The beginning of the WSOP $10,000 Main Event traditionally marks the end of the poker festival. It has been so since 1970, when the world’s most highly anticipated annual poker tournament was first held. This year’s $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Championship kicked off on July 9. It is to feature three starting flights in three separate days, and seven more days of play.
As usual, the nine finalists will play the final table over three days.. This year, the final table festivities are scheduled to kick off on October 30.
Following the completion of Days 1A, B, and C, it could now be announced that this year’s edition of the Championship attracted as many as 6,737 entries who generated an overall prize pool of $63,327,800, the fifth largest one since WSOP’s inception.
Prior to the tournament’s beginning, organizers announced that a new payout structure would be introduced as of this year. Under the changes implemented, 15% of the entries in each event were to receive a share of the prize pool. With that said, the top 1011 Main Event finishers would be secured with a payout, with min-cash totaling $15,000.
Each of the nine finalists would receive a minimum payout of $1 million. As for the Main Event Champion, he would not only be awarded a specially crafted gold bracelet but will also be paid the amount of $8 million.
Day 2A/B was played on Tuesday with all survivors from Day 1A and Day 1B returning to contend for a place among the final nines and the lion’s share of the money, of course. The day began with 1,847 hopefuls. However, a great number of them had to leave the tables at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.
At the end of the day, it was Valentin Vornicu from San Diego, California who led the remaining players. The survivors will be combined with those who will make it through Day 2C of the event and will all return for Day 3.
Vornicu bagged up a total of 838,600 in chips last night. He has entered the WSOP Circuit history as one of the players to be holding the most gold rings. So far, Vornicu has won 8 Circuit gold pieces, with the most recent one captured in March, after he took down a $580 No-Limit Hold’em event at The Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. However, Vornicu has not won any WSOP gold bracelets over the course of his career. If the player keeps on performing that well throughout the Main Event, he may eventually capture his first shiny gold piece.
Other notables to have made it through Day 2A/B include Anthonny Zinno, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and Greg Raymer.
Action will resume at 11 am local time on July 13 when the Day 1C survivors are set to return. The remaining players from Days 2A/B and 2C will be merged in a single field on Day 3 of the event, which is to be played on July 14.
