (773,000), and James Urbanic (618,000).
Reigning champion Katie Kopp went deep in the event but ultimately fell short of the money places, as did 2021 champion James Barnett.
Play resumes at 10:00 a.m. and continues until only one player has all the chips in play. That player will become a WSOP champion and receive $75,535 in addition to the all-important WSOP bracelet.
What Events Are Running on Day 2 of the 2023 WSOP?
May 31 is Day 2 of the 2023, and it is packed with action. Event #1: $500 Casino Employees and Event #2: $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed play out their respective Day 2s, while Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions, Event #4: Tournament of Champions, and Event #5: $1,500 Dealer's Choice 6-Handed all kick off at the Horseshoe Paris Las Vegas.
In this Series
- 1 2023 WSOP Day 1: Big Guns Turn Out in Force for the $25K High Roller; Razaei Leads
- 2 2023 WSOP Day 2: First Bracelet of the Series Awarded; Hallay Leads High Roller
- 3 2023 WSOP Day 3: Andrew Kelsall Leads the Final 11 of the Dealer's Choice
- 4 2023 WSOP Day 4: Polk Advances to Sweet 16 in $25K HU, Eveslage Wins Second Bracelet
- 5 2023 WSOP Day 5: Polk Makes Final Four as Shaun Deeb Chases Stud Title
- 6 2023 WSOP Day 6: Four Bracelets Awarded; Eveslage Aiming for Back-to-Back Wins
- 7 2023 WSOP Day 7: Three Champions Crowned; Chosen One Eveslage Does it Again
- 8 2023 WSOP Day 8: Calvin Anderson Spins It Up in the High Roller
- 9 2023 WSOP Day 9: Could We See the First Female Champion of the Series?
- 10 2023 WSOP Day 10: Action-Packed Day Sees Three Bracelets Awarded
- 11 2023 WSOP Day 11: One Bracelet Awarded; $50k High Roller Kicks Off
- 12 2023 WSOP Day 12: Alex Foxen Chases Second Bracelet In $50k Event
- 13 2023 WSOP Day 13: Shaun Deeb Bags Another WSOP Chip Lead; Seidel Gunning for 10th Bracelet
- 14 2023 WSOP Day 14: Lamb Leads Stacked Omaha Hi-Lo Championship Final Table
- 15 2023 WSOP Day 15: Arends Leads the $100K; Lamb and Deeb Capture Gold Bracelets
- 16 2023 WSOP Day 16: Five Shiny Bracelets Find New Homes
- 17 2023 WSOP Day 17: Razz Championship Spills Over into Day 4
- 18 2023 WSOP Day 18: First Bracelet For Wong; Kornuth Bags Big in $250K
- 19 2023 WSOP Day 19: Benny Glaser Chases Fifth Bracelet
- 20 2023 WSOP Day 20: Johnny Chan in the Hunt for Bracelet No. 11
- 21 2023 WSOP Day 21: Cates Terminated from the $50K PPC
- 22 2023 WSOP Day 22: Ashton Hunting for Second $50K PPC Title
- 23 2023 WSOP Day 23: Ivey Falls Short of His 11th Bracelet
- 24 2023 WSOP Day 24: Five Bracelets Awarded; More Records Broken
- 25 2023 WSOP Day 25: Halatenko Leads Final Five Into Day 4 of $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship
- 26 2023 WSOP Day 26: Phil Hellmuth Makes The Final 17 of $10,000 H.O.R.S.E.
- 27 2023 WSOP Day 27: Heimiller; Matusow, and Gorodinsky Shine Brightly
- 28 2023 WSOP Day 28: Chance Kornuth Continues Crushing
- 29 2023 WSOP Day 29: Negreanu Finishes Another Day 1 With a Big Stack
- 30 2023 WSOP Day 30: Erik Seidel Seeking His 10th WSOP Bracelet
- 31 2023 WSOP Day 31: Vitor Dzivielevski Hoping to Join His Brother in the Bracelet Club
- 32 2023 WSOP Day 32: Dzivielevski Brothers Chasing Gold, Both Run Deep
- 33 2023 WSOP Day 33: Three Bracelets Won as Shiina Okamoto Leads The Ladies Event
- 34 2023 WSOP Day 34: Excitement Builds for the $10,000 Main Event!
- 35 2023 WSOP Day 35: The Wait is Over! The $10,000 Main Event Shuffles up and Deals!
- 36 2023 WSOP Day 36: Main Event Continues Growing During Fourth of July Celebrations
- 37 2023 WSOP Day 37: Main Event Looks Set to Obliterate the Attendance Record
- 38 2023 WSOP Day 38: Main Event Shatters Its Attendance Record
- 39 2023 WSOP Day 39: No Repeat Main Event Champion as Espen Jorstad Gets Eliminated
- 40 2023 WSOP Day 40: Maurice Hawkins Leads Main Event into Day 3
- 41 2023 WSOP Day 41: Morgan Petro Bags Big Lucky 7's Stack; Kornuth Continues Crushing
- 42 2023 WSOP Day 42: Arieh Claims the $25K H.O.R.S.E. Day 1 Chip Lead
- 43 2023 WSOP Day 43: Three-Hour Bubble Sees $25K H.O.R.S.E. Get Stuck in the Mud
- 44 2023 WSOP Day 44: Wang Claims $50,000 High Roller Chip Lead
- 45 2023 WSOP Day 45: Kulev Set to Claim $50K High Roller Title
- 46 2023 WSOP Day 46: Friedman Gets Closer To Sixth Bracelet
- 47 2023 WSOP Day 47: Another Deep Run for Hellmuth; Pupillo Final Three in Mixed Event
- 48 2023 WSOP Day 48: Reard In a Dominant Position in the $10K NLHE 6-Max Championship
- 49 2023 WSOP Day 49: John Juanda Could Join an Exclusive Club
- 50 2023 WSOP Day 50: Can The Last Person Out Please Turn Off The Lights?