Tobias Leknes Leads the Final Ten in $1,500 Badugi
Play has halted after 10 hours of play on Day 2 of Event #11: $1,500 Badugi at the 2024 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Leading the way is Tobias Leknes (2,225,000). The online mixed games crusher from Norway is no stranger to draw games, and his performance today proves this ability.
Rounding out the podium are David Prociak (2,175,000) and Brandon Cantu (1,825,000). Out of an original field of 487, 139 players made it to Day 2 with only ten surviving to fight for the gold bracelet, along with $129,676 for first-place.
Out of the returning players, three of them are previous bracelet winners (Prociak, Cantu, and Matt Grapenthien), with three-time bracelet winner Jim Collopy being eliminated shortly before the night's end. Players who also found Day 3 bags include David Stamm and Day 1 chip leader Joseph Wagganer.
Chip Counts Going Into Day 3
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tobias Leknes | Norway | 2,225,000 |
| 2 | David Prociak | United States | 2,175,000 |
| 3 | Brandon Cantu | United States | 1,825,000 |
| 4 | Tomasz Gluszko | Poland | 1,575,000 |
| 5 | Edward Yam | Hong Kong | 1,330,000 |
| 6 | Matt Grapenthien | United States | 980,000 |
| 7 | David Stamm | United States | 765,000 |
| 8 | Joseph Wagganer | United States | 540,000 |
| 9 | Yuya Murata | Japan | 415,000 |
| 10 | Laurent A Boublil | United States | 355,000 |
The Day's Action
The day began with 139 players, but the field size quickly shrunk as the money bubble was reached after about two hours of play. Sterling Lopez earned the unfortunate title of bubble boy as Brian Tate drew a five-outer on the final draw to eliminate Lopez as the remaining 47 players were guaranteed a min-cash of $3,000.
The bust-outs came quickly after the money was reached, with several notable players being eliminated, including Jerry Wong, Craig Chait, Justin Saliba, Dylan Linde, Frank Kassela, and Nick Guagenti.
Chris Brewer was eliminated 17th in brutal fashion. It was a cooler situation in which three players stood pat on the third draw with made six badugis. However, it was the six-perfect of Prociak that scooped the pot and eliminated Brewer.
Cantu made an impressive late-night surge as he went from 275,000 chips with 18 players left to 1,825,000 with ten players left. He enters Day 3 third in chips, looking to add another bracelet to his collection.
Day 3 begins at 1 p.m. on June 4 in Level 26, with blinds at 20,000/40,000 and limits at 40,000/80,000. The action takes place in the Horseshoe Event Center, where the remaining players will play down to a winner.
As always, stay tuned to Pokernews for continued coverage of Event #11: $1,500 Badugi and all other bracelet events at the 2024 World Series of Poker.