Saturday, June 29, 2024 1:44 AM Local Time
Roberts Leads the Final 17; Elezra Hunts For Sixth Bracelet in the $1,500 Stud Eight or Better

A total of 157 players returned to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas today in hopes of winning Event #69: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better at the 2024 World Series of Poker. Among them were bracelet winners, first time hopefuls, and players from all over looking to play one of the most popular split-pot variants. Only 92 players were able to get a piece of the $815,685 prize pool, with only 17 still in the hunt for the gold bracelet and the $153,730 to first place.
Leading the way is Christian Roberts, who bagged 2,380,000. The bracelet winner came into the day as the third biggest stack, but eventually dropped to one of the shorter stacks with four tables left. A key double up kept him alive and he won a couple of sizable pots off of Gregory Yohn (190,000) late in the night to put him up towards the top. Roberts' other bracelet is in no-limit hold'em, but he has cashes in mixed-game tournaments dating back many years. He looks to put some variety into his bracelet collection with his run here.
Sitting behind him is Jon Turner, who ended the day with 1,730,000. Like Roberts, Turner's day was not all smooth sailing, as throughout most of the day he hovered around the shorter stacks, despite coming in with the chip lead. Fortune smiled on the talented player as he looks to take home his first bracelet and add to his impressive $3,889,575 in lifetime earnings.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
Place | Player | Chip Count | Country |
1 | Christian Roberts | 2,380,000 | Venezuela |
2 | Jon Turner | 1,730,000 | United States |
3 | Dekel Balas | 1,620,000 | United States |
4 | Thomas Taylor | 1,400,000 | Canada |
5 | Yuval Bronshtein | 1,135,000 | Israel |
6 | Joey Couden | 970,000 | United States |
7 | Nikolay Ponomarev | 915,000 | United Kingdom |
8 | Kenneth Kemple | 880,000 | United States |
9 | James Cheung | 800,000 | Scotland |
10 | Daniel Blum | 735,000 | United States |
Eli Elezra
Bracelet winners Yuval Bronshtein (1,135,000) and Joey Couden (970,000) shot their way up the leaderboard towards the end of the night in their hunt to get more jewelry. Some interesting implications are in play as both are on teams in the $25k Fantasy Draft.
Five-time bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra (450,000) also remains in the hunt to take home his sixth bracelet and add more to his already deeply decorated career. Others that found bags included Dekel Balas (1,620,000), Thomas Taylor (1,400,000), last year's fourth place finisher James Cheung (800,000), and mixed game phenom and bracelet winner Ryutaro Suzuki (375,000).
Day 2 Action
The first two levels saw a quick flurry of eliminations as many names fell short of cashing. Among them were Brian Hastings, Matt Grapenthien, Mark Gregorich, and Patrick Leonard. Eventually the players reached the hand-for-hand portion of play, and only one hand was played. That saw the elimination of Russell Hudson after his queens up could not hold up against James Hoeppner's three tens. The bubble burst and the final 92 players all secured a minimum of $3,020.
After that, eliminations came fast. Players like David "Bakes" Baker (88th), Phil Hellmuth (87th), Max Pescatori (86th), Adam Friedman (84th), and Phil Hui (83rd) all collected the minimum of $3,020. Others that fell throughout the day include bracelet winners Tom Koral (48th-$3,407) and Barry Greenstein (34th-$4,240). Jon Kyte (25th-$4,904) fell short of another split-pot final table as he finished just outside of the three table redraw.
Once down to the final three tables, eliminations sped up. Michael Candeloro (24th-$4,904), Barry Grime (23rd-$5,807), William Kakon (22nd-$5,807), Martin Engels (21st-$5,807) and last woman in the field Mojgan Stringham (20th-$5,807), all busted within the same level.
The final elimination of the night was Vincent Calicchia, who got all of his chips in with three ace-high spades, only for Jon Turner's set to take down a sizable pot as the night came to a close. Calicchia collected $5,807 for his run and the remaining 17 players bagged up for the evening.
Players will return tomorrow at 1 p.m. to the Horseshoe. They will come back to Level 26 with a 10,000 ante, 15,000 bring in, with limits at 50,000-100,000. Play will continue until a winner is crowned so stay tuned to PokerNews for all updates on the 2024 WSOP.
Saturday, June 29, 2024 1:42 AM Local Time
Seat Draw For Day 3
Casino | Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
Horseshoe | 1 | 1 | Nikolay Ponomarev | United Kingdom | 915,000 | 9 |
Horseshoe | 1 | 2 | Daniel Blum | United States | 735,000 | 7 |
Horseshoe | 1 | 5 | Joseph Hertzog | United States | 265,000 | 3 |
Horseshoe | 1 | 6 | Yuval Bronshtein | Israel | 1,135,000 | 11 |
Horseshoe | 1 | 7 | Thomas Taylor | Canada | 1,400,000 | 14 |
Horseshoe | 1 | 8 | James Hoeppner | United States | 370,000 | 4 |
| | | | | | |
Horseshoe | 2 | 1 | Robert Stevanovski | United States | 665,000 | 7 |
Horseshoe | 2 | 3 | Qibang Cheung | United Kingdom | 800,000 | 8 |
Horseshoe | 2 | 5 | Jon Turner | United States | 1,730,000 | 17 |
Horseshoe | 2 | 7 | Dekel Balas | United States | 1,620,000 | 16 |
Horseshoe | 2 | 8 | Eli Elezra | Israel | 450,000 | 5 |
| | | | | | |
Horseshoe | 3 | 1 | Christian Roberts | Venezuala | 2,380,000 | 24 |
Horseshoe | 3 | 2 | Joseph Couden | United States | 970,000 | 10 |
Horseshoe | 3 | 4 | Gregory Yohn | United States | 190,000 | 2 |
Horseshoe | 3 | 5 | Kenneth Kemple | United States | 880,000 | 9 |
Horseshoe | 3 | 6 | Ryutaro Suzuki | Japan | 375,000 | 4 |
Horseshoe | 3 | 8 | Nikolay Fal | Russia | 405,000 | 4 |
Saturday, June 29, 2024 1:11 AM Local Time
End of Day Chip Counts
Christian Roberts | 2,380,000 | 1,080,000  |
Jon Turner | 1,730,000 | -25,000  |
Dekel Balas | 1,620,000 | 195,000  |
Thomas Taylor | 1,400,000 | 190,000  |
Yuval Bronshtein | 1,135,000 | 550,000  |
Joey Couden | 970,000 | 70,000  |
Nikolay Ponomarev | 915,000 | 260,000  |
Kenneth Kemple | 880,000 | 500,000  |
James Cheung | 800,000 | 25,000  |
Daniel Blum | 735,000 | 330,000  |
Robert Stevanovski | 655,000 | 155,000  |
Eli Elezra | 450,000 | -100,000  |
Nikolay Fal | 405,000 | 175,000  |
Ryutaro Suzuki | 375,000 | -825,000  |
James Hoeppner | 370,000 | -390,000  |
Joseph Hertzog | 265,000 | -615,000  |
Gregory Yohn | 190,000 | -810,000  |
Saturday, June 29, 2024 1:06 AM Local Time
End of Day
The final 17 players are bagging for the night.
Chip counts and a full recap are to follow.
Saturday, June 29, 2024 1:04 AM Local Time
Turner Gets There Against Cheung
Action was picked up on fourth street in a hand between Jon Turner and James Cheung.
Jon Turner: / /
James Cheung: / /
Cheung check-called on fourth. On fifth, Cheung led after he paired his king and Turner raised.
Cheung check-called on sixth and he quickly did the same on seventh.
"What do you have?" asked Cheung.
"I don't know yet," replied Turner as he revealed the . "Straight."
Turner got there on seventh to scoop a massive one at the end of the night.
Jon Turner | 1,755,000 | 635,000  |
James Cheung | 775,000 | 25,000  |

Saturday, June 29, 2024 12:50 AM Local Time
Vincent Calicchia Eliminated in 18th Place ($5,807)

Vincent Calicchia completed with the , Jon Turner called with the , Eli Elezra called with the and James Cheung defended his bring in.
Vincent Calicchia: /
Jon Turner: /
Eli Elezra: /
James Cheung: / - folded on fourth street.
Calicchia bet on fourth and only Turner and Elezra called. On fifth, Calicchia led again and both players called.
On sixth, Calicchia bet all-in, Turner raised, and Elezra called.
On seventh, Turner bet all-in for 70,000 and Elezra called.
Turner held trip sevens which were good enough for the scoop against the trip fives of Elezra. Calicchia failed to improve and was eliminated in 18th place.
Jon Turner | 1,120,000 | 445,000  |
Eli Elezra | 550,000 | -270,000  |
Vincent Calicchia | 0 | -1,150,000  |
Saturday, June 29, 2024 12:11 AM Local Time
Paul Sokoloff Eliminated in 19th Place ($5,807)

Paul Sokoloff completed with the and Ryutaro Suzuki called with the .
Paul Sokoloff: / /
Ryutaro Suzuki: / /
Suzuki check-called on fourth and check-called all-in on fifth street.
Sokoloff ended up making sixes and fives which were no good against the jacks and tens of Suzuki as Sokoloff his the rail in 19th place.
Ryutaro Suzuki | 1,200,000 | 370,000  |
Paul Sokoloff | 0 | -300,000  |
Saturday, June 29, 2024 12:02 AM Local Time
Level 25 started
Level: 25
Blinds: 0/0
Ante: 0
Saturday, June 29, 2024 12:01 AM Local Time
Mojgan Stringham Eliminated in 20th Place ($5,807)

Mojgan Stringham completed with a , prompting Yuval Bronshtein to three-bet with an and Stringham called to put herself at risk.
Mojgan Stringham: /
Yuval Bronshtein: / /
Bronshtein made an ace-high flush as well as a seven low to scoop the pot and the final woman in the field was eliminated from the tournament.
Yuval Bronshtein | 585,000 | 200,000  |
Mojgan Stringham | 0 | -395,000  |
Friday, June 28, 2024 11:59 PM Local Time
Martin Engels Eliminated in 21st Place ($5,807)

Martin Engels called with a up last to act against Christian Roberts' bringing.
Martin Engels: / /
Christian Roberts: / /
Engels bet on forth street, prompting Roberts to raise. Two more bets went in to have Engels all in and at risk with his pair of sevens against Robert's jacks.
The board ran out as no help and Engels was eliminated from the tournament.
Christian Roberts | 1,300,000 | 350,000  |
Martin Engels | 0 | -440,000  |

Friday, June 28, 2024 11:52 PM Local Time
William Kakon Eliminated in 22nd Place ($5,807)

The action of the hand was briefly recounted to PokerNews by the table.
William Kakon completed and was called by Joseph Hertzog who held . Kakon started the hand with 160,000 and the rest of the chips found their way into the middle.
Kakon bricked out while Hertzog made a jack-high straight to eliminate Kakon in 22nd place.
Joseph Hertzog | 880,000 | 75,000  |
William Kakon | 0 | -200,000  |
Friday, June 28, 2024 11:46 PM Local Time
Barry Grime Eliminated in 23rd Place ($5,807)
Barry Grime got his last 115,000 total in the middle against Jon Turner.
Barry Grime: / /
Jon Turner: / /
Turner's pair of threes were good for the high and his six-five low was better than Grime's eight-six as he hit the rail in 23rd place.
Jon Turner | 675,000 | 425,000  |
Barry Grime | 0 | -125,000  |
Friday, June 28, 2024 11:40 PM Local Time
Michael Candeloro Eliminated in 24th Place ($4,904)
Ryutaro Suzuki completed with the , Michael Candeloro raised all in with the , Christian Roberts called with the , and Suzuki called.
Michael Candeloro: / /
Ryutaro Suzuki: / /
Christian Roberts: / - folded on fifth street
Suzuki's jacks held against Candeloro who made a pair of fives on the end to be eliminated in 24th place.
Christian Roberts | 950,000 | -310,000  |
Ryutaro Suzuki | 830,000 | 100,000  |
Michael Candeloro | 0 | -70,000  |
Friday, June 28, 2024 11:32 PM Local Time
Final Three Table Redraw
Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count |
658 | 1 | Nikolay Ponomarev | 655,000 |
658 | 2 | Daniel Blum | 405,000 |
658 | 3 | Mojgan Stringham | 395,000 |
658 | 4 | William Kakon | 200,000 |
658 | 5 | Joseph Hertzog | 805,000 |
658 | 6 | Yuval Bronshtein | 385,000 |
658 | 7 | Thomas Taylor | 1,210,000 |
658 | 8 | James Hoepnner | 760,000 |
| | | |
662 | 1 | James Cheung | 750,000 |
662 | 2 | Nikolay Fal | 230,000 |
662 | 3 | Robert Stevanovski | 500,000 |
662 | 4 | Vincent Callichia | 1,150,000 |
662 | 5 | Jon Turner | 250,000 |
662 | 6 | Barry Grime | 125,000 |
662 | 7 | Dekel Balas | 1,425,000 |
662 | 8 | Eli Elezra | 820,000 |
| | | |
666 | 1 | Christian Roberts | 1,260,000 |
666 | 2 | Joey Couden | 900,000 |
666 | 3 | Paul Sokoloff | 300,000 |
666 | 4 | Gregory Yohn | 1,000,000 |
666 | 5 | Kenneth Kemple | 380,000 |
666 | 6 | Ryutaro Suzuki | 730,000 |
666 | 7 | Michael Candeloro | 70,000 |
666 | 8 | Martin Engels | 440,000 |
Dekel Balas | 1,425,000 | 125,000  |
Christian Roberts | 1,260,000 | 60,000  |
Thomas Taylor | 1,210,000 | -340,000  |
Vincent Calicchia | 1,150,000 | 150,000  |
Gregory Yohn | 1,000,000 | 20,000  |
Joey Couden | 900,000 | 100,000  |
Eli Elezra | 820,000 | -105,000  |
Joseph Hertzog | 805,000 | 805,000  |
James Hoeppner | 760,000 | 384,000  |
James Cheung | 750,000 | 360,000  |
Ryutaro Suzuki | 730,000 | 500,000  |
Nikolay Ponomarev | 655,000 | -5,000  |
Robert Stevanovski | 500,000 | -10,000  |
Martin Engels | 440,000 | 25,000  |
Daniel Blum | 405,000 | -25,000  |
Mojgan Stringham | 395,000 | 110,000  |
Yuval Bronshtein | 385,000 | 5,000  |
Kenneth Kemple | 380,000 | 120,000  |
Paul Sokoloff | 300,000 | -15,000  |
Jon Turner | 250,000 | -65,000  |
Nikolay Fal | 230,000 | -60,000  |
William Kakon | 200,000 | -310,000  |
Barry Grime | 125,000 | -435,000  |
Michael Candeloro | 70,000 | 70,000  |
Friday, June 28, 2024 11:28 PM Local Time
Nacho Barbero Chipping Up in $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em
Live Updates

Friday, June 28, 2024 11:13 PM Local Time
Roberts Takes Out DiPasquale
Christian Roberts completed with the , Daniel DiPasquale raised with the , and Roberts called.
Daniel DiPasquale: / /
Christian Roberts: / /
Roberts made queens and sevens while DiPasquale did not improve his aces as he hit the rail in 26th.
Christian Roberts | 1,200,000 | 671,000  |
Daniel DiPasquale | 0 | -165,000  |
Friday, June 28, 2024 11:08 PM Local Time
Elezra With A Flush

Action was picked up on fourth street in a pot between Eli Elezra and Daniel Blum.
Eli Elezra: / /
Daniel Blum: / /
Blum checked to Elezra on fourth street and Elezra bet which saw Blum call.
The same action repeated on every subsequent street.
"Aces up," declared Blum on seventh as he called the final bet from Elezra and showed . Elezra turned over for a king-high flush and he took down the pot.
Eli Elezra | 925,000 | 515,000  |
Daniel Blum | 430,000 | -250,000  |
Friday, June 28, 2024 10:57 PM Local Time
Level 24 started
Level: 24
Blinds: 0/0
Ante: 0
Friday, June 28, 2024 10:42 PM Local Time
Break
The players have gone on their final 15-minute break of the night.
Friday, June 28, 2024 10:41 PM Local Time
Balas Takes the Remains of Nguyen
It has been a day full of fun with Men Nguyen at the table. Unfortunately, Dekel Balas has sent him to the rail. Nguyen completed with the and Balas called with the
Men Nguyen: / /
Dekel Balas: / /
Nguyen led on fourth and fifth. On sixth, he moved all-in and Balas called.
Balas made a full house on seventh and Nguyen bricked his low draw to be eliminated.
Dekel Balas | 1,300,000 | 200,000  |
Men Nguyen | 0 | -200,000  |