WSOP 2022: Patel, Ahuja, Grover & Sushant Storm Into Day 3 of the Main Event; Krishna & Bansal Make Day 2 in One More for One Drop

Day 2ABC of the Main Event was the primary attraction on Day 38 of the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP). While several past champions fell, others climbed up the ranks hoping to become the new World Champion. Two other events also got underway, making for another hectic day all around!.

July 7 marked the start of the first of the two Day 2s of Event #70: $10,000 No-Limit Hold ’em Main Event World Championship. Day 2ABC kicked off with 2,641 returning players, and 148 jumped in late through the late registration route.

The biggest question doing the rounds is whether the 2022 WSOP Main Event set a new attendance record. The current field stands at 8,209 entries, and with late registrations open on Day 2D (for the first two levels), a little over 550 more players are needed to crack the 8,773-entry record set at the 2006 Main Event.

The ten-hour playing time whittled the starting field to less than half as only 1,260 players had a stack to bag for Day 3 after the last hand was dealt. Gavin Munroe (1,061,500) topped the day-end counts and was the only one to bag over 1 Million in chips.

Day 2ABC had 11 Indians in the mix, but less than half of them survived the day’s onslaught. Chiraag Patel (311,500) had the best run from the team, while Young Gun Arsh Grover (194,000), Ankit Ahuja (117,800), and bracelet winner Aditya Sushant (27,500) round out the list of Indian survivors.

Others who were not as lucky included Nirav Parekh, Anik Ajmera, Sriharsha Doddapaneni, Abhinav Iyer, Paawan Bansal, Abhishek Goindi, and Nathan Rao.

Mind you, a much largest contingent of 19 Indians, led by PokerGuru Ambassador Kartik Ved, will make its way back to the Bally`s and Paris for Day 2D on July 8. And with late registrations still open, who knows, we see a few more Indians jumping in late.

After his early exit on Day 2ABC of the Main Event, Paawan Bansal jumped into Day 1A of Event #71: $1,111 One More for One Drop NLHE, and managed a relatively better run, bagging 115,000. He will be joined by fellow compatriot Gokul Krishna (221,500), who carried the 35th biggest stack among the 253 survivors.

Day 1B of the $1,111 One More for One Drop should see more players exiting Day 2D of the Main Event and joining the action. Renmei Liu (445,500) emerged as the Day 1A chip leader.

The other bracelet event kicking off on Thursday, Event #72: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, registered 771 players, with 223 advancing to Day 2. Kate Krickl (280,500) bagged the end-of-day chip lead.

Event #70: $10,000 No-Limit Hold ’em Main Event World Championship – Day 2ABC

The first of the two Day 2s of Event #70: $10,000 No-Limit Hold ’em Main Event World Championship, Day 2ABC, was a much anticipated one. For the first time in the Main Event, late registrations have been kept open through the first two levels on Day 2, and 148 players availed of the opportunity, joining the 2,641 survivors from the first three flights.

The late push boosted the Main Event field size to 8,209 players, closing in on the 8,773 attendance record set in this event in 2006. After five levels – each two hours long – 1,260 players kept their hopes of becoming the 2022 World Champion alive.

The most celebrated player at the WSOP, 16-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth‘s grand entrance in the Main Event has always been a talking point in the series. The poker legend is known to be creative and bold with his entrance themes each year. While his past appearances as Gandalf the White, a NASCAR driver, Caesar, and Thor had received a lot of praise and attention, his entrance this year as Darth Vader from Star Wars was anti-climactic.

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Hellmuth’s Main Event entrances always invariably have props and a bevy of models, but they were conspicuously missing this year. At best, the reception to his entrance on Day 2ABC was lukewarm, and he received several boos from the crowd on his way in.

One Instagram user (zacknovotnyy) summed it up perfectly: “2 boos 0 claps 1 million awkward silences”

For his part, Hellmuth had already hinted that his entrance this year would not be as exquisite as he did not have the time to hire an entourage.

Don’t be too excited for my @WSOP entrance this year. It’s JUST me. Just one guy in a costume (w some cool music). We didn’t have time to hire 16 models, or an entourage. At 2023 WSOP Main Event we will hire models, entourage, the whole works. #JustAGuyInACostume #POSITIVITY

— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) July 7, 2022

But the embarrassment from his lackluster entrance did not last long. Hellmuth busted the Main Event in just over an hour. Most of his chips went the way of Shawn Smith, who made a runner-runner straight against Hellmuth’s pocket kings, which left him short-stacked and fuming. Just minutes later, the rest of Hellmuth’s chips landed in Jeff Frerichs‘ lap, who spiked a two-outer on the river.

Wow! Out of @WSOP Main Event quickly, sigh. I thought I was lasting 3-11 days. Was prepared: took 3 days off, worked out hard 10 AM, slept well, and came in very fresh. Then folded A-Q pre. Lost w K-K to a goofy AF spot (A-5 called double Q-8-4-2-3). I did not win a single hand!

— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) July 7, 2022

Hellmuth’s entrance, and subsequent early exit, weren’t the only incidents that happened early on in Day 2ABC. The day’s first hand at one of the tables stirred up a minor controversy. The questionable hand saw Lewis Spencer opening to 2,000 in early position. Xuan Liu was in the big blind, but the dealer thought everyone had folded, putting the deck down and getting ready to ship the pot. However, Liu still had cards and wanted to call, which was allowed after a floor ruling. The flop fell , and the action checked through to the turn and the river. Liu finally led out with a large bet of 6,000, and Spencer sent his cards to the muck.

We were tracking a group of 11 Indians returning on Day 2ABC, and like the rest of the field, most of them fell out, with only four among them advancing to Day 3.

Leading the charge for the Indian contingent was Chiraag Patel (311,500). He started the day with 145,400 and more than doubled it by the time the bags were brought out.

One of his hands even made it into the WSOP live reporting. During Level 8, with 8,000 in the pot and the flop showing , Patel bet 2,100, and John Dolan called from the cutoff. Patel check-called a bet of 3,600 from Dolan on the turn . Both players checked the river , and Patel turned over for a turned two pair to take down the pot. Patel’s stack touched 167,000. He chipped up significantly in the last two levels of the day, ending with the 163rd biggest stack of 311,500.

Patel has only one cash on his WSOP scorecard; a 202nd place finish in Event #60: $525 Bounty No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed of the 2020 WSOP Online Series for $2,007. Though yet to score in a live bracelet event, Patel will be hoping to do so in the most prestigious event of the series, especially after such a splendid start.

Ankit Ahuja sat down on Day 2ABC with a stack of 117,800 and, like Patel, managed to spin it up significantly, carrying forward 260,500 (ranked 250th in chips). He has already cashed five times at this year’s series and is chasing his second cash in the WSOP Main Event.

Young Gun Arsh Grover had a swingy day at the felts. He came into the day with 136,600, and by the second break of the day, he had improved somewhat to 150,000. However, he dipped down to 140,000 by the dinner break. By the last break of the day, he had clawed up to 210,000.

During the penultimate level of the day (Level 9), Grover was involved in a hand with bracelet winners Asi Moshe and Andrew Kelsall. Grover opened to 3,500 and was called by Kelsall one seat over, in the button, and Moshe in the big blind. The flop came and Moshe checked to Grover who continued for 3,500. Kelsall and the player on the button got out of the way while Moshe called. On the turn , Moshe check-folded after Grover bet 15,500. Grover`s stack touched 231,000. He bagged up 194,000 for the day (ranked 455th in chips).

The 2017 Tag Team bracelet winner Aditya Sushant had an eventful start on Day 2ABC, but the last few levels were brutal for him. He entered the day with 154,000, and by Level 6, he had accumulated 172,000. A level later, his stack increased to 192,000. By Level 9, Sushant’s fortunes started to decline, his stack falling to 112,000. He ended the day severely short-stacked with just 27,500 left in the bag (ranked 1,227th in chips).

Nirav Parekh, Anik Ajmera, Sriharsha Doddapaneni, Abhinav Iyer, Paawan Bansal, Abhishek Goindi, and Nathan Rao were the other Indians returning on Day 2ABC who failed to advance.

Several Indian-origin players also carried forward their stacks to Day 3, including Umang Dattani (466,500), Eshaan Bhalla (457,000), Kamal Bittar (382,500), Rahul Rastogi (380,000), Nitish Gautam (330,000), Ranganath Kanchi (308,000), Suhaag Gandikota (276,500), Dinesh Alt (259,500), Ajay Kejriwal (163,500), Rahul Desirazu (142,000), Amitabh Mehra (115,000), Ratha Ramasamy (109,000), Arjun Srinivas (105,000), Rogen Chhabra (105,000), Subin Pullamvalappil (94,000), Nihal Advani (93,000), Tarun Gulati (41,000) and Nikhil Gera (28,500).

Gavin Munroe emerged as the end-of-Day 2ABC chip leader with a massive stack of 1,061,500. He is the first player to bag over 1 Million in chips for Day 3. Karim Rebei (932,000) and Nicholas Howard (810,500) advanced with the subsequent stacks.

Ayaz Mahmood (618,000), Jason DeWitt (529,000), Day 1C chip leader Patrick Clarke (505,000), and Jeremy Wien (497,500) were some notables who featured among the top 30 stacks at the end of the day’s play.

Some other notable casualties on Day 2ABC included former WSOP Main Event champions Joe Cada, Martin Jacobson, Qui Nguyen. It was a rough day for several other poker greats, including Stephen Chidwick, Justin Bonomo, Andrew Lichtenberger, Ben Heath, and Twitch streamer Kevin Martin.

Day 2D is scheduled to begin at 11 AM (PDT) on July 8. The survivors from Day 2ABC and Day 2D will come together on Day 3, starting at 11 AM (PDT) on July 9.

Top 10 Chip Counts at the End of Day 2ABC

1. Gavin Munroe – 1,061,500
2. Karim Rebei – 932,000
3. Nicholas Howard – 810,500
4. Ariya Iwato – 755,500
5. Steven Stolzenfeld – 708,500
6. Ayaz Mahmood – 618,000
7. Franco Gasparini – 584,000
8. Sergio Castelluccio – 570,500
9. Aliaksandr Shylko – 558,500
10. Richard Lee – 555,500

Event #71: $1,111 One More for One Drop NLHE – Day 1A

The One More for One Drop bracelet event has been a prominent fixture at the WSOP since 2013, contributing to the One Drop Foundation. On July 7, the ninth edition of the $1,1111 One More for One Drop NLHE began proceedings.

Day 1A drew 841 entries, and by the end of the stipulated ten one-hour levels, only 253 bagged a stack for Day 2. Leading the Day 1A survivors was Renmei Liu (445,500), with Justin Lee (357,000) and Rommel Berges (350,000) rounding out the top three stacks.

Two Indians made it across to Day 2, Gokul Krishna (221,500) and the 2018 WSOP Event #75: The Closer – $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em runner-up finisher Paawan Bansal (115,000).

Krishna had opened his 2022 WSOP scorecard (his seventh WSOP cash overall) just two days ago, finishing 217th in Event #68: $1,000 Million Dollar Bounty NLHE for $5,260 (~₹4.17 Lakhs). He carried an above-average stack of 221,500 to Day 2.

Bansal was among the survivors returning for Day 2ABC in Event #70: $10,000 NLHE Main Event and jumped into the One More For One Drop after busting early. The Meerut lad has cashed thrice already in the ongoing WSOP.

Several Indian-origin players, namely Kalyan Chivukula (175,000), Aditya Rao (139,000), and Aimal Malik (66,000), were also among the Day 1A qualifiers.

Brian Green (159,000), Indo-American Raminder Singh (121,000), BetMGM Poker Ambassador Matt Berkey (101,500), and former bracelet winners Brett Shaffer (90,500), Chad Himmelspach (37,000), and Alex Foxen (35,500) are some notables with a confirmed seat on Day 2.

This event registered 3,797 entries in 2021. Since players can make unlimited re-entries not just in the starting flights but also through the first two levels on Day 2, we can expect the field size to expand to a much bigger number over the coming days.

Players have two options when registering for the tourney. They receive 20,000 in chips for a $1,000 buy-in or can double their stack with a $111 donation to the One Drop Foundation.

Day 1B will begin at noon (PDT) on July 8, and all advancing players will converge for Day 2 on July 10, where the cards will be in the air at 2 PM (PDT).

Top 10 Chip Counts at the End of Day 1A

1. Renmei Liu – 445,500
2. Justin Lee – 357,000
3. Rommel Berges – 350,000
4. Justin Fawcett – 348,500
5. Garith Rodgers – 334,000
6. Niko Koop – 329,000
7. Michael Thach – 328,500
8. Britt Campana – 325,000
9. David Larson – 288,500
10. Brian Brennan – 275,000

Event #72: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better – Day 1

The other bracelet event firing up on Thursday, Event #72: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, had 771 players signing up, and after 15 levels of play, only 223 bagged and tagged for Day 2.

With the top 116 players assured a share of the $1,029,285 prize pool, Day 2 will set out with a tough fight to be amongst the money finishers. The eventual champion is assured a $195,565 cash prize and the WSOP gold bracelet.

Kate Krickl (280,500) bagged the Day 1 chip lead, with Mark Erickson (262,000), David Prociak (244,000), Giuseppe Liantonio (243,000), and James Chen (223,500) advancing with the other top stacks.

Many poker superstars have a chunk of chips for Day 2, including Chance Kornuth (207,500), Dylan Weisman (186,500), Rami Boukai (151,500), Men Nguyen (147,500), and Scott Clements (142,000).

Highlights of the night, however, was the bet between Shaun Deeb and Ari Oxman. Just as Oxman moved above 100,000 in chips after winning a big pot off Deeb, the five-time bracelet winner Deeb wagered Oxman $500 that he would not survive Day 1, and Oxman readily obliged.

Oxman`s stack reached 190,000 at one point, but soon he was sandwiched between Deeb to his right and Adam Friedman to his left. Oxman’s stack almost vanished after a battle with Thomas Hunt. Oxman was quartered and was down to 18,000. In the penultimate hand of the day, Oxman was all in with Deeb, who managed to hit a straight to double-up and win the wagered $500!

Day 2 will start at 2 PM (PDT) on July 8 in the white section of the Paris Ballroom.

Top 10 Chip Counts at the End of Day 1

1. Kate Krickl – 280,500
2. Mark Erickson – 262,000
3. David Prociak – 244,000
4. Giuseppe Liantonio – 243,000
5. James Chen – 223,500
6. Lisa Ahumada – 220,500
7. Michael Hernke – 219,500
8. Rob Hollink – 219,000
9. Andres Korn – 208,000
10. Chance Kornuth – 207,500

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerGO, PokerNews & WSOP

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