2024 WSOP Day 3: First Two Bracelets of the Series Awarded
The third day of the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas saw not one but two gold bracelets awarded, the first of the series. That leaves "only" 97 more live bracelet events for PokerNews to report from!
Event #1: $5,000 Champions Reunion is complete after Asher Conniff came out on top. Conniff helped himself to $408,468 plus a much sought-after gold bracelet, the first of his career, setting themselves up for the rest of the series. Conniff defeated Halil Tasyurek heads-up, resigning the runner-up to a $322,305 consolation prize.
The second bracelet of the day went to the second event on the 2024 WSOP schedule, Event #2: $500 Casino Employees. This tournament was meant to conclude on May 29, but the tournament director called time when the clock struck 2:00 a.m. and four players still remained. Jose Garcia came out on top after returning for the unscheduled Day 3 as the chip leader. Their reward for victory? $79,134, a gold bracelet, and bragging rights over their peers.
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Only Eight Survive the $500 WSOP Kickoff; Daniel Willis Leads
Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout has reached its final table, with only eight of the 3,485 starters in contention for this tournament's bracelet and the $175,578 top prize.
Daniel Willis (23,725,000) will lead the finalists back into battle at 1:00 p.m. on May 31. This is Willis's first WSOP cash and first WSOP final table, and he'll be hoping to bag his first gold bracelet.
Although Willis has the advantage going into the final table, the other seven players have reached the big stage on merit. Shawn Smith (16,150,000), Michael Wang (12,625,000), and Steven Borella (10,425,000) are Willis' closest rivals regarding chip stacks, while Yoshinori Funayama (7,700,000), John Marino (7,000,000, Daniel Sherer (6,275,000), and David Niedringhaus (3,350,000) are not there to make up the numbers.
It could be an explosive start to Day 3, with five of the finalists armed with 21 big blinds or fewer. As always, PokerNews is the place to receive updates from this event.
Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff Final Table Chip Counts
Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shawn Smith | United States | 16,150,000 | 32 |
2 | John Marino | United States | 7,000,000 | 14 |
3 | David Niedringhaus | United States | 3,350,000 | 7 |
4 | Michael Wang | United States | 12,625,000 | 25 |
5 | Steven Borella | United States | 10,425,000 | 21 |
6 | Yoshinori Funayama | Japan | 7,700,000 | 15 |
7 | Daniel Sherer | United States | 6,275,000 | 13 |
8 | Daniel Willis | United Kingdom | 23,725,000 | 47 |
"Miami" John Cernuto Flying High in the $1,500 Omaha 8 Event
Adam Nattress leads the final 22 players in Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better after two days of action. Nattress is one of three players with more than 2,000,000 chips in their stack; Aleksey Filatov and James Chen are the other well-stacked pair.
Slightly lower in the overnight standings is a true poker legend. "Miami" John Cernuto may be 80 years young, but he's rolled back the years in this event, and bagged up enough chips for eighth-place at the restart. Cernuto has a trio of bracelets, capturing them in 1996, 1996, and 2002, and is the current overall number one player regarding tournament cashes.
Winning his fourth bracelet would surely push Cernuto into the minds of the Poker Hall of Fame voters.
You can see if Cernuto gets the job done when play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on May 31.
Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better End of Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Adam Nattress | United States | 2,480,000 |
2 | Aleksey Filatov | United States | 2,145,000 |
3 | James Chen | United States | 2,100,000 |
4 | Curtis Phelps | United States | 1,985,000 |
5 | Lewis Brandt | United States | 1,850,000 |
6 | Pearce Arnold | United States | 1,410,000 |
7 | Todd Dakake | United States | 1,220,000 |
8 | John Cernuto | United States | 1,135,000 |
9 | Mathew Rego | Canada | 1,120,000 |
10 | Matthew Aronowitz | United States | 1,085,000 |
2,246 Wannabe Millionaires Turn Out for the Mystery Millions on Day 1a
Pete Chen came out on top on Day 1a of Event #6: $1,000 Mystery Millions, bagging up 3,150,000 chips at the end of the 22nd level. Only 118 of the 2,246 entrants made it through to Day 2, and Chen has done his chances of winning a third WSOP bracelet no harm at all.
Both of Chen's bracelets have come in online events, so a live win would be a fantastic hat trick. Israel's Uri Reichenstein bagged up enough chips for second place, with Akinobu Maeda rounding out the top three.
Others safely through include Andrew Moreno, Mark Seif, Christian Harder, Brock Wilson, Jeremy Becker, DJ Buckley, Alex Foxen, and Punnat Punsri.
Day 1b starts at 10:00 a.m. local time on May 31, with PokerNews' traditional coverage commencing on Day 2 on June 3.
Event #5: $1,000 Mystery Millions Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pete Chen | Taiwan | 3,150,000 | 63 |
2 | Uri Reichenstein | Israel | 2,225,000 | 45 |
3 | Akinobu Maeda | Japan | 2,080,000 | 42 |
4 | James Erickson | United States | 1,805,000 | 36 |
5 | Wojciech Barzantny | Austria | 1,500,000 | 30 |
6 | Milfred Sageer | United States | 1,500,000 | 30 |
7 | James Maita | United States | 1,500,000 | 30 |
8 | Zhao Xin | China | 1,395,000 | 28 |
9 | Andrew Moreno | United States | 1,370,000 | 27 |
10 | Arin Youssefian | United States | 1,345,000 | 27 |
$25K Heads Up Championship Reaches The Round of 16
The biggest buy-in event of the 2024 WSOP so far, Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship, sold out after 64 players bought in. Only 16 of those high-stakes starters remain in the hunt for the $500,000 top prize, and only half of them will win any prize money.
Some intriguing one-on-one battles took place in the first round, including Stephen Chidwick defeating Jeremy Ausmus, and Chance Kornuth busting reigning champion Chanracy Khun.
In Round 2, Artur Martirosian brushed aside Chidwick, and PokerGO's Cary Katz progressed after beating Thomas Boivin.
Whichever players progress from Round 3 will lock in $86,000 for their initial investment and be a couple of wins away from capturing this event's bracelet and the half-million dollar top prize.
When our coverage resumes at 12:00 p.m. local time on May 31, some of the names to look out for include the aforementioned Katz and Martirosian, who are paired with each other, heads-up legend John Smith, Matthew Wantman, and perhaps the clash of Round 3, Faraz Jaka versus Sam Soverel.
Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship Round 3 Matchups
Player 1 | Player 2 | |
---|---|---|
Cary Katz | vs. | Artur Martirosian |
Patrick Kennedy | vs. | Michael Steele |
Darius Samual | vs. | Matthew Wantman |
Weston Mizumoto | vs. | John Smith |
Nikolai Mamut | vs. | James Gorham |
Marko Grujic | vs. | Joseph Miller |
Faraz Jaka | vs. | Sam Soverel |
Owen Messere | vs. | Kane Kalas |
Mixed Game Specialists Descend on Las Vegas for the Dealer's Choice
A field of 530 players descended on Event #7: $1,500 Dealer's Choice (6-Handed) but only 126 of them made it through the day unscathed. While Michael Wagner bagged up the most chips, it is the player in third place in the overnight chip counts where everyone's attention is.
Benny Glaser is considered one of the best mixed game players of all time. The popular British grinder has five WSOP bracelets on his wrist, and it would take a brave person to bet against him adding a sixth by the time this event crowns its champion.
There's still a long way to go in this event, and the chasing pack is a stellar all-star cast. Bracelet winners Scott Bohlman, Andrew Kelsall, and Hanh Tran return to the fray with top 10 stacks.
Jeff Madsen, a $25K Fantasy Draft pick, lurks in 11th, with four other fantasy players in the top 30: Chino Rheem, Maxx Coleman, Julien Martini, and Yingui Li. Then you have such luminaries as Hall of Famer Brian Rast, Toby Lewis, John Hennigan, and reigning WSOP Main Event champion Daniel Weinman still in the mix.
Everything points to an incredible Day 2, which starts at 1:00 p.m. local time on May 31.
Event #7: $1,500 Dealer's Choice (6-Handed) Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Michael Wagner | United States | 272,000 |
2 | Jacob Hamed | United States | 262,500 |
3 | Benny Glaser | United Kingdom | 261,500 |
4 | Scott Bohlman | United States | 259,000 |
5 | Andrew Kelsall | United States | 240,500 |
6 | Hanh Tran | Austria | 225,500 |
7 | Fu Wong | United States | 220,000 |
8 | Ryan Pedigo | United States | 213,500 |
9 | Clinton Wolcyn | United States | 199,000 |
10 | Kuenwai Lo | China | 197,500 |
What Is Happening on Day 4 of the 2024 WSOP?
May 31 is the fourth day of the 2024 WSOP, during which we should see two more players win coveted bracelets. Event #3: WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout is scheduled to play to a winner, as is Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better. However, the limit Omaha 8 events have a knack of over-running!
Day 1b of Event #5: $1,000 Mystery Millions should see another bumper crowd turn out, each hoping to pull out a $1 million bounty at some stage. Be aware that PokerNews' overage of this event starts on Day 2.
The 16 superstars remaining in Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship will likely play down to the final four, while mixed game lovers can tune into PokerNews' Day 2 coverage of Event #7: $1,500 Dealer's Choice (6-Handed), which should end at the final table or at least with the final table within touching distance.
Two other events shuffle up and deal for the first time, too. At 12:00 p.m. local time, Event #8: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed) gets underway, another of the new additions to this year's schedule. A couple of hours later, at 2:00 p.m. local time, Event #9: $1,500 Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) begins.
As always, keep your browsers locked and loaded to PokerNews today and throughout the 2024 WSOP.
In this Series
- 1 2024 WSOP Day 1: Qui Nguyen Starts the Series With an Early Chip Lead
- 2 2024 WSOP Day 2: Sammy Farha Among Big Names in $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo
- 3 2024 WSOP Day 3: First Two Bracelets of the Series Awarded
- 4 2024 WSOP Day 4: Two More Bracelets And A Lot More Big Names
- 5 2024 WSOP Day 5: Massive Field in Mystery Millions; Yockey Eyes Second Title
- 6 2024 WSOP Day 6: Seiver Puts Himself in Contention for a Fifth Bracelet
- 7 2024 WSOP Day 7: Ivey and Negreanu Among $10K Dealer's Choice Survivors
- 8 2024 WSOP Day 8: Negreanu and Ivey Reach Final 11 in the $10K Dealer's Choice
- 9 2024 WSOP Day 9: $10K Dealer's Choice Requires an Unscheduled Fourth Day
- 10 2024 WSOP Day 10: Three Bracelets Awarded; Superstars Out in Force
- 11 2024 WSOP Day 11: Two Bracelets Won, Winter Leads $10k PLO H/L Event
- 12 2024 WSOP Day 12: Greenstein Bags In Gladiator, Hellmuth In $3k LHE
- 13 2024 WSOP Day 13: An Epic Comeback and a Legend Goes Deep
- 14 2024 WSOP Day 14: Six $25K Fantasy Draft Picks Progress to the NLHE High Roller Final Day
- 15 2024 WSOP Day 15: Ivey is in the Mix For His 11th Bracelet
- 16 2024 WSOP Day 16: Ivey Misses Flight Because $10K 2-7 Requires an Extra Day
- 17 2024 WSOP Day 17: Ivey's 11th Bracelet Win Dominates the Headlines on an Action-Packed Day
- 18 2024 WSOP Day 18: Ivey and Negreanu Make Day 2 Of $50k High Roller
- 19 2024 WSOP Day 19: UFC Announcer Bruce Buffer in Final 13 of $50k HR
- 20 2024 WSOP Day 20: Lang Leads All-Star Cast to Final Day of the $10K Stud
- 21 2024 WSOP Day 22: $100K High Rollers Beats Last Year's Numbers; Late Reg Still Open
- 22 2024 WSOP Day 23: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom Leads $100K High Roller Final Six
- 23 2024 WSOP Day 24: Four Champions Crowned on a Ridiculously Busy Day
- 24 2024 WSOP Day 25: Adam Friedman Close To Fourth Mixed Game Bracelet
- 25 2024 WSOP Day 26: Phil Ivey Makes The Final Day of Super High Roller
- 26 2024 WSOP Day 27: Obst Claims Early $50K PPC Lead
- 27 2024 WSOP Day 28: Negreanu Reaches Day 3 of the $50K PPC
- 28 2024 WSOP Day 29: PokerNews Deepstack Championship Smashes 2023's Attendance!
- 29 2024 WSOP Day 30: Brewer Leads the Final Five in the $50K PPC
- 30 2024 WSOP Day 31: Branden Shimamoto Leads the Final 5 in the PokerNews Deepstack Championship
- 31 2024 WSOP Day 32: Elezra Chases 6th Bracelet, Benyamine Final Tables
- 32 2024 WSOP Day 33: Gus Hansen Enters and Bags in the PLO High Roller
- 33 2024 WSOP Day 34: Jamie Kerstetter On Course for Her First Bracelet
- 34 2024 WSOP Day 35: Rast Positions Himself For Bracelet No. 7
- 35 2024 WSOP Day 36: Two More Bracelets Won as Foxen Eliminates and Tilts Hellmuth
- 36 2024 WSOP Day 37: $10,000 Main Event Explodes Into Action
- 37 2024 WSOP Day 38: Erik Seidel Soars on Day 1b of the Main Event
- 38 2024 WSOP Day 39: Negreanu and Hellmuth Make Day 2 of Main Event
- 39 2024 WSOP Day 40: Ivey Joins the Field of 2nd Biggest Main Event Ever
- 40 2024 WSOP Day 41: Five Main Event Champions Fall on Day 2abc
- 41 2024 WSOP Day 42: Reigning Champion Weinman Sails Through Record-Breaking Day 2d
- 42 2024 WSOP Day 43: Aldemir Reaches Day 4 of the Main Event as Six Champs Progress
- 43 2024 WSOP Day 44: Song And Mateos Thrive in the Main Event as Past Champions Bow Out
- 44 Poker Gods Punish Mateos on Day 5 of WSOP Main Event as Song Maintains Chip Lead
- 45 2024 WSOP Day 45: Gus Hansen is Deep in the $10K 8-Game
- 46 2024 WSOP Day 46: Joseph Cheong Slow Rolls the High Rollers
- 47 2024 WSOP Day 47: Christoph Vogelsang Leads High Roller Final Table
- 48 2024 WSOP Day 48: Adrian Mateos Could Capture His Fifth WSOP Bracelet
- 49 2024 WSOP Day 49: Scott Ball Bags Up 254 Big Blinds in the $3K PLO
- 50 2024 WSOP Day 50: Stars Turn Out for Day 1b of The Closer