2024 WSOP Daily Recap: Main Event Day 1D Shatters Records; Ashish Munot & Kavin Shah Headline 17 Indians Advancing to Day 2D

Day 40 of the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was a spectacle to behold as the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas transformed into a battleground for poker glory. While no bracelets were awarded, the day was far from uneventful.

The highlight was the record-shattering Day 1D of Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship, which saw an unprecedented 5,014 entries. With late registrations open for the two Day 2`s, the potential to surpass last year’s attendance record is still very much alive. The atmosphere was electric, a mix of exhilaration and trepidation as players from around the globe fought for a chance to etch their names in poker history.

Amidst this exhilarating chaos, a formidable contingent of 17 Indian players emerged, advancing to Day 2D. Leading the Indian charge is Ashish Munot, a seasoned pro making his WSOP debut. Munot bagged the 80th largest stack out among the 3,823 survivors, making him a serious contender. Kavin Shah, another Indian player with a string of impressive performances this WSOP, also secured a healthy stack.

The Indian charge didn’t stop there. A wave of talent followed, including Sriharsha Doddapaneni, Tarun Goyal, Kunal Punjwani, Sreekanth Narayan, Arun Sriram, Akshay Bharadwaj, Ankit Ahuja, Zarvan Tumboli, Rahul Melwani, Aditya S, Aditya Sushant, Abhishek Paul, Premnath Kasinath, Anil Adiani, and PokerBaazi Team Pro Abhishek Goindi, all ready to make their mark on Day 2D.

While the Main Event stole the spotlight, Event #82: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout offered a thrilling alternative for players seeking additional action. The late-night tournament drew a massive field, including several Main Event casualties looking for redemption.

Among the Indian players, Young Gun Gaurav Sood emerged as a potential contender, seemingly advancing to Day 2 with a stack that, while below average, still offers a fighting chance. However, with the official chip counts yet to be released, the full extent of Sood’s progress and other Indians remained unconfirmed at the time of publishing this report.

Day 40: What Happened?

The poker world descended upon the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for Day 1D of Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship, a day that has etched its mark in poker history. After three previous flights fell short of last year’s record-breaking attendance, Day 1D roared to life, amassing over 5,014 entries and shattering the record for the largest single-day flight in WSOP Main Event history.

This surge in participation catapulted this iconic tournament towards an unprecedented total, with the final tally expected to nearly match the 2023 numbers across all four Day 1 flights. Exceeding last year‘s 10,043 unique players remains a thrilling possibility, with late registration still open for the first two levels of both Day 2s.

As the last level of Day 1D concluded, one thing was undeniable: the 2024 WSOP Main Event had already solidified its place as the second-largest in history, boasting over 9,200 entries. The poker world now eagerly awaits the next two days to see if the tournament will once again breach the five-figure threshold.

The day kicked off with a bang as bestselling author and poker enthusiast Maria Konnikova, known for her insightful commentary on the game, took to the Horseshoe Event Center to deliver the iconic “shuffle up and deal.” Konnikova’s words of wisdom echoed through the room, reminding players to savour the moment and play with passion:

“I mean, this is incredible. And every single year, I have to pinch myself and say, you get to play in a $10,000 buy-in tournament, and you get to compete, and you get to have this dream. And how many people get to be there? So no matter what happens, please have fun, and the number two piece of advice which I’m giving to myself in my head all the time is – please do not punt.”

As Day 1D reached its conclusion, Christopher Frank emerged as the chip leader with a commanding stack of 698,000 (872 BBs) among the 3,823 remaining players. Derek Closta trailed closely behind with 600,000 (750 BBs), followed by John Mcdonald with 496,000 chips (620 BBs).

Day 1D of the historic 2024 WSOP Main Event not only shattered attendance records but also saw a strong contingent of Indian players rise to the challenge, with 17 of them navigating the day`s play to advance to Day 2D.

Leading the Indian charge is Ashish Munot, who amassed a formidable 200,000 chips (250 BBs), demonstrating his dominance throughout the day. Munot, making his WSOP debut, has already proven his mettle in the series, racking up $32,310 (~₹26.97 Lakhs) in winnings from four live events and one online cash. With his impressive Day 1D performance, he’s poised to make a splash in his first-ever WSOP Main Event appearance.

Munot’s ascent was relentless. By Level 3, he had already chipped up to 65,000, and a well-played hand netted him another 10,000 chips. By mid-day, he had more than doubled his starting stack, reaching 105,000. He steadily accumulated chips throughout the day and bagged a formidable 250 BBs – good enough for the 80th largest stack among all Day 1D survivors.

Kavin Shah, another Indian poker standout, continued his stellar 2024 WSOP run, bagging a healthy 175,600 chips (219 BBs). Shah, fresh off a final table finish in Event #44: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em and a deep run in Event #44: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em, is off to a strong start in the Main Event, ranking 142nd in chips among the 3,823 remaining players.

Other Indian players advancing to Day 2D with solid stacks include Sriharsha Doddapaneni (169,300), Tarun Goyal (156,000), Kunal Punjwani (149,000), Sreekanth Narayan (146,400), Arun Sriram (134,800), and Akshay Bharadwaj (122,200).

Meanwhile, Ankit Ahuja (82,400), Zarvan Tumboli (71,400), who had a rollercoaster day, and Rahul Melwani (68,500) bagged above-average stacks.

Others advancing with fighting stacks include Aditya S (59,900), WSOP bracelet winner Aditya Sushant (50,700), Abhishek Paul (48,500), Premnath Kasinath (45,700), Anil Adiani (24,100), and PokerBaazi Team Pro Abhishek Goindi (10,800).

The record-breaking field saw a crowd of Indian-origin players making it through to Day 2D. Among those advancing with healthy stacks were Shashi Ramakrishna (199,800), Gaurav Makkar (181,200), Romit Patel (169,300), KC Panjwani (164,000), Surminder Singh (159,100), Sanket Desai (157,300), Ketan Pandya (149,500), Kuljinder Singh Sidhu (140,100), Ashish Gupta (137,000), Smit Trivedi (136,400), Anuj Kwatra (122,100), Rahul Bhave (122,000), Senthuran Vijayaratnam (121,200), Divakaran Marella (117,700), Jeevandeep Singh (115,100), Pratik Juthani (114,700), Harsukhpaul Sangha (110,200), Ranjeet Pawar (102,600), Rajeev Kapoor (99,100), Mandeep Gyani (90,000), Jaskaran Brar (89,700), Anthony Desai (83,700), Raj Vohra (81,000), Amish Patel (74,800), Jaspal Brar (74,700), Srihari Mupparaju (72,200), Hema Nandipati (71,900), Azim Popatia (71,800), Mayank Patel (71,000), Anuj Agarwal (70,700), Naresh Sadhvani (70,200), Daxesh Patel (69,600), Harsheel Kothari (69,300), Sandeep Devarshetty (67,900), Mukul Pahuja (66,200), Manpreet Bal (65,500), Sushil Rijhwani (63,200), Jeevan Nomula (61,900), and Vishnu Pabbathi (60,700).

Other Indian-origin players like Rishi Makkar (58,600), Raja Chirumamilla (57,500), Sachin Ramrakhani (55,800), Maanit Madan (49,300), Rajendra Ajmani (48,800), Vijay Ramani (46,200), Hardik Vyas (43,600), Raja Sekhar (42,800), Rahul Deevara (42,400), Yashveen Mudireddy (39,300), Dakshesh Patel (36,700), Maheshwar Manthanidakinyam (36,200), Nilesh Choudhary (35,400), Krishna Gumidyala (34,900), Naveen Narla (29,100), Jagdeep Bal (25,700), Indermohan Sidana (25,300), Ravi Shankar (25,000), Sanjeev Datta (21,300), Shekhar Deshpande (16,300), and Tanuj Bhatnagar (10,500) also made the cut.

Several international players also stood out on this record-breaking day. Scott Stewart, whose name resonates with poker fans for his incredible 13th-place finish in the 2017 WSOP Main Event, bagged a whopping 370,200 chips. Stewart is back in the spotlight, ready to recreate the magic that earned him a $535,000 payday seven years ago.

He wasn’t alone in his dominance. Jeffrey Beckley also made a splash, bagging a massive 312,000-chip stack. At the same time, poker heavyweights like Brian Hastings (252,100), Anson Tsang (205,900), Pedro Marques (190,000), and the legendary Phil Ivey (162,500) all got their Main Event campaign started on a high.

The spotlight also shone on Aram Zobian, a familiar face known for his incredible sixth-place finish in the 2018 WSOP Main Event. Armed with a 231,400-chip stack, Zobian spent much of Day 1D battling it out with poker legend John Juanda (96,000), creating a thrilling spectacle for onlookers.

But the day wasn’t just about established names. It was a stage for former champions to and poker legends alike to make their mark. Swedish poker pro Martin Jacobson, the 2014 Main Event champion, navigated the day’s ups and downs with characteristic grace, advancing to Day 2D with a respectable 117,800 chips while sharing fist bumps and smiles with fellow players as he bagged up his chips.

Reflecting on his journey, Jacobson remarked, “You know, you just gotta survive day by day, kind of take one day at a time. And I know it sounds cliche, but it’s really what it is.”

Jacobson wasn’t the only former World Champion to thrive on Day 1D. WSOP Europe Main Event winners Alexandros Kolonias (183,400) and Jack Sinclair (124,400) also joined the ranks of Day 2D contenders. Joe McKeehen, the 2015 Main Event champion, proved he still has the golden touch by bagging a healthy stack of 121,300. Even defending champion Daniel Weinman bagged up 55,600 chips in his bid for a repeat victory, while 2009 champion Joe Cada is clinging to hope with a short stack of 32,800.

The fourth and final starting flight was a microcosm of the poker world itself: a thrilling mix of triumph and heartbreak. Over five gruelling 120-minute levels, hundreds of players saw their Main Event hopes extinguished, including a roster of poker royalty.

Chance Kornuth, a formidable force on the felt, met his untimely demise in level two when his set was outdrawn by a rivered straight. However, he immediately jumped into Event #81: $1K NLHE, where he featured among the chip leaders heading into the second and final day.

Sean Winter, Ludovic Geilich, Jeff Madsen, Pierre Calamusa, Jason Koon, David Williams, Dan Sepiol, Vanessa Kade, and online legend Viktor Blom also found themselves on the rail, their dreams of Main Event glory postponed.

Nicholas Rigby, known for his flamboyant “dirty diaper” stunt in previous Main Events, couldn’t conjure the same magic this time around. A dramatic three-way all-in saw his pocket jacks fall victim to pocket queens and pocket tens, sending the jovial American to the sidelines in the fourth level.

But Day 1D wasn’t all doom and gloom. Maria Konnikova, the bestselling author who graced the stage for the ceremonial “shuffle up and deal,” bagged a respectable 74,400 chips. Chess influencer and Woman FIDE Master Alexandra Botez also proved her skills extend beyond the chessboard, surviving the day’s onslaught with 39,200 chips. “Game of Gold” star Olga Iermolcheva showed she’s not just a high-stakes cash game specialist, amassing an impressive 106,300 chips. Poker commentator Brent Hanks demonstrated his expertise with a 123,800 chip stack, while poker power couple Kristen and Alex Foxen bagged 122,200 and 83,000 chips, respectively.

However, for some big names, Day 1D was a fight for survival. Matt Glantz (35,000), Allen Kessler (22,000), Cherish Andrews (25,000), and Kathy Liebert (15,000) all bagged short stacks, facing an uphill battle on Day 2D.

PokerGO ran a live stream on Day 1D of the Main Event, which is available on the OTT platform on subscription.

We are back for more late-night action from the @WSOP Main Event Day 1D featuring @WAFoxen.

Only on PokerGO: https://t.co/uaR5zfhB15 pic.twitter.com/tOAA99fIQL

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) July 7, 2024

Day 1 of Event #82: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout was a late-night poker party as 1,424 players, many fresh from the Main Event battlefield, poured into the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas poker rooms, generating a massive $1,253,120 prize pool. After hours of fierce competition, only 214 survivors remain, all guaranteed at least $2,004, but their eyes set on the $189,661 top prize and a coveted WSOP gold bracelet.

Dan Olsen leads the charge, whose monstrous 677,000-chip stack (113 BBs) puts him in the driver’s seat. Olsen’s defining moment came when his pocket nines transformed into a straight, crushing an opponent’s pocket jacks and propelling him to the top. Hot on his heels is Tengqi Zhan, armed with a substantial 538,000 chips (89 BBs).

Three-time bracelet winner Chance Kornuth, having faced an early exit from the Main Event’s Day 1D, rebounded spectacularly in the $1K NLHE Freezeout, bagging the third-largest stack of 501,000.

With the confirmed end-of-day chip counts not yet available, it’s unclear how many Indians advanced to Day 2. However, reports suggest Young Gun Gaurav Sood is still in the mix with a below-average stack of 67,500 chips (11 BBs) (unconfirmed). If confirmed, this would mark Sood’s seventh score of the series. Sood, who busted out of the Main Event on Day 1C, joined the action early in the $1K NLHE Freezeout. During Level 3, he was reported pulled off consecutive knockouts, boosting his 20,000 starting stack to 67,500.

Ashish Ahuja was the only other Indian mentioned to have participated on Day 1, but he failed it survive the day`s onslaught.

The Day 2 field is star-studded, featuring previous bracelet winners David Peters (62,000), Jeff Madsen (24,000), and Michael Holtz (19,000), all hungry for another taste of WSOP gold. Renowned poker coach Dara O’Kearney (45,000) and bracelet winner Samuel Mullur (276,000) also remain in the hunt, adding to the drama and excitement.

Day 41: What’s Happening?

Day 41 of the 2024 WSOP promises to be a spectacle. Four bracelet events are on the schedule, including one that will crown a champion.

Event #81: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship is still the talk of the town, with Day 2ABC kicking off at 12 PM (local time) on July 7 at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, with blinds starting at 400/800 and a big blind ante of 800. The final attendance numbers will be determined over the next two days, as late registration remains open for the first two levels of both Day 2s. The poker world is buzzing with anticipation, wondering if this year’s Main Event will match or even surpass last year’s record-breaking numbers.

Meanwhile, the Day 2 action of Event #82: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout resumes on July 7 at 3 PM (local time) with the plan to play down to a winner. Players will restart in Level 16 with 12 minutes remaining, featuring blinds at 3,000/6,000 and a 6,000 big blind ante. The 214 remaining players are laser-focused on the $189,661 top prize and the prestigious WSOP gold bracelet.

Two new events are set to shuffle up and deal. Event #83: $1,500 Eight Game Mixed (6-Handed), a three-day event, begins at 12 PM (local time), with late registration open for nine levels and one re-entry allowed. Players will enjoy 15-minute breaks every three levels, with a 60-minute dinner break at the end of Level 9 (approximately 6:30 PM).

Event #84: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold’em, another three-day event with two starting flights, starts at 2 PM (local time). Late registration is open for 12 levels, allowing two re-entries per flight. There will be 20-minute breaks every three levels, with a 60-minute dinner break at the end of Level 12 (approximately 8:40 PM).

Here’s what went down on Day 40.

Content & Images Courtesy: World Series of Poker

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