Mercier Leads as 55 Players Return for Day 3 Action
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The 2014 World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players' Championship, a tournament designed to determine the game's greatest all-around player, attracted 102 players that generated a total prize pool of $4,896,000. It is the smallest $50,000 mixed game championship since 2009 (95 entries), but there is still a juicy $1,517,767 first-place prize awaiting the winner.
"Poker greats consider the winner of the event the best all-around player because it demonstrates he or she can outplay the competition in a wide range of game variations with high stakes on the line," the WSOP boasts of the event.
Just 55 players will return for Day 3 action, and of those Jason Mercier leads with over 800,000 in chips. Other big stacks include Jonathan Duhamel (783,000), Shaun Deeb (724,400), David Steicke (711,100), and Matt Glantz (522,800). Glantz is in search of his third career final table in this event — he finished fourth in 2008 for $568,320, and fifth in 2011 for $376,750.
Also among the Day 2 survivors are Scott Seiver, John Hennigan, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, and 2014 bracelet winners Brandon Shack-Harris, Calvin Anderson, Robert Mizrachi, and Brock Parker. David Bach (17,400) is the only defending champion remaining, but he has a lot of work to do on Day 3 and beyond if he wants to take a repeat trip to the winner's circle as he is one of the short stacks.
Only the top 14 players will be guaranteed a minimum payday of $99,388, and each member of the seven-handed official final table will pocket a minimum of $165,435. We won't get there today, but our best guesstimates suggest we'll make it down to 24 players or so here on Day 3.
Not only will the eventual winner take home a WSOP gold bracelet and a large payday, they'll have their name inscribed on the commemorative "Chip Reese Trophy," which is named in honor of the inaugural winner, who passed away in 2007. "The iconic trophy was first added for the event's champion in 2008, with the winner keeping the top part of the trophy for the year, while his name is engraved on the bottom half, etched forever in history," the WSOP explains.
Who will be the next to add their name to this prestigious list of champions?
Former $50,000 Poker Players' Championship Winners
| Year | Winner | Prize | # of Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Chip Reese | $1,716,000 | 143 | $6,864,000 |
| 2007 | Freddy Deeb | $2,276,832 | 148 | $7,104,000 |
| 2008 | Scotty Nguyen | $1,989,120 | 148 | $7,104,000 |
| 2009 | David Bach | $1,276,806 | 95 | $4,560,000 |
| 2010 | Michael Mizrachi | $1,559,046 | 116 | $5,568,000 |
| 2011 | Brian Rast | $1,720,328 | 128 | $6,144,000 |
| 2012 | Michael Mizrachi | $1,451,527 | 108 | $5,184,000 |
| 2013 | Matthew Ashton | $1,774,089 | 132 | $6,336,000 |
Day 3 will feature five levels, each lasting 100 minutes. Cards will be in the air at 2 p.m. local time, so join us then as we continue in one of the most prestigious events of the summer!