Samuel Laskowitz Leads After Eventful Day 1 of Event #26: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em
The third $25,000 buy-in tournament of the 2024 World Series of Poker, the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (8-handed) attracted 274 entries to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. After eight 60-minute levels, 99 remained as the tables bagged up for Day 2. However, late registration and the option of a single reentry for the players who have not done so already will be available until the end of Level 9, the first level of Day 2, so the field is expected to grow significantly.
Players who decide to register late will have some catching up to do, however, as Samuel Laskowitz expanded his 150,000-chip starting stack to 1,211,000 during Day 1, more than 150 big blinds at the start of Day 2, securing the chip lead and setting himself up well for the second day of play. Laskowitz's best-ever performance at the WSOP was his second-place finish at the 2022 $400 buy-in Colossus for $256,170, but he is no stranger to the high roller scene as he also cashed in last year's $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em at the WSOP, finishing in 16th place.
It will be no easy path to victory for Laskowitz, though, as the likes of Chino Rheem (1,101,000), Dario Sammartino (1,030,000), and Galen Hall (1,026,000) all managed to bag seven-figure stacks as well. Also in the top ten chip counts are Alexander Queen (910,000) and Ognyan Dimov (866,000), who both already have final tables under their belts at the 2024 WSOP, as well as the legendary Phil Ivey (838,000).
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Laskowitz | United States | 1,211,000 | 151 |
| 2 | Chino Rheem | United States | 1,101,000 | 138 |
| 3 | Noel Rodriguez | United States | 1,099,000 | 137 |
| 4 | Dario Sammartino | Italy | 1,030,000 | 129 |
| 5 | Galen Hall | United States | 1,026,000 | 128 |
| 6 | Dean Lyall | United Kingdom | 983,000 | 123 |
| 7 | Alexander Queen | United States | 910,000 | 114 |
| 8 | Ognyan Dimov | Bulgaria | 866,000 | 108 |
| 9 | Phil Ivey | United States | 838,000 | 105 |
| 10 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | 801,000 | 100 |
As expected from a tournament of this caliber, the field was filled with the best of the best. Among the players who put down the buy-in and made it through to Day 2 are Ivey's fellow Hall of Famers Daniel Negreanu (482,000) and Erik Seidel (389,000), while Jesse Lonis (761,000), Dan Smith (719,000), and Philip Sternheimer (696,000) all bagged big for their $25K Fantasy teams.
Further down the leaderboard one can find the names of multi-bracelet winners Jason Mercier (277,000), Chad Eveslage (231,000), and Scott Seiver (148,000). Main Event winners Espen Jorstad (356,000) and Koray Aldemir (309,000) also made it to Day 2, although the same could not be said for Joe McKeehen.
Joining McKeehen on the rail were, among many others, fresh $25,000 High Rollder NLH 6-Handed bracelet winner Brek Schutten, and four-time bracelet winners Anthony Zinno, Julien Martini, and Adrian Mateos.
The players who did survive will be returning tomorrow, June 10, at noon local time to play ten more 60-minute levels. Play will restart at Level 9 with blinds of 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante. The expectation is that the survivors will be joined by many more fresh faces and reentries, who will start with a stack of 150,000, just under 20 big blinds.
Check back with PokerNews at that time to find out who will make it through to the final day of the $25,000 High Roller (8-handed) as the 2024 WSOP action keeps rolling on.