Welcome to Day 1 of Event #90: $50,000 Final Fifty No-Limit Hold'em
Welcome back to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for Day 1 of Event #90: $50,000 Final Fifty No-Limit Hold'em.
In early June with the 2019 WSOP in full swing, a 90th bracelet event was added to the schedule for the 50th annual WSOP with this Final Fifty looking to bookend another successful WSOP.
"We got some feedback from players who thought [the initial $50k event] was too early in the series and they weren’t around for it," said VP of Corporate Communications Seth Palansky. "We also goofed by not having a $25K High Roller NLH on the schedule this year, which was more feedback we received from players."
With the WSOP schedule always packed with events and buy-ins satisfying all types of players, fitting in the Final Fifty was tough, but eventually, it was decided on July 8 - 10, just prior to Event #83: $100,000 High Roller. "It’s tough at this stage to fit things in, but we found this slot on July 8 that we thought could satisfy everyone," Palansky said.
What's not surprising is the continuation of the "Fifty" theme after the BIG 50 was such a huge success this year. "We decided to make it a $50k instead of $25k to properly close out the 50 theme of the WSOP this year," said Palansky, who added: "The event is well positioned right before the $100k."
The first High Roller tournament of the 2019 WSOP concluded over a month ago with Ben Heath topping a 110-entrant field to capture his first WSOP bracelet and the $1,484,085 first-place prize in Event #5: 50th Annual High Roller. Heath defeated Andrew Lichtenberger heads-up, and the likes of Sam Soverel, Nick Petrangelo, Chance Kornuth, Elio Fox, Cary Katz, Manig Loeser, Bryn Kenney, and Johannes Becker on his way to capturing the first high roller bracelet of the series.
The history of high roller tournaments at the WSOP stretches back to the 40th Annual WSOP in 2009 when Vitaly Lunkin won the $40,000 buy-in high roller. Since then, the 'The Big One for One Drop,' and the 'High Roller for One Drop' have been the key high roller events awarding over $170 million in prize money. With another $29 million paid out in other high rollers in the last decade, the World Series of Poker has awarded over $199 million in high roller prize money.
WSOP No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Results
| Year | Buy-in | Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $40,000 | 40th Annual High Roller | 201 | $7,718,400 | Vitaly Lunkin | Russia | $1,891,018 |
| 2012 | $1,000,000 | The Big One for One Drop | 48 | $42,666,672 | Antonio Esfandiari | United States | $18,346,673 |
| 2013 | $111,111 | One Drop High Roller | 166 | $17,891,148 | Anthony Gregg | United States | $4,830,619 |
| 2014 | $1,000,000 | The Big One for One Drop | 42 | $37,333,338 | Dan Colman | United States | $15,306,668 |
| 2015 | $111,111 | High Roller for One Drop | 135 | $14,249,925 | Jonathan Duhamel | Canada | $3,989,985 |
| 2016 | $111,111 | High Roller for One Drop | 183 | $19,316,565 | Fedor Holz | Germany | $3,981,775 |
| 2017 | $111,111 | High Roller for One Drop | 130 | $13,722,150 | Doug Polk | United States | $3,686,865 |
| 2018 | $100,000 | High Roller | 105 | $10,185,000 | Nick Petrangelo | United States | $2,910,227 |
| 2018 | $50,000 | High Roller | 128 | $6,144,000 | Ben Yu | United States | $1,650,773 |
| 2018 | $1,000,000 | The Big One for One Drop | 27 | $24,840,000 | Justin Bonomo | United States | $10,000,000 |
| 2019 | $50,000 | 50th Annual High Roller | 110 | $5,280,000 | Ben Heath | United Kingdom | $1,484,085 |
* List doesn't include six-handed or mixed-max tournaments. Click event for tournament reporting, click winner's name for final table recap.
Players will begin with 300,000 in starting chips with levels lasting 40 minutes and a 15-minute break every three levels. Day 1 will play twelve levels with play ending at approximately 2:45 a.m. (PDT), while on Day 2, play will conclude once six players remain with the final table returning on Wednesday, July 10, at 12 p.m. (PDT) to be live-streamed.
Late registration for the Final Fifty will conclude at the start of Day 2 (approximately Tuesday, July 9, at 4 p.m. PDT), and players are allowed unlimited re-entry. A shot clock will be in play for the duration of the tournament.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand to provide continuous live updates of all the Final Fifty action once play is underway at 6 p.m. (PDT). So stay tuned right here to PokerNews.com for all your live reporting needs from the Final Fifty, and every event of the 2019 World Series of Poker.