Couden Bags Big In Day 1 of Event #36: $800 No-Limit Hold'em DeepStack 8-Handed
Today, the continuation of the 2024 World Series of Poker saw the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas play host to Event #36: $800 No-Limit Hold'em DeepStack 8-Handed. This two-day event drew in a massive 4,278 entrants, which generated a mammoth prize pool of $3,011,712. Tomorrow, the remaining 259 players will race towards the first-place prize of $342,551 and the coveted gold WSOP bracelet.
Of the remaining field, Martin Zamani solidified himself as one of the largest stacks in the room, having bagged and tagged a considerable sum of 2,100,000 by the conclusion of Level 22.
Zamani was the beneficiary of a huge pot on the last level of the day, as his full house had the flush of his opponent, Loubna Aggoun, drawing dead. Despite taking a hit, Aggoun still managed to bag a stack of 1,325,000 for the Day 2 restart Friday.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Couden | United States | 3,280,000 | 109 |
| 2 | Gj Hu | United States | 3,000,000 | 100 |
| 3 | Martin Zamani | United States | 2,100,000 | 70 |
| 4 | Fabian Rolli | Switzerland | 2,075,000 | 69 |
| 5 | Christopher Taylor | Canada | 1,860,000 | 62 |
| 6 | Joshua Frazer James | Canada | 1,805,000 | 60 |
| 7 | Charles Revil | France | 1,800,000 | 60 |
| 8 | Agharzi Babayev | Azerbaijan | 1,745,000 | 58 |
| 9 | Turbo Nguyen | United States | 1,530,000 | 51 |
| 10 | Brandon Sheils | United Kingdom | 1,530,000 | 51 |
Although Zamani will have some catching up to do as both Joseph Couden and Gj Hu eclipsed the three million chip mark, having amassed 3,280,000 and 3,000,000, respectively, by the end of play. Couden already has one bracelet among his career titles and will be looking to add another by the conclusion of play tomorrow.
Bubble Action
A total of 642 made the money, securing a minimum cash of $1,601. On Level 19, a chaotic hand-for-hand procedure saw a total of at least seven all-in-and-call situations. In a flurry of chips, both John Borzio and Hamid Izadi had the misfortune of sharing the bubble, departing to the rail from two different tables, splitting the 642nd place payout.
Notable names to progress to Day 2 include bracelet winners Ryan Riess (280,000), Joe Cada (335,000) and Chris Brewer (1,505,000), as well as Jose Aguilera, who finished in tenth place in the WSOP Main Event last year.
Those not so fortunate to proceed to Day 2 included Maria Konnikova, Koray Aldemir, Kristen Foxen, Greg Raymer and Phil Hellmuth.
Day 2 will recommence tomorrow, June 14, at 11 a.m. local time. Proceedings will start on Level 23 with blinds at 15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 big blind ante, and the tournament will play down to a winner.
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