Saturday, October 9, 2021 3:48 AM Local Time
FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver Reaches $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship Final Table; Racener in the Lead
Day 2 of Event #16: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship has been brought to a close after 13 hours that featured several pros register late, an extended money bubble, and an extra level to bring them down to the final 10 players.
It is John Racener who will lead the way into tomorrow's final table. Racener was the only player to bag more than one million chips, finishing the night with 1,090,000. Right behind him is Eric Kurtzman, the Day 1 chip leader who kept up that momentum to end up with 975,000. Jason Somerville (670,000), Scott Tuttle (650,000), and Kevin Song (515,000) round out the top-five.
FiveThirtyEight.com founder Nate Silver will be one to watch on the final day. The well-known author, statistician, and poker aficionado will return in the middle of the pack with 440,000 in chips in search for WSOP glory.
Event #16: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship Final Table Seating & Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|
| 1 | Scott Tuttle | United States | 650,000 |
| 2 | John Monnette | United States | 270,000 |
| 3 | Ray Dehkharghani | United States | 315,000 |
| 4 | Nate Silver | United States | 440,000 |
| 5 | Jason Somerville | United States | 670,000 |
| 6 | Christopher Chung | United States | 250,000 |
| 7 | Eric Kurtzman | United States | 975,000 |
| 8 | Kevin Song | United States | 515,000 |
| 9 | Terrence Chan | Canada | 350,000 |
| 10 | John Racener | United States | 1,090,000 |
John Racener
The penultimate day of the tournament began with 35 remaining players from Day 1, who would soon be joined by a number of pros taking advantage of late registration. Phil Hellmuth, Matt Glantz, Dan Smith, Mike Gorodinsky, and Ben Yu all took their seat at the start of Day 2, creating a field of 92 players. They would hit the rail before the money bubble, along with Mike Matusow, Benny Glaser, and Erik Seidel.
Play tightened up considerably as the bubble approached. Hand-for-hand play lasted more than an hour before Yuri Dzivielevski was eliminated in 15th place. Chad Eveslage, Casey McCarrel, the loud and energetic "Crazy" Mike Thorpe, and Brian Rast were sent to the payout cage after the bubble burst.
With the final five players being streamed tomorrow at 4 p.m. PST on PokerGO, play needed to be extended an extra level to bring the field down to 10 players. They will return at 2 p.m. and play until the final five when the live stream will begin.
The PokerNews team will be there to provide all the live updates throughout the day.
Prize pool
| Place | Name | Prize |
| 1 | | $245,680 |
| 2 | | $151,842 |
| 3 | | $108,747 |
| 4 | | $79,210 |
| 5 | | $58,697 |
| 6 | | $44,263 |
| 7 | | $33,979 |
| 8 | | $26,561 |
| 9 | | $21,149 |
| 10 | | $18,506 |
| 11 | Brian Rast | $18,506 |
| 12 | Mike Thorpe | $16,920 |
| 13 | Casey McCarrel | $16,920 |
| 14 | Chad Eveslage | $16,920 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 3:28 AM Local Time
Racener Leads Unofficial Final Table
With the elimination of Brian Rast in 11th place, the unofficial final table has been reached and play has ended for the day.
Players will return at 2:00 pm local time with action resuming midway through level 18.
John Racener takes the chip lead into Day 3 as the only player over a million in chips.
| John Racener | 1,090,000 | -63,000  |
| Eric Kurtzman | 975,000 | 210,000  |
| Jason Somerville | 670,000 | -105,000 |
| Scott Tuttle | 650,000 | -175,000 |
| Kevin Song | 515,000 | 65,000 |
| Nate Silver | 440,000 | -60,000 |
| Terrence Chan | 350,000 | -60,000 |
| Ray Dehkharghani | 315,000 | 115,000 |
| John Monnette | 270,000 | 90,000 |
| Christopher Chung | 250,000 | 100,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 3:22 AM Local Time
Brian Rast Eliminated in 11th Place ($18,506)
Kevin Song raised and Brian Rast three-bet from the button. Song called to see the on the flop. Song check-called a bet from Rast.
Rast bet the turn and Song raised him all in. Rast tossed in his last remaining chip.
Brian Rast:
Kevin Song:
Song had made a straight on the turn and Rast was drawing to a chop. The river brought the and Rast hit the rail in 11th place.
| Kevin Song | 450,000 | 150,000 |
| Brian Rast | 0 | -175,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 3:13 AM Local Time
"Angry John" Getting Angry At Dwindling Stack
John Monnette has taken a couple of hits to his stack in tonight's added level.
On a flop, Monnette check-called in middle position versus Jason Somerville in the cutoff.
Monnette then check-called a bet on the turn.
On the river, Monnette checked once more and faced yet another bet. This time he folded, preserving his stack at 180,000
| Jason Somerville | 775,000 | 325,000 |
| John Monnette | 180,000 | -325,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 3:11 AM Local Time
Rast Folds to Song's All In
Brian Rast and Kevin Song saw a flop of in a blind vs. battle confrontation. Song bet, Rast raised, Song re-raised, and Rast called.
Song bet on the turn and Rast called. When the came on the river, Song put in his last 10,000 chips and Rast quickly folded.
| Kevin Song | 300,000 | 160,000 |
| Brian Rast | 175,000 | -285,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 3:00 AM Local Time
Level 18 started
Level: 18
Blinds: 10,000/20,000
Ante: 0
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:58 AM Local Time
Final 11 Chip Counts Entering Level 18
| John Racener | 1,153,000 | 163,000 |
| Scott Tuttle | 825,000 | 175,000 |
| Eric Kurtzman | 765,000 | -85,000 |
| John Monnette | 505,000 | 120,000 |
| Nate Silver | 500,000 | 30,000 |
| Brian Rast | 460,000 | -140,000 |
| Jason Somerville | 450,000 | -210,000 |
| Ray Dehkharghani | 200,000 | -340,000 |
| Christopher Chung | 150,000 | 50,000 |
| Kevin Song | 140,000 | -150,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:53 AM Local Time
Players Will Play Until One More Elimination
The final scheduled level of the day has been completed, however with 11 players remaining, tournament officials have instructed the players that they must play down to an unofficial final table of ten tonight.
The players have been sent on a quick ten-minute break and will return just after the top of the hour.
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:50 AM Local Time
Mike Thorpe Eliminated in 12th Place ($16,290)
Brian Rast raised from under the gun and Mike Thorpe threw in his remaining 25,000 chips.
Mike Thorpe:
Brian Rast:
The board ran out [4s9d5c8d8h) and Rast made trip eights to bust "Crazy Mike" in 12th place.
| Brian Rast | 600,000 | 150,000 |
| Mike Thorpe | 0 | -120,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:41 AM Local Time
Casey McCarrel Eliminated in 13th Place ($16,920)
Casey McCarrel and Nate Silver went back and forth with bets and raises on the turn as the board read .
Casey McCarrel:
Nate Silver:
Silver's set of tens had McCarrel's top pair drawing dead, and McCarrel was eliminated on 13th place.
| Nate Silver | 470,000 | 165,000 |
| Casey Mccarrel | 0 | -105,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:37 AM Local Time
Racener Approaching a Million
Nate Silver raised in the cutoff and got calls in the small blind from John Racener, and the big blind from John Monette.
The trio saw a flop of , which Racener and Monette checked. Silver bet, and Racener put in a raise. Monnette folded.
On the turn, Racener bet and Silver called.
Silver then also called a bet on the river.
Racener showed for a rivered wheel.
With the win, Racener is on the verge of being the first player to cross one million in chips.
| John Racener | 990,000 | 115,000 |
| John Monnette | 385,000 | 60,000 |
| Nate Silver | 305,000 | -125,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:31 AM Local Time
Chung Triples Up Again
Brian Rast raised under the gun and Christopher Chung put his remaining 25,000 in from the button. Kevin Song called from the big blind, and he and Rast went heads-up for the side pot.
Rast bet on the flop and turn, with Song calling both times. Both players checked the river.
"I have a queen," Rast announces as he flips over .
Chung, though, showed for the rivered pair of aces to triple up.
| Brian Rast | 450,000 | 0 |
| Kevin Song | 290,000 | 10,000 |
| Christopher Chung | 100,000 | -5,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:28 AM Local Time
Rast Tips His Cap to Kurtzman
In a blind versus blind battle, Eric Kurtzman bet from the big blind on the turn with the board showing . Brian Rast in the small blind called.
Kurtzman bet again on the river. Rast took a sip of his coffee and studied the board for a few minutes pondering the call.
"If you're bluffing you're bluffing. I'm just going to tip my cap to you," he told Kurtzman before throwing his hand into the muck.
| Eric Kurtzman | 850,000 | 190,000 |
| Brian Rast | 450,000 | 50,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:18 AM Local Time
Silver's Stack Shining Again
After Nate Silver and Terrence Chan each checked a flop of , Silver came out betting from the big blind on the turn.
Chan also called a bet from Silver on the river.
Silver showed for a flopped top pair, which was good.
With the win, Silver passed Chan on the leaderboard.
| Nate Silver | 430,000 | 235,000 |
| Terrence Chan | 410,000 | 5,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:13 AM Local Time
Thorpe Quadruples Up
Scott Tuttle raised, Christopher Chung called next to act, and Mike Thorpe went all in from the button. Brian Rast came along from the big blind, as did Tuttle and Chung.
They checked to the turn on when Rast bet. Only Tuttle called to see the on the river. Both players checked.
With Thorpe filming the hand with his phone, he announced he wanted to show his cards first. "Aces," he said as he flipped over . Both Tuttle and Rast had a six to split the side pot.
| Scott Tuttle | 650,000 | -10,000 |
| Brian Rast | 400,000 | -170,000 |
| Mike Thorpe | 120,000 | 5,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:05 AM Local Time
Chad Eveslage Eliminated in 14th Place ($16,920)
A few hands after tripling up, Chad Eveslage found himself all in again with against Scott Tuttle with .
The board read , Eveslage missed his straight draw, and Tuttle won the pot with a pair of jacks.
| Scott Tuttle | 660,000 | 180,000 |
| Chad Eveslage | 0 | -100,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 2:04 AM Local Time
Dehkharghani Lowers Value of Silver
Ray Dehkharghani's stack had been shrinking since the bubble burst, but he regained a decent chunk via Nate Silver.
Silver check-called bets from Dehkharghani on the flop and turn, then led river and got raised by Dehkharghani.
Silver opted to fold his hand on the final board of , awarding the pot to Dehkharghani.
| Ray Dehkharghani | 540,000 | -60,000 |
| Nate Silver | 195,000 | -105,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 1:59 AM Local Time
Eveslage Left Short, Then Triples
On a flop of , Chad Eveslage bet and Scott Tuttle called from his immediate left. The turn came the and Eveslage bet again.
This time Tuttle raised and Eveslage called. Tuttle bet again on the river and Eveslage folded, leaving himself 30,000 left.
Two hands later, Eveslage moved all in and was called by Kevin Song and Brian Rast in the blinds. They checked down a board, and Eveslage showed for the rivered pair to triple up.
| Brian Rast | 570,000 | -30,000 |
| Kevin Song | 280,000 | -45,000 |
| Chad Eveslage | 100,000 | -50,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 1:43 AM Local Time
Dzivielevski Eliminated on the Money Bubble
Yuri Dzivielevski was all in for 20,000 and went to the flop against Christopher Chung, Kevin Song, and Brian Rast.
They checked down to the river on a board of when Rast bet from the big blind and everyone folded. Rast showed for a straight with his four. Dzivielevski threw his cards into the muck, but the dealer exposed his as he hit the rail one spot off the money.
| Brian Rast | 600,000 | 285,000 |
| Yuri Dzivielevski | 0 | -65,000 |
Saturday, October 9, 2021 1:41 AM Local Time
McCarrel Survives All-In
Casey McCarrel was all-in preflop for his tournament life against Jason Somerville, who was trying his best to burst the bubble.
Casey McCarrel:
Jason Somerville:
The board ran out , giving McCarrel a much need double up to 105,000.
| Jason Somerville | 660,000 | 80,000 |
| Casey Mccarrel | 105,000 | 25,000 |