2023 WSOP Day 37 Highlights & Main Event Day 1C
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Sam Soverel Wins Online Event #13: High Roller Championship Finale
The climax of Online Event #13, the $5,300 No-Limit Hold ’em High Roller Championship, unfolded in the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The strong competition from 408 participants was narrowed down to just six players on July 3rd, and these six final players completed the tournament in a live setting.
The event saw Sam Soverel, hailing from Florida, emerge as the champion. This victory marked his second WSOP bracelet win, and added $393,516 to his prize money tally. Soverel emerged victorious against Gergely Kulcsar from Hungary in the heads-up play.
Christopher Brammer Dominates Main Event Day 1c
Day 1c of the WSOP Main Event World Championship attracted over 3,000 participants, pushing the total attendees to exceed 5,200, with one more flight left. This considerable turnout hinted at the possibility of challenging the record-breaking 2006 WSOP Main Event’s participant count of 8,773, with Day 1d expected to be the most crowded of the four Day 1s.
After completing five two-hour levels, only 2,326 players had chips left to bag, with Christopher Brammer having the largest stack (386,100). Brammer, a WSOP bracelet holder from a previous €5,000 No-Limit Hold ’em Turbo event at the 2017 WSOP Europe festival, has made millions from online and live poker tournaments. This well-known player from the UK has now positioned himself favorably for potentially securing another significant addition to his poker record.
Former WSOP Champions Strive for Another Title
Six previous WSOP Main Event champions joined on Day 1c as their battleground to attempt to secure a second Main Event title. Four of these esteemed players, including Joe McKeehen, Tom McEvoy, Scott Blumstein, and Espen Jorstad, continued the trend of past winners advancing to Day 2. However, reigning champion Koray Aldemir faced an unfortunate twist of fate during the final hands of the night when he was dealt kings against aces.
Prominent players such as Maria Ho, Vanessa Selbst, and nine-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel were eliminated from the Main Event throughout the day.
Elite-Level Professionals Enter Day 2
As anticipated from a packed field, numerous high-profile professionals secured their Day 2 tickets. Josh Arieh, Phil Laak, Mustapha Kanit, Ronnie Bardah, and Stephen Chidwick each concluded their flight with six-figure stacks. Other noteworthy players to watch during Day 2abc include Richard Gryko, David Prociak, Brian Rast, Joao Simao, Joao Vieira, Sergio Aguero, Karina Jett, and Timur Margolin.
Football Legend Sergio Aguero as the Dark Horse
Football legend Sergio Aguero, renowned for being the all-time leading goal scorer for Manchester City in the Premier League, holds a notable status in the event. Despite retiring due to a heart condition in December 2021, Aguero showcased a commendable performance in the poker arena, finishing with a respectable 87,000 chips, positioning him as a potential dark horse for Day 2 and beyond.
Top 20 Overall (Day 1A, 1B & 1C)
Below is an amalgamated chip count list, showing who’s in the lead, overall, for Days 1A, 1B, and 1C:
| Rank | Player | Chip Count | Country | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicholas Rigby | 408,800 | USA | 1D |
| 2 | Yehuda Dayan | 389,900 | Israel | 1A |
| 3 | Christopher Brammer | 386,100 | UK | 1C |
| 4 | Brittney Stout | 375,500 | USA | 1D |
| 5 | Shota Nakanishi | 360,100 | Japan | 1A |
| 6 | Neel Murthy | 323,100 | USA | 1D |
| 7 | Chris Hunichen | 321,200 | USA | 1D |
| 8 | Carlos Leiva | 318,700 | Argentina | 1D |
| 9 | Brandon Mincher | 317,000 | USA | 1D |
| 10 | Jeffrey Weil | 308,100 | USA | 1D |
| 11 | Matthew Adams | 307,200 | USA | 1D |
| 12 | Vincent Pistorino | 306,000 | USA | 1D |
| 13 | Harish Ananthapadmanabha | 305,400 | USA | 1D |
| 14 | Hai-Chi Ho | 297,400 | China | 1A |
| 15 | Michael Banducci | 292,600 | USA | 1C |
| 16 | Jean-Pierre van der Spuy | 287,000 | South Africa | 1B |
| 17 | Julien Martini | 286,000 | France | 1B |
| 18 | Yuze Ding | 284,500 | USA | 1B |
| 19 | Doug Polk | 281,900 | USA | 1A |
| 20 | Gar Cheung | 281,500 | USA | 1B |
| 21 | Lawrence Chang | 280,900 | USA | 1C |
| 22 | Andrew Graham | 277,700 | USA | 1B |
| 23 | Neville Endo Costa | 275,000 | Brazil | 1A |
| 24 | Roman Valerstein | 273,300 | USA | 1C |
| 25 | Samuel Gagnon | 271,000 | Canada | 1A |
| 26 | Scott Numoto | 268,200 | USA | 1B |
| 27 | Michael Pinto | 266,600 | Netherlands | 1C |
| 28 | Patrik Antonius | 263,500 | Finland | 1B |
| 29 | Daniel Kirsch | 252,800 | Canada | 1C |
| 30 | Todd Collins | 250,400 | USA | 1A |
| 31 | DID NOT REPORT 11 | 248,100 | USA | 1C |
| 32 | Rick Mechammil | 247,600 | USA | 1A |
| 33 | Adrian Buckley | 245,000 | USA | 1C |
| 34 | Patrick Beuter | 244,200 | USA | 1C |
| 35 | Keith Cummins | 244,000 | Ireland | 1C |
| 36 | Jevon Lam | 243,000 | USA | 1B |
| 37 | Christine Do | 237,300 | Canada | 1A |
| 38 | Anirban Das | 236,900 | Italy | 1A |
| 39 | Robert Lofaso | 233,500 | USA | 1B |
| 40 | Anatoly Filatov | 231,000 | Russia | 1B |
Anticipation Builds for Day 1D
Scheduled to commence at 12:00 p.m. local time on July 6, Day 1D is speculated to be the most attended WSOP Main Event flight to date. Expected to join the event at around 4:00 p.m., seventeen-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth will likely add a dash of flamboyance to the atmosphere, as he is known to arrive fashionably late, possibly costumed as The Greatest Showman, according to Tweets. Accompanying him will be Dan Cates, who may make an entrance sporting a lion costume.
Is a New WSOP Main Event Attendance Record in Sight?
There’s mounting evidence that the 2023 WSOP Main Event could set a new attendance record in the 54-year World Series of Poker history. So far, the first three out of four flights have drawn an unofficial count of 5,237 entrants, a significant leap compared to the 3,653 participants at the same stage in 2022. This translates to a 43.36% increase in turnout compared to the 2022 event, which was the second-largest in WSOP Main Event history with 8,663 entrants.
The current record for the most attended Main Event was set in 2006 with 8,773 players. For this record to be broken, Day 1d on July 6 must draw a minimum of 3,537 entrants.
Day 1 Participant Comparison: 2022 and 2023
| Flight | 2022 | 2023 | Percentage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1A | 896 | 1,039 | +15% |
| Day 1B | 897 | 1,118 | +24% |
| Day 1C | 1,860 | 3,080 | +65% |
| Day 1D | 3,295 | 4,100 | +24% |
What to Anticipate on the 38th Day of the 2023 WSOP
While the majority of the poker world will be keenly focused on Day 1D of Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship, there’s also another event to keep on the radar. Online Event #14: $400 No-Limit Hold ’em Turbo will occur simultaneously. Several Main Event participants are expected to join this online tournament using their smartphones and tablets.
The excitement will continue to escalate on July 7, with the onset of Event #77: $777 Lucky 7’s and Event #78: $1,500 Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha, promising fresh live action for poker enthusiasts.
