Monday, October 18, 2021 10:54 PM Local Time
Balachandran and Leng Lead 24 Remaining Contenders Into Day 4 of $1,500 Monster Stack
Day 3 of Event #30: $1,500 Monster Stack witnessed 148 players start the day and only 24 players bag a stack for Tuesday, Oct. 19. The action will resume at 11 a.m. local time, and play may continue until a winner is determined. Although the remaining players have locked up $21,768, they will all be looking to win the WSOP gold bracelet and the $610,347 top prize that awaits one of them.
Jaesh Balachandran bagged the top stack going into Day 4 with 17,600,000 chips. Three-time bracelet winner Ryan Leng (16,500,000), who claimed his third less than a week ago, will be looking for another one as he bagged the second-biggest stack of the night. Brazil's Rafael Reis (10,975,000) and PokerNews' Dannah Kamp (5,125,000) will also have a shot at gold.
However, not everyone could find a bag by the end of the night. Some of the notables who fell in Day 3 include James Romero, JJ Liu, Jason Somerville, Upeshka De Silva, and Chris Brewer.
Monster Stack End-of-Day 3 Top 10 Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|
| 1 | Jaesh Balachandran | United States | 17,600,000 | 59 |
| 2 | Ryan Leng | United States | 16,500,000 | 55 |
| 3 | Anthony Ortega | United States | 15,775,000 | 53 |
| 4 | Rafael Reis | Brazil | 10,975,000 | 37 |
| 5 | Santiago Plante | Canada | 10,775,000 | 36 |
| 6 | Mordechai Hazan | Israel | 9,850,000 | 33 |
| 7 | Johan Schumacher | Belgium | 9,625,000 | 32 |
| 8 | Christopher Andler | Sweden | 8,300,000 | 28 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Vertes | Canada | 8,050,000 | 27 |
| 10 | Michael Noori | United States | 7,850,000 | 26 |
Day 4 starts at 11 a.m. local time on October 19 in the Amazon Room of the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The tournament resumes at Level 32 with blinds at 150,000/300,000/300,000.
Stay tuned for more coverage of this event and the entire 2021 World Series of Poker from the PokerNews live reporting team.
Monday, October 18, 2021 10:14 PM Local Time
Day 4 Seat Draw
| ROOM | TABLE | SEAT | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|
| Amazon | 406 | 1 | Matthew Burley | United States | 3,675,000 | 12 |
| Amazon | 406 | 2 | Katsushi Yoshida | United States | 5,075,000 | 17 |
| Amazon | 406 | 3 | Anthony Ortega | United States | 15,775,000 | 53 |
| Amazon | 406 | 4 | Charlie Dawson | United States | 6,650,000 | 22 |
| Amazon | 406 | 5 | Dannah Kamp | United States | 5,125,000 | 17 |
| Amazon | 406 | 6 | Santiago Plante | Canada | 10,775,000 | 36 |
| Amazon | 406 | 8 | Steven Sarmiento | United States | 3,500,000 | 12 |
| Amazon | 406 | 9 | Matthew Itkin | United States | 2,775,000 | 9 |
| | | | | | | |
| Amazon | 414 | 1 | Giancarlo Santolin | Canada | 3,000,000 | 10 |
| Amazon | 414 | 2 | Jeffrey Vertes | Canada | 8,050,000 | 27 |
| Amazon | 414 | 3 | Mordechai Hazan | Israel | 9,850,000 | 33 |
| Amazon | 414 | 4 | Lee Markholt | United States | 4,075,000 | 14 |
| Amazon | 414 | 5 | Brendan Shiller | United States | 3,475,000 | 12 |
| Amazon | 414 | 6 | Jaesh Balachandran | United States | 17,600,000 | 59 |
| Amazon | 414 | 7 | Raul Martinez | United Kingdom | 2,450,000 | 8 |
| Amazon | 414 | 8 | Rafael Reis | Brazil | 10,975,000 | 37 |
| | | | | | | |
| Amazon | 421 | 1 | Christopher Andler | Sweden | 8,300,000 | 28 |
| Amazon | 421 | 3 | Antonio Matic | Czech Republic | 6,650,000 | 22 |
| Amazon | 421 | 4 | Jason Riesenberg | United States | 4,000,000 | 13 |
| Amazon | 421 | 5 | Johan Schumacher | Belgium | 9,625,000 | 32 |
| Amazon | 421 | 6 | Ryan Leng | United States | 16,500,000 | 55 |
| Amazon | 421 | 7 | Michael Noori | United States | 7,850,000 | 26 |
| Amazon | 421 | 8 | Daniel Fortier | United States | 6,700,000 | 22 |
| Amazon | 421 | 9 | Ivan Deyra | France | 4,725,000 | 16 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 10:09 PM Local Time
End of Day 3 Chip Counts
| Jaesh Balachandran | 17,600,000 | 0  |
| Ryan Leng | 16,500,000 | 4,100,000  |
| Anthony Ortega | 15,775,000 | -625,000 |
| Rafael Reis | 10,975,000 | 4,575,000 |
| Santiago Plante | 10,775,000 | -1,225,000 |
| Mordechai Hazan | 9,850,000 | 9,850,000 |
| Johan Schumacher | 9,625,000 | 3,225,000 |
| Christopher Andler | 8,300,000 | 100,000 |
| Jeffrey Vertes | 8,050,000 | 2,450,000 |
| Michael Noori | 7,850,000 | -1,800,000 |
| Daniel Fortier | 6,700,000 | 100,000 |
| Charlie Dawson | 6,650,000 | 1,150,000 |
| Antonio Matic | 6,650,000 | -1,850,000 |
| Dannah Kamp | 5,125,000 | -1,375,000 |
| Katsushi Yoshida | 5,075,000 | 2,325,000 |
| Ivan Deyra | 4,725,000 | -375,000 |
| Lee Markholt | 4,075,000 | 575,000 |
| Jason Riesenberg | 4,000,000 | -730,000 |
| Matthew Burley | 3,675,000 | -1,625,000 |
| Steven Sarmiento | 3,500,000 | 700,000 |
| Brendan Shiller | 3,475,000 | -3,925,000 |
| Giancarlo Santolin | 3,000,000 | -5,000,000 |
| Matthew Itkin | 2,775,000 | 25,000 |
| Raul Martinez | 2,450,000 | 600,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 10:04 PM Local Time
Play Has Ended For The Night
The final 24 players are bagging to return tomorrow at 11 am.
Monday, October 18, 2021 10:03 PM Local Time
Uri Reichenstein Eliminated In 25th Place ($21,768)
As the final minutes of Day 3 were ticking away, things were heating up on table 414.
Uri Reichenstein moved all in and Jaesh Balachandran called, creating a massive pot.
Uri Reichenstein:
Jaesh Balachandran:
The flop was clean for Reichenstein, but the turn brought the giving Balachandran a full house.
The river fell the and Reichenstein was eliminated on the final hand of the night.
Balachandran, meanwhile, shoots up the leaderboard with more than 17 million in chips.
| Jaesh Balachandran | 17,600,000 | 7,200,000 |
| Uri Reichenstein | 0 | -3,700,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:56 PM Local Time
Ortega Flops Set to Take From Plante
Anthony Ortega raised to 500,000 from the hijack and Santiago Plante called in the small blind.
The flop was and Plante check-called a 300,000 bet.
The turn brought the and Plante check-called for 825,000.
The completed the board and Ortega bet 2.3 million. Plante pondered his decision and asked if Ortega had pocket eights. He received no response and called, only to see Ortega turn over a different set with , which was good for the pot.
| Anthony Ortega | 16,400,000 | 2,900,000 |
| Santiago Plante | 12,000,000 | -900,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:41 PM Local Time
Martinez Triples
Raul Martinez jammed for his last 455,000 and both Lee Markholt and Rafael Reis called.
On the flop , Markholt bet 700,000 and Reis got out of the way.
Raul Martinez:
Lee Markholt:
The turn was the and the river was the , just what Martinez needed as he made a full house on the river to survive.
| Rafael Reis | 6,400,000 | -6,700,000 |
| Lee Markholt | 3,500,000 | -500,000 |
| Raul Martinez | 1,850,000 | 1,850,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:31 PM Local Time
Reis' Ladies Hold
Bin Weng called the small blind and Rafael Reis raised to 500,000 in the big blind which Weng called.
The flop came down and Weng checked to Reis who bet 750,000. Weng responded with a raise to 2,200,000 and Reis four-bet all in for 5,400,000. Weng looked back at his cards and called.
Rafael Reis:
Bin Weng:
The turn and river of did not improve Weng's holding and Reis doubled his stack to over 13 million.
| Rafael Reis | 13,100,000 | 6,200,000 |
| Bin Weng | 1,200,000 | -3,900,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:31 PM Local Time
James Cook Eliminated in 26th Place ($21,768)
James Cook got his two million chip stack in preflop against Christopher Andler.
James Cook:
Christopher Andler:
The players were flipping and Cook needed to improve. He couldn't find help on the board and was eliminated from the tournament following a solid run.
| Christopher Andler | 8,200,000 | 2,600,000 |
| James Cook | 0 | -2,100,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:26 PM Local Time
Plante Takes From Yoshida
Santiago Plante opened to 480,000 and Katsushi Yoshida defended from the big blind.
On the flop, Yoshida check-called a bet 350,000 from Plante.
The turn was the and both players checked. Both players also checked the river and Plante turned over .
"Ahh you turned it," said Yoshida.
Plante moves past 12 million in chips.
| Santiago Plante | 12,900,000 | 2,700,000 |
| Katsushi Yoshida | 2,750,000 | -1,050,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:22 PM Local Time
Noori Doubles Through Cook
James Cook went all-in from middle position for a little bit under 7,000,000 and Michael Noori called in the big blind for less.
Michael Noori:
James Cook:
The board ran out and Cook found no improvement. Noori was given the full double.
| Michael Noori | 9,650,000 | 4,150,000 |
| James Cook | 2,100,000 | -7,750,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:16 PM Local Time
Riesenberg Rips It
James Cook limped from the button and Jason Riesenberg ripped it in for 4,370,000.
Cook asked for a count and thought it over before laying it down.
| James Cook | 9,850,000 | -250,000 |
| Jason Riesenberg | 4,730,000 | 1,530,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:12 PM Local Time
Balachandran Doubles Through Reichenstein
Uri Reichenstein raised under the-gun to 500,000 and on the button, Jaesh Balachandran went all in for 3,900,000. Reichenstein tanked for a little bit before calling and the cards were tabled.
Jaesh Balachandran:
Uri Reichenstein:
The board ran out and Balachandran took his stack to over the 10 million mark.
| Jaesh Balachandran | 10,400,000 | 4,400,000 |
| Uri Reichenstein | 3,700,000 | -3,400,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:11 PM Local Time
Schumacher's Fives Hold
Johan Schumacher jammed in his 3.1 million stack and Daniel Fortier called.
Johan Schumacher:
Daniel Fortier:
The board ran out to keep Schumacher in the tournament.
James Cook mentioned after the hand that he folded in the big blind and would've won the pot, but instead, the pot goes to Schumacher.
| Daniel Fortier | 6,600,000 | -500,000 |
| Johan Schumacher | 6,400,000 | 2,300,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 9:03 PM Local Time
Dylan Wilkerson Eliminated In 27th Place ($21,768)
Dylan Wilkerson got in his last 340,000 in early position and was called by Anthony Ortega in the small blind and Charlie Dawson in the big blind. The flop came out jack-high which Anthony Ortega led and Dawson folded.
Dylan Wilkerson:
Anthony Ortega:
The jack-high board gave the favor to Ortega and the turn and river did not improve Wilkerson and the WSOP circuit ring winner was eliminated in 27th place.
| Anthony Ortega | 13,500,000 | 2,700,000 |
| Dylan Wilkerson | 0 | -2,700,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 8:58 PM Local Time
Dawson Hits River Three to Double
Charlie Dawson got his 2.5 million stack into the middle preflop against Santiago Plante.
Charlie Dawson:
Santiago Plante:
The players were likely to chop but the board was still to be run. Both players were calling for a chop as the flop came . The turn was the , and the spiked the river to give Dawson the full pot and avoid the chop. Plante reiterated he would've been fine with a chop, but instead, Dawson gets the double.
| Santiago Plante | 10,200,000 | -500,000 |
| Charlie Dawson | 5,500,000 | 0 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 8:53 PM Local Time
Level 31 started
Level: 31
Blinds: 120,000/240,000
Ante: 240,000
Monday, October 18, 2021 8:50 PM Local Time
Noori Doubles Through Riesenberg
Jason Riesenberg raised the cutoff to 400,000 and in the big blind, Michael Noori re-raised to 1,100,000. Riesenberg went into the tank before ultimately going all-in and Noori snap-called.
Michael Noori:
Jason Riesenberg:
The board ran out and Noori got the full double.
| Michael Noori | 5,500,000 | 700,000 |
| Jason Riesenberg | 3,200,000 | -2,200,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 8:38 PM Local Time
Final Three Table Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|
| Table 406 | 1 | Matthew Burley | 5,300,000 |
| Table 406 | 2 | Katsushi Yoshida | 3,800,000 |
| Table 406 | 3 | Anthony Ortega | 10,800,000 |
| Table 406 | 4 | Charlie Dawson | 5,500,000 |
| Table 406 | 5 | Dannah Kamp | 6,500,000 |
| Table 406 | 6 | Santiago Plante | 10,700,000 |
| Table 406 | 7 | Dylan Wilkerson | 2,700,000 |
| Table 406 | 8 | Steven Sarmiento | 2,800,000 |
| Table 406 | 9 | Matthew Irkin | 2,750,000 |
| | | | |
| Table 414 | 1 | Giancarlo Santolin | 8,000,000 |
| Table 414 | 2 | Jeffrey Vertes | 5,600,000 |
| Table 414 | 3 | Mordechai Hazan | 7,600,000 |
| Table 414 | 4 | Lee Markholt | 4,000,000 |
| Table 414 | 5 | Brendan Shiller | 7,400,000 |
| Table 414 | 6 | Jaesh Balachandran | 6,000,000 |
| Table 414 | 7 | Raul Martinez | 5,100,000 |
| Table 414 | 8 | Rafael Reis | 6,900,000 |
| Table 414 | 9 | Uri Reichenstein | 7,100,000 |
| | | | |
| Table 421 | 1 | Christopher Andler | 5,600,000 |
| Table 421 | 2 | James Cook | 10,100,000 |
| Table 421 | 3 | Antonio Matic | 8,500,000 |
| Table 421 | 4 | Jason Riesenberg | 5,400,000 |
| Table 421 | 5 | Johan Schumacher | 4,100,000 |
| Table 421 | 6 | Ryan Leng | 12,400,000 |
| Table 421 | 7 | Michael Noori | 4,800,000 |
| Table 421 | 8 | Daniel Fortier | 7,100,000 |
| Table 421 | 9 | Ivan Derya | 5,100,000 |
| Ryan Leng | 12,400,000 | 8,700,000 |
| Anthony Ortega | 10,800,000 | 3,300,000 |
| Santiago Plante | 10,700,000 | -1,400,000 |
| James Cook | 10,100,000 | 1,700,000 |
| Antonio Matic | 8,500,000 | -3,600,000 |
| Giancarlo Santolin | 8,000,000 | 6,470,000 |
| Brendan Shiller | 7,400,000 | 1,700,000 |
| Uri Reichenstein | 7,100,000 | -1,200,000 |
| Daniel Fortier | 7,100,000 | 4,765,000 |
| Rafael Reis | 6,900,000 | -1,300,000 |
| Dannah Kamp | 6,500,000 | 1,600,000 |
| Jaesh Balachandran | 6,000,000 | 200,000 |
| Christopher Andler | 5,600,000 | -1,600,000 |
| Jeffrey Vertes | 5,600,000 | -2,000,000 |
| Charlie Dawson | 5,500,000 | 2,900,000 |
| Jason Riesenberg | 5,400,000 | 200,000 |
| Matthew Burley | 5,300,000 | 4,245,000 |
| Ivan Deyra | 5,100,000 | 5,100,000 |
| Raul Martinez | 5,100,000 | 5,100,000 |
| Michael Noori | 4,800,000 | -1,600,000 |
| Johan Schumacher | 4,100,000 | -4,200,000 |
| Lee Markholt | 4,000,000 | 3,135,000 |
| Katsushi Yoshida | 3,800,000 | -1,100,000 |
| Steven Sarmiento | 2,800,000 | -2,400,000 |
| Matthew Itkin | 2,750,000 | 350,000 |
| Dylan Wilkerson | 2,700,000 | 670,000 |
Monday, October 18, 2021 8:16 PM Local Time
Balachandran Chips Up With Ladies
Jaesh Balachandran raised to 400,000 under the gun and a player in middle position three-bet to 1.2 million. Balachandran thought about it and eventually jammed. His opponent folded and Balachandran showed the as he took the pot without a struggle.
| Jaesh Balachandran | 5,800,000 | 1,200,000 |