Event #2: H.O.R.S.E.

The second day of the 2021 World Series of Poker at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino was packed with poker action from start to finish as the first two bracelet winners have been crowned. Another tournament is just one step away from determining a winner and that's Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E., which has been whittled down to the final nine players out of 78 total entries.

The finalists have all locked up a portion of the $1,842,750 prize pool and will pad their bankroll with at least $52,211 for the efforts. However, all eyes are set on the coveted gold bracelet and the top prize of $552,182 that comes along with it.

Best-positioned after ten full levels on Day 2 is the UK's mixed game specialist Benny Glaser, who soared to the top spot in the final stages. The three-time WSOP bracelet winner cemented his top spot with the double elimination of Roland Israelashvili and Daniel Negreanu in the final hand of the night. He claimed 2,590,000 to his name, followed by four contenders closely bunched together.

Jesse Klein advanced with 1.8 million and Chad Eveslage advanced with just shy of 1.7 million. David Benyamine staged a major post bubble comeback and bagged up 1.68 million. Furthermore, Phil Hellmuth is looking to claim an unprecedented 16th victory and follows fewer than half a big bet behind with 1.64 milllion. The stacked final table line-up also includes Philip Sternheimer, Ben Yu, Matt Glantz, and DJ Buckley.

Final Table Line-Up Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.

Besides Israelashvili and Negreanu, Cary Katz was the only other player in the money. Scott Bohlman came up short two spots of a min-cash and Yuval Bronshtein was eliminated on the bubble. A slate of ore than a dozen WSOP bracelet winners in a row fell outside of the money to showcase how stacked the field in the first high-stakes contest of the festival really was.

Six players entered prior to the start of Day 2 and among them was also Yu, who made it all the way to the final nine. Jean Gaspard, who entered the penultimate day with a big stack, jumped into the top spot early on but eventually found his master in Sternheimer. It was also Sternheimer, who has an American and British passport but lived several years in Germany, who knocked out Chris Vitch and left Benyamine very short. Benny Glaser then took over the lead after scoring several knockouts including Adam Friedman and Marco Johnson while Matusow ran out of chips close to the money in an unfortunate Razz runout.

Once the bubble burst at the start of the final level, the tides changed rapidly with rising big bets and the nine-handed final table was reached in the very last hand. All remaining nine contenders will be back at 2pm local time on the secondary feature table to play down to a winner. The blinds continue at 25,000-50,000 and the big bets will be double of that.

Stay tuned who claims the gold bracelet as the PokerNews team will provide conclusive updates in what shapes up to be one of the highlights of the entire in-person festival in Las Vegas.

Only nine players remain after the double elimination in the very last hand. The final chip counts and a redraw of today's action are to follow.

Seven Card Stud

David Benyamine    /      /  
Matt Glantz:    /      /  

David Benyamine earned back to back bigger pots against Matt Glantz. In the second hand, he bet fifth street and Glantz called. Benyamine check-called sixth and they checked seventh. Benyamine was the first to show and revealed the     for jacks up, Glantz mucked.

"Poker is a lot easier when you make hands, I can tell you that," Benyamine said in table chat.

Over on the other table, Chad Eveslage earned a big pot with a full house and Roland Israelashvili was left very short.

David Benyamine	1,875,000	1,255,000
Chad Eveslage	1,800,000	1,060,000
Matt Glantz	550,000	-525,000
Roland Israelashvili	150,000	-100,000

Razz

Phil Hellmuth:      /    
Matt Glantz:    /      /  

Phil Hellmuth and Matt Glantz tangled once more as they had done so numerous times after the two table redraw. Hellmuth had previously given a "vicious beat" when his dominated two pair rivered a full house. This time, Hellmuth called bets by Glantz on fifth and sixth. Hellmuth bet seventh and Glantz spite-called to show he started with an ace-five-six.

Hellmuth, however, had gotten there with a wheel draw as he exposed the rivered wheel to earn the pot.

"Another vicious draw," Glantz remarked. Both continued with the chatter as Glantz than followed it up with "I owe Phil two bad beats." Both also discussed a bad beat story from six years ago. That's poker, folks.

Phil Hellmuth	1,250,000	300,000
Matt Glantz	1,075,000	-475,000

Omaha Hi-Lo

On the river of a board      , DJ Buckley bet out of the big blind. Ben Yu mulled over his decision in the cutoff and called to get shown the      for kings and fours, which won the pot.

Ben Yu	730,000	-80,000
DJ Buckley	600,000	140,000

Stud Hi-Lo

Philip Sternheimer:   /    / 
Benny Glaser:   /    / 

The action was on Sternheimer on seventh street as he faced a bet from Glaser. Sternheimer eventually called and Glaser tabled     for two pair eights and fours alongside an eight low to scoop the pot.

Benny Glaser	2,800,000	625,000
Philip Sternheimer	875,000	-375,000

Stud Hi-Lo

Yuval Bronshtein:    /      /  
Ben Yu:    /      /  

Before hand for hand play could even start, the money bubble burst. The up and down cards of Yuval Bronshtein were all but mucked as he check-called for almost all of his chips it throughout fifth and sixth street against Ben Yu with 5,000 behind.

He then check-called all-in and Yu revealed     for a wheel. Unimproved with his down cards, Bronshtein mucked and that let the bubble burst without any hand-for-hand play.

Ben Yu	550,000	295,000
Yuval Bronshtein	0	-185,000

Stud Hi-Lo

Scott Bohlman:    /      /  
Jesse Klein:    /      /  
Philip Sternheimer:    /      /  

Scott Bohlman was all-in for the last 10,000 chips and Jesse Klein raised, Philip Sternheimer three-bet and Klein called. Sternheimer bet fourth and fifth, then check-called sixth and seventh against Klein. He was shown     for a straight and Bohlman briefly showed his cards, then mucked. Sternheimer showed kings in the hole that didn't improve.

Jesse Klein	1,275,000	435,000
Philip Sternheimer	1,200,000	-220,000
Scott Bohlman	0	-25,000

Seven Card Stud

Phil Hellmuth:    /      /  
Matt Glantz:    /      /  

Phil Hellmuth tangled with Matt Glantz and bet sixth and seventh street. Glantz mulled over his decision for a bit and then made the call with the words "have deuces one time." Sure enough, Hellmuth exposed only the   and Glantz flipped over     for a pair of treys to win the pot.

Putting some more salt in the wound, Glantz followed that up with "you are playing with a Stud player" and a big grin on the face.

Matt Glantz	1,550,000	350,000
Phil Hellmuth	1,100,000	-50,000

Seven Card Stud

Phil Hellmuth:    /    
Ben Yu:    /   fold
Cary Katz:    /     fold

Ben Yu completed with a five and Phil Hellmuth raised, Cary Katz called. While Yu was pondering about his decision, Hellmuth said "I'll take this one." Yu then folded and Katz bet his pair of sevens on fourth, Hellmuth called.

Katz checked fifth and Hellmuth bet to force a fold. "I'd fold aces against you but not aces and treys," Hellmuth admitted in table chat and flipped over ace-try for two pair.

Phil Hellmuth	1,150,000	275,000
Cary Katz	440,000	-185,000
Ben Yu	230,000	-195,000