Tuesday, July 7, 2015 1:54 AM Local Time
The 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event continues to grow.
On Monday afternoon, the second of the two starting flights got cards in the air at noon and 1,716 players put up the $10,000 for their final shot at a bracelet this summer in one of poker's prestigious events.
George Danzer got the day's festivities started when he gave the "Shuffle Up and Deal" announcement after they unveiled his 2014 WSOP Player of the Year banner, which is now hanging on the wall in the Brasilia Room.
Danzer's good fortune didn't stop there. The defending WSOP Player of the Year finished the day with a healthy stack of 96,300 chips.
While Danzer was the center of attention at the beginning of the day, it was Hamid Feiz (pictured below) who stole the show by the day's end. Feiz ended the day with 182,675 in chips, which is for the chip lead of Day 1B, as well as the combined overall chip lead so far.
Joining Feiz at the top of the Day 1B chip counts are Adil Khan, Srikath Koneru, Ed Grau, Marko Neumann, and Yong Lu. They bagged 156,800, 154,725, 148,800, 146,675, and 141,750 in chips, respectively.
Those were the names that ended at the top, but the chip counts are still shark infested. Dominik Nitsche (128,725), Matt Salsberg (113,025), and Shawn Cunix (108,375) each bagged over 100,000 chips and there are plenty of pros who could be over that milestone with one pot.
Greg Raymer (92,200), Brian Hastings (87,500), JC Alvarado (83,500), and Brian Rast (88,825) are near the six-figure mark, while Christian Harder (70,725), Todd Brunson (57,925), Jason Mercier (66,325), Jesse Sylvia (46,650), and Phil Galfond (33,400) all bagged close to an average stack or better.
Not everbody was that fortunate though as many of the games best players hit the rail before the day's final hand. Steve O'Dwyer, Galen Hall, Scott Seiver, Eugene Katchalov, Dan Smith, Mohsin Charania, Rob Mizrachi, Eric Baldwin, Jonathan Little, Barry Hutter, and Ben Lamb were just a handful of the players who will have to wait until next year to take their shot at a Main Event title.
Late registration was open until the fourth level of play and when that was closed, the total size of the Main Event grew to a total field size of 2,457 players. By the day's end, there were unofficially 1,154 who survived Day 1B. Combined with the 470 players who bagged chips in Day 1A, there are approximately 1,624 players still alive.
Those players still alive will come back to the Rio on Wednesday at noon to play another five levels when Day 2 gets underway. The threestarting flights will be separated, with those who played on Day 1B, only playing Day 2 with other players who played Day 1B.
Day 1C has historically been the biggest of the starting flights and the staff doesn't expect that to change this year, with tables being allotted for the Main Event in all three of the rooms in the Rio Convention Center.
Cards will get in the air for the final starting flight on Tuesday at noon. Check back with WSOP.com for complete coverage of the day's action.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 1:07 AM Local Time
Play has officially ended here on Day 1B of the 2015 Main Event. Players are finishing bagging and tagging before official chip counts and seating. A full recap will be posted shortly.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 1:07 AM Local Time
On the final hand of the day for Erick Lindgren, his opponent best 1,650 into him on a board. Lindrgen reraises enough to put his opponent all in and it's into the tank for a minute or two. His opponent calls and shows . Lindgren shows and is in the lead. He will eliminate his opponent if he can dodge a spade or an ace.
The turn and the river bring the and the and Lindgren wins the pot with and eliminates his opponent.
Eric Lindgren - 75,200
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 1:01 AM Local Time
For the last three hands, the only people playing postflop are Dominik Nitsche and Tony Guglietti. Two of the last three hands, Nitsche and Guglietti were the only ones to see the flop. They passed some chips back and forth, this is how the three hands went down.
First hand: Nitsche fires twice, Guglietti lays it down.
Nitsche and Guglietti see the flop of and Guglietti checks. Nitsche bets 1,500, Guglietti calls. The turn is the , Guglietti checks again, Nitsche bets again. This time Guglietti lays it down.
Second Hand: Guglietti "bluffs"
Tony Guglietti limps the small blind and Dominik Nitsche raises from the big blind to 1,200. Guglietti calls. The flop comes and Guglietti bets 4,500. Nitsche folds.
"You should have shown a bluff," says Nitsche. "I hate it when people bluff me."
Third Hand: Nitsche's Turn To Bluff
Dominik Nitsche raises to 1,200. The button player calls, as does Tony Guglietti. The flop comes and Guglietti leads out for 1,500. Nitsche raises to 5,000. The button folds and Guglietti calls. The turn is the and Guglietti checks. Nitsche makes it 10,000 to go and and Guglietti folds.
"That was definitely a bluff," says Guglietti.
Nitsche says, "It was the opposite of a bluff," and shows for a set of sixes.
Dominik Nitsche - 128,725
Tony Guglietti - 49,600
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:58 AM Local Time
Facing a raise of 1,000 from the player in the hijack, Viacheslav Zhukov three-bets from cutoff to 3,300.
The hijack calls and both players check the flop. The lands on the turn and Zhukov bets 3,500 after being checked to.
Zhukov's opponent calls, then checks the on the river. Zhukov bets 13,500. The player in the hijack calls, tabling his to beat Zhukov's .
Viacheslav Zhukov - 84,000
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:57 AM Local Time
Juilan Sitbon shoves all in for his tournament life for a little more than 7,000. Thomas Hueber thinks for a second, shrugs and calls.
Sitbon -
Hueber -
The flop comes . Sitbon pairs his king and moves ahead. Fourth street brings the . Hueber picks up an open-ended straight draw. Fifth street completes the board with the .
Sitbon breathes a huge sigh of relief and Hueber seems to not mind shipping the chips to his neighbor. Sitbon begins stacking his chips and says, "I hate turns," lets out another sigh and smiles. It is the end of Day 1B and he only has to survive a few more hands to bag up.
Sitbon - 15,600
Hueber - 44,075
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:54 AM Local Time
Galen Hall - Eliminated
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:53 AM Local Time
After grinding a short stack for most of today's play, Shannon Shorr has seen his Main Event come to an end.
The flop is and action checks to Shorr on the button, and he bets 1,600. The small blind calls, as does Andrii Nadieliaiev from the cutoff.
The turn is the and Shorr is checked to again. He bets his last 10,875, which is enough for the small blind to fold. Nadieliaiev takes a look at Shorr and his own stack before calling.
Shorr tables and trails Nadieliaiev's . The on the river seals Shorr's fate and he hits the rail.
Out #WSOPMainEvent in final orbit. Day couldn't have gone worse.
— Shannon Shorr (@ShannonShorr) July 7, 2015
Andrii Nadieliaiev - 45,400
Shannon Shorr - Eliminated
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:51 AM Local Time
A player in middle position raises to 1,000 preflop and the only caller is Bruno Politano in the big blind.
The flop shows . Politano checks and his opponent bets 1,200, which Politano calls.
The turn is the and both players check.
The comes on the river and again, both players check.
Politano, who made the final table of last year's Main Event, shows and his opponent mucks his hand.
Bruno Politano - 31,000
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:47 AM Local Time
The Tournament Director has announced that there will be four more hands remaining in the day.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:47 AM Local Time
A player in early position raises and Thomas Muehloecker comes over the top for 2,700 from middle position. Action folds around to the player in the hijack, who cuts out a four-bet to 5,400. The button and blinds fold, and the original raiser does the same.
Action folds back to Muehloecker and he five-bets the action to 79,000. The cutoff thinks for a moment before ditching his hand.
Thomas Muehloecker - 79,000
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:47 AM Local Time
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:46 AM Local Time
Candace Collins enters the pot with a raise to 1,100 from middle position and Dan Colman calls from the big blind.
The flop falls and both players check. The turn is the .
Colman bets 1,800 and Collins quickly mucks.
Dan Colman - 79,000
Candace Collins - 66,000
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:44 AM Local Time
Facing a raise to 1,100 from the player in the cutoff, Annette Obrestad three-bets her button to 2,800.
The original raiser goes into the tank for over two minutes before folding his hand, giving Obrestad the pot.
Annette Obrestad - 49,000
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:41 AM Local Time
It's late on Day 1 and players with short stacks are looking to double up or go home. Phil Galfond finds himself in that situation when a short stack is all in for 3,450. He calls with and is slightly ahead of the his opponent holds.
The flop is , giving Galfond's opponent a pair of kings. There's always a sweat though, or at least it often appears that way, and the turn card is the ultimate sweat card, the . Galfond now has the nut flush draw, an open ended-straight draw, and not to mention the three aces in the deck that would give him a better pair.
The river is the , however, and the short-stacked player lets out a sigh of relief not quite believing he faded all of those outs. Galfond still sits with a respectable stack as play enters the last few minutes of the night.
Phil Galfond - 42,500
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:39 AM Local Time
Action folds to Dominik Nitsche, who makes it 900 to go on the button. The small blind folds and the big blind calls.
The big blind checks the flop and Nitsche rechecks his cards before betting 1,000.
His opponent check-raises to 2,100 and Nitsche instantly folds, conceding the the small pot to his opponent.
He doesn't seem too concerned about the hand though, as he is playing just over 120,000 with just over 20 minutes remaining in this Day 1B session.
Dominik Nitsche - 120,000
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:37 AM Local Time
The action folds around to Matt Salsberg on the button, and he raises to 1,000. Only the big blind calls, and the pair sees an flop.
The big blind checks, and Salsberg bets 1,000. The big blind quickly moves all in for 5,200. Salsberg thinks for a moment, then folds. The big blind takes the pot and shows for two pair.
"Great flop for you," Salsberg says. "I didn't have an ace and I repped it. Couldn't be better."
Matt Salsberg - 118,000
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:31 AM Local Time
Andrew Badecker enters the pot with a raise to 900 only to have a player two to his left three-bet to 2,500.
Badecker calls, then both players check the flop.
The rolls off on the turn and again Badecker checks. His opponent bets 3,000 and Badecker folds.
Andrew Badecker - 55,000
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:27 AM Local Time
David Singer and an opponent are heads up on a flop. Singer checks his action and his opponent bets 800. Singer calls.
Fourth street is the and Singer checks once more. His opponent checks back, allowing the to put two pair on the board. Both players check and Singer shows to win the pot with his ace-high.
David Singer - 26,200
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 12:27 AM Local Time
Srikanth Koneru stikes you as an unassuming and friendly guy and he has had a fun and profitable day at his table so far today, amassing close to 180,000 chips.
The way he got there is modestly described and he is more inclined to recall the 40,000 pot he lost against one tablemate who called him all the way down with and made a flush on the river. Koneru was to get his revenge on the same player though some two hours later when he flopped a set of sevens against his opponent's set of twos and doubled up.
With no obvious online presence, Koneru says he last played a $5,000 tournament five years ago and just always wanted to play the Main Event, he so bought in directly. The lack of evidenced tournament success could be attributed to the fact that Koneru largely confines his play to the cash games at the M8trix Casino in San Jose.
Srikanth Koneru - 180,000