Defending Champ Eliot Hudon Out; Naj Ajez Leads WPT World Championship
Table Of Contents
During the Day 3 session, we asked the question, will there be a repeat winner in the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship. That answer is no after Eliot Hudon, the defending champion, was eliminated late in the day in 186th place for $27,000.
Hudon won it last year for $4.1 million, beating out 2,960 entrants in the first edition of the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
He moved all in with K?J? and a short stack against the A?Q? held by Ardit Kurshumi. No improvement for either hand came on the board, and that was the end of the title defense.
WPT World Championship Day 3 Recap
The defending champion is out, but there are still 132 players with a shot at the $5,678,000 first place prize, the most anyone in the 3,835-entrant field will take home. One possibility as to who will be crowned champion on Dec. 21 is Daniel Sepiol, who is one of a number of players to win some thrilling hands late in Sunday's session.
Sepiol, a Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) champion, was all in preflop for about 2.4 million chips with A?J? against the K?K? of Davidi Kitai. The board would run out J?3?2?J?A?, giving Sepiol a full house to suck out, and it brought him up to around 100 big blinds late in the session. Kitai, on the other hand, was left with a small stack.
At the end of the five-level session, Naj Ajez finished with the largest stack at 11,435,000 chips. He built that big of a stack thanks to playing the largest pot of the tournament to date late on Day 3 when he won a race to double through Maxime Chilaud.
https://twitter.com/PokerNews/status/1736629845952753848
2023 WPT World Championship Day 3 Top Chip Counts
Rank | Player | Chip Count |
---|---|---|
1 | Naj Ajez | 11,435,000 |
2 | Artur Martirosian | 10,930,000 |
3 | Andres Campero | 10,535,000 |
4 | Ankit Ahuja | 8,465,000 |
5 | Mario Navarro | 7,625,000 |
6 | Mark Mounsey | 7,520,000 |
7 | Kristen Foxen | 7,260,000 |
8 | Paulius Vaitiekunas | 7,240,000 |
9 | Chris Moorman | 7,120,000 |
Chance Kornuth, however, had his run stopped just short of Day 4 when he was eliminated in 137th place ($34,100). Other notables to bust on Day 3 include Jason Somerville (140th for $34,100), Hossein Ensan (144th for $34,100), Chris Hunichen (155th for $31,300), Lynn Gilmartin (454th for $18,700), and David Williams (468th for $18,700).
Day 4 begins Monday at noon PT with 132 players remaining. The blinds will jump to 40,000/80,000 (80,000 big blind ante) when play resumes. A complete list of chip counts will be available in the morning.
*Image courtesy of World Poker Tour.
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In this Series
- 1 Award-Winning WPT World Championship Returning to Wynn in December
- 2 WPT World Championship at Wynn to Set Record w/ $40 Million Guarantee
- 3 Tennessee Home Game Grinder Qualifies Into WPT World Championship
- 4 Iraq War Veteran Qualifies for WPT World Championship on ClubWPT
- 5 Here's How to Qualify for the $40 Million Guaranteed WPT World Championship
- 6 Alaskan Gold Miner Among Latest To Qualify For WPT World Championship
- 7 Premier Meet-Up Game with Phil Ivey Will Kick Off the WPT World Championship at Wynn
- 8 World Poker Tour Reveals Live Streaming Schedule for WPT World Championship
- 9 Women in Poker Initiatives Will Be at the Forefront During WPT World Championship
- 10 Over $55M in Guarantees for WPT World Championship Series at Wynn from Nov. 29-Dec. 23
- 11 Cancer Survivor Qualifies for WPT World Championship In Las Vegas
- 12 "Johnnyhaha" Riesterer Wins Seat Into WPT World Championship In Las Vegas
- 13 ClubWPT Qualifier Luis Gutierrez Ready to Take on WPT World Championship
- 14 PN Pod Special Edition: Phil Ivey & Gus Hansen at 2023 WPT World Championship; Everything You Need to Know
- 15 Phil Ivey & Gus Hansen Drop Down to Low-Stakes Poker (For One Day)
- 16 Mexican Pro Jacobo Montoya Seeking Another Score in WPT World Championship
- 17 Multiple Big Winners Already Crowned at WPT World Championship Festival
- 18 Mike Leah, George Tomescu Among Latest Big Winners in WPT World Championship Festival
- 19 Did Wynn Figure Out the Perfect Bubble Stalling Solution During WPT Prime Championship?
- 20 Alan Keating Bags Big Stack on Day 1a of WPT World Championship
- 21 Lynn Gilmartin Spins Up a Stack on Day 1b of WPT World Championship
- 22 Meet Some of the ClubWPT Qualifiers Playing the WPT World Championship
- 23 $40 Million Guarantee Within Reach as WPT World Championship Approaches Day 1d
- 24 Kristen Foxen Turns a Full House But is Drawing Dead in WPT Ladies Cash Game
- 25 Class of 2023 Reflect on Joining the WPT Champions Club
- 26 "WPT's Long-Term Plan Playing Out" says Pliska After World Championship Overlay
- 27 Class of 2023 Reflect on Joining the WPT Champions Club
- 28 "WPT's Long-Term Plan Playing Out" says Pliska After World Championship Overlay
- 29 Garrett Adelstein Books Another Six-Figure Win in WPT Cash Game
- 30 What Players Should You Expect for the WPT $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop?
- 31 Aces Cracked to Bust the Bubble on Day 2 of WPT World Championship
- 32 Will the WPT World Championship Have a Repeat Winner?
- 33 Defending Champ Eliot Hudon Out; Naj Ajez Leads WPT World Championship
- 34 WATCH: Joe Hachem Folds Kings Near WPT World Championship Bubble
- 35 WPT x Daniel Arsham Celebrity Invitational Features Actor Neil Patrick Harris
- 36 Reality TV Star Princess Love Among 45 Left in WPT World Championship
- 37 Phil Ivey Busts on Day 1 of $1M WPT Big One for One Drop
- 38 Dan Smith Bags Chip Lead w/ 6 Left in WPT Big One for One Drop
- 39 Ben Jacobs Leads WPT World Championship Final 16; Moorman, Lichtenberger & Sepiol Alive
- 40 Mikita Badziakouski Ships $1 Million Buy-In WPT Big One for One Drop ($7.1 Million)
- 41 Daniel Lowery Caps Off Career Year With WPT Seniors Win Just Weeks After His 50th
- 42 PN Podcast: MI Player Kidnapped & Zip-Tied & Dan Sepiol Talks Winning WPT World Championship
- 43 Ren Lin Wins $50k WPT Alpha8 for $1,045,781; Jason Koon Runner-Up
- 44 Dan Sepiol Wins WPT World Championship ($5.3 Million) w/ Brilliant Final Table Performance
- 45 Lucky Chewy Catches Fire to Lead Stacked WPT World Championship Final Table
- 46 2023 WPT World Championship Hands of the Week: WSOP Champ Felted By Hall of Famer
- 47 Gamble, Weng & Coleman Win at WPT World Championship Festival; Leah Claims 2nd Trophy
- 48 Calvin Anderson Wins WPT Prime Championship for $1,386,280
- 49 Actor Neil Patrick Harris Takes Brutal Cooler in WPT Celebrity Poker Tournament