Event #75: Freezeout No-Limit Holdem

The action was fast and furious on Day 1 of Event #75 $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em. A total of 1,191 players joined the field for this event to generate a $1,589,985 prize pool, with just one shot to run up a stack. By day's end, there were only 118 players remaining and it was Renmei Liu (887,000) who bagged the lead.

Other players to bag include Bin Liu (610,000), Asi Moshe (604,000), Joe Serock (436,000), Nadya Magnus (414,000), Patrick Tardif (239,000), Gabriel Andrade (180,000), Sherry Hammers (139,000) and Angelina Rich (124,000).

Event #75 Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

The blind structure caught up to the field fairly quickly in the early levels of the day and many of the top names from the poker world fell in the aftermath. Some of those to miss the money included Phil Laak, Barry Greenstein, Craig Varnell, Allen Kessler, and Tony Dunst.

Although there were no rebuys, players were allowed to buy-in by the end of the dinner break. Some of the late entries to fall included Ryan Leng, Stephen Song, Josh Arieh, Mustapha Kanit, Barry Shulman, and Landon Tice.

A total of 179 players made the money for a guaranteed $2,408 but everyone is vying for the top prize of $270,877 and the gold World Series Of Poker bracelet.

Once the bubble burst players continued to drop at a rapid pace in the final level of the night. Players to make the money but not find a bag included Randy Bullen, Cate Hall, Bin Weng, and Esther Taylor.

Players who bagged will return at noon on Tuesday, Nov 16 to the Amazon room purple section to play ten more levels. The blind structure will be increased to 60-minute levels for Day 2.

The PokerNews live reporting team will be there for all the action in this tournament and each bracelet event, for our continuing coverage of the WSOP at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, three more hands have been announced before bagging.

Antoine Labat was all in and at risk for about 40,000 against Renmei Liu.

Antonie Labat:   
Renmei Liu:   

Labat was behind he found some help on the flop    , with a straight flush draw. However, the   turn and   river would brick out for him and he was eliminated.

It wasn't all bad for Labat though as two other players were eliminated on the same hand. Those players were whisked away by the floor and they will share a small payout.

Meanwhile, Renmei Liu appears to have the chip lead with just short of 700,000.

Renmei Liu	697,000	697,000
Antoine Labat	0	-25,000

Nadya Magus opened to 12,000, a player in the blinds shoved all in and Magnus folded.

On the next hand, Magus raised to 12,000 again and only the big blind called.

Both players checked the     flop and the turn was the  . The big blind check-called a bet of 16,000 and they saw the river  .

The big blind checked a third time and Magnus sized up to 38,000. The big blind then woke up with a raise to about 132,000 and Magnus quickly folded.

Nadya Magnus

390,000

-75,000

In 2005, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) relocated to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. That year, Australia's Joe Hachem topped a 5,619-entry field to win the $10,000 Main Event for $7.5 million, which sparked a poker boom in his home country.

Now, 16 years later in what's rumored to be the WSOP's last year at the Rio, 35-year-old Sean Ragozzini is seeking to follow in his fellow countryman's footstep.

"I just learned with friends. I think it was after Moneymaker, especially in Australia after Hachem won it," Ragozzini told PokerNews. "A lot of guys my age, I guess I was 18 or 19 at the time, got involved and started playing home games. I kind of had a knack for the strategy part of it. I enjoyed it and it was fun taking money off my friends."

Ragozzini, who has dual citizenship in the United Kingdom, qualified for the 2021 WSOP Main Event online at GGPoker via a $1,000 satellite. With just two tables remaining in the tournament, Ragozzini is guaranteed a nice six-figure score with a good shot at millions.

Heater Continues

"Not a real job, just play a lot of poker," Ragozzini told PokerNews when asked what he does. "I play a bit of both live and online."

According to The Hendon Mob, Ragozzini had $576,448 in lifetime earnings before the 2021 WSOP. Back in May, he won the WPTDeepStacks Gold Coast A$5,000 Challenge for $108,790, and just a few days later he won the A$3,000 Quartetly Poker Championship Gold Coast for $53,769, which he chopped with his good friend Vincent Huang. Those scores came two years after he took down the 2019 Star Sydney Champs A$20,000 High Roller for a previous career-best $153,826.

"I've probably taken it more serious the last few years, have had some good results, can't complain," Ragozzini said when asked about his recent success.

If Ragozzini continues to make a run for the bracelet, he'll be cheered on by both family and friends.

"I've got a few friends, about five or six guys, who are playing a lot as well. We kind of came together, it's been good," said Ragozzini, who said he is single but has half a dozen nieces and nephews.

Only time will tell if cheers of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!" ring throughout the Main Event once again, and if Australian victories can bookend the Rio era of the World Series of Poker.

Follow PokerNews Live Updates of the WSOP Main Event here!

Asi Moshe defended his big blind after a player in middle position opened for 11,000.

Moshe check-called a bet of 8,000 after the     landed on the flop and the turn brought the  .

Both players checked to the   river and Moshe won the pot with a bet of 11,000 after his opponent folded.

Asi Moshe

165,000

50,000