WSOP Day 32: Anderson and Kassela Return to Battle for RAZZ Bracelet
The weekend is here, and rounders are promised plenty of action at the WSOP. Some big names will be returning for Day 2 in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, including Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth.
In the $1,000 Ladies Championship, Jill Pike returns to lead the final 10 players into Day 3 with Danielle Andersen and Molly Mossey still in contention.
Calvin Anderson and Frank Kassela return for an extra fourth day in the $10,000 Razz Championship, battling heads-up until there is a winner.
In the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event, Greg Merson and John-Robert Bellande bring healthy stacks into Day 3. The $888 Crazy Eights event also kicks off on Saturday as well as the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo.
Event #6: $365 GIANT No-Limit Hold'em
| Players remaining | 535/8,920 |
Day 1e was a massive day for The Giant tournament, almost doubling the field size on the last option to "qualify" for Day 2. Alexander Lakhov turned his starting stack of 25,000 into a massive 1.7 million.
| Day | Entries | Survivors | Chip Leader | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 1,289 | 80 | Justin Sternberg | United States | 1,215,000 |
| 1b | 969 | 53 | Jon Turner | United States | 2,265,000 |
| 1c | 1,148 | 55 | Mathieu Philbert | France | 1,940,000 |
| 1d | 1,167 | 67 | Duy Ho | United States | 1,205,000 |
| 1e | 4,347 | 280 | Alexander Lakhov | Russia | 1,710,000 |
Day 2 gets underway at 2 p.m. local time. The prize pool will be announced soon, and PokerNews will be on the ground to write up all the big hands and shoot photos from all the big names. Check the Live Reporting for all the news.
Event #56: $10,000 Razz Championship
| Players remaining | 2/119 |
| Prize guaranteed | $191,111 |
A fourth day of play has been added to this lowball event with Calvin Anderson and Frank Kassela battling it out heads-up for the title. Anderson has more than a 3-to-1 advantage, holding 4,585,000 to 1,370,000.
Kassela returns with only 4.5 big bets compared to Anderson's 15, with the chip lead swinging back and forth over five-hours of heads-up play. The winner takes the bracelet and first-place prize of $309,220 while the runner-up is to receive $191,111.
Anderson has just over $1 million in WSOP winnings and seeking his second bracelet. Kassela has about $2.3 million in WSOP winnings and seeking his fourth bracelet.
The heads-up play resumes at 2 p.m., and the PokerNews live updates team will be there to see which player grabs the title. Click here to follow along. Poker Central will be providing the remainder of the duel on it Twitch stream.
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $309,220 | ||
| 2 | $191,111 | ||
| 3 | Julien Martini | France | $134,587 |
| 4 | Mike Leah | Canada | $96,744 |
| 5 | Jerry Wong | United States | $71,014 |
| 6 | Alex Balandin | United States | $53,253 |
| 7 | John Hennigan | United States | $40,817 |
| 8 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | Poland | $31,992 |
Event #57: $1,000/$10,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship
| Players remaining | 10/696 |
| Prize guaranteed | $6,799 |
Only ten players remain from the original 696 entries in this event with the winner notching a nice top prize of $130,230 and a gold bracelet.
Leading the way is Jill Pike with a stack of 651,000. From Bozeman, Montana, Pike has just over $4,600 in live tournament winnings and looking for her first major score.
Just behind her are Jessica Dawley (612,000), Weiyi Mo (469,000), Tara Cain (446,000), and Tara Snow (431,000). Other notables still in contention include Danielle Andersen (226,000), Molly Mossey (126,000), and Day 2 chip leader Mesha James (127,000).
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tara Cain | United States | 446,000 | 47 |
| 2 | Tara Snow | United States | 431,000 | 43 |
| 3 | Molly Mossey | United States | 126,000 | 13 |
| 4 | Lisa Fong | United States | 209,000 | 21 |
| 5 | Mesha James | United States | 127,000 | 13 |
| 6 | Jill Pike | United States | 651,000 | 65 |
| 7 | Jacqueline Burkhart | United States | 191,000 | 19 |
| 8 | Jessica Dawley | United States | 612,000 | 61 |
| 9 | Weiyi Mo | United States | 469,000 | 47 |
| 10 | Danielle Andersen | United States | 226,000 | 27 |
The ladies will be back at the tables at noon, and PokerNews will have every bet and fold. Don’t miss a hand. Poker Central will also be showing the final table on it Twitch stream, which you'll find on the PokerNews Live Reporting page.
Event #58: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed
| Players remaining | 27/621 |
| Prize guaranteed | $16,958 |
Andrew Graham leads the field in this event after two days of play with 1,403,000 in chips. The shorted-handed action attracted 590 players on Day 1 with 203 returning for Day 2 – and only 27 remain going into Saturday.
Just behind him are Eric Blair (1,280,000), Dave Stefanski (1,150,000), and Justin Adams (1,113,000).
Also still in contention are James Mackey (787,000), Sergio Aido (744,000), Greg Merson (584,000), John-Robert Bellande (440,000), Martin Finger (304,000), and Sylvain Loosli (288,000).
This event attracted 621 runners for a prize pool of $2.8 million including a $616,302 first-place prize.
The hold’em heats back up again at 2 p.m. Check back with PokerNews for all your live updates.
Event #60: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
| Players remaining | 125/218 |
The championship event of PLO Hi-Lo attracted 218 entries with 125 layers remaining heading into Saturday. Nathan Gamble, who is just off a final table appearance in the $1,500 version of this event – an event he won in 2017 – finished the day as chip leader with 312,800.
Behind Gamble are Jason Berilgen (265,000), and Chad Power (247,000), Joao Simao (226,800), and Cliff Josephy (226,000).
Others returning include Scott Bohlman (184,200), Ryan Laplante (165,700), Ari Engel (153,400), Eric Kurtzman (123,000), Carol Fuchs (112,100), Randy Ohel (97,3000, Daniel Negreanu (92,900), Jesse Martin (50,100), and Phil Hellmuth (25,400).
The cards will be back in the air at 2 p.m. and players will have until the restart of Day 2 to register. Click back to PokerNews for all the live updates.
Event #62A: $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed - $888,888 Guaranteed 1st Place
The Crazy 8 madness returns to the Rio on Saturday and the big payday at a bargain price (sponsored by 888poker) should attract a robust field. The poker site will also have several players in the field who have qualified online and through its Road to Vegas promotion.
There will be four total starting flights over Saturday and Sunday with Day 2 beginning Monday, July 2. Both days will feature two starting flights, at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. with payouts starting on Day 1. Those who advance will all return for the second day of action on Monday.
Unlimited re-entries will be allowed with late registration through eight levels. Players will begin with 8,000 chips and levels will last 30 minutes on Day 1 and then increase to 60 minutes for Days 2 and 3.
Romani’s Alexandru Papazian is the event’s reigning champion as he took home his first bracelet and $888,888 last year. The Ochos Locos fun kicks off at 10 a.m. and PokerNews will be updating you through every flight.
Event #63: $3,000 ONLINE WSOP.com No-Limit Hold'em HIGH ROLLER
Just a couple hours after Event 61 (Event #61: $1,000 ONLINE WSOP.com No-Limit Hold'em Championship) wrapped up with Ryan Tosoc winning the bracelet, players fan of the online variant of the game get another shot at glory on the virtual felt.
The $3,000 High Roller is on the schedule today, starting at 3:30 p.m. Players get 25,000 in chips and a structure that dictates 20-minute levels. Late registration is available for 4 hours, as is the option to reenter once bust. As always with WSOP.com online events, you have to make sure you have enough money in your account to reenter, as you only have 30 seconds to opt in after you bust.
PokerNews will be with you throughout the event, bringing you updates from start to finish.
