The last of the mixed game $10,000 Championship events kicks off on Sunday, July 1st with Event #64: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship starting at 3 p.m. This event marks the last championship event before the Main Event which kicks off on Wednesday, July 2nd, and it is also the final non-hold'em championship event on the schedule.
In 2017, it was Chris Vitch who took down this event, beating Benny Glaser heads up for the title and besting the field which brought out 125 runners for $320,193 and his second World Series of Poker bracelet. Vitch has put up some results this summer including two final tables and an 11th place finish in the Poker Players Championship, but hasn't been able to complete the trifecta of three bracelets in three summers just yet, a feat accomplished by Loren Klein earlier this summer. Vitch will likely be back for his title defense and he'll look to go back to back in this event to be another player, alongside Matt Matros and Loren Klein to win three bracelets in as many years.
For this event, players will begin with 50,000 chips and limits of 500/1,000. The plan for Sunday is to play 10, one-hour levels with a 15-minute break after every two levels. There will be no dinner break on the first day of play. Registration will be open until the start of Day 2 which starts at 2 p.m. on July 2. The event is scheduled for three days and should reach completion on July 3, where players will play down to a winner.
PokerNews will be here from start to completion and we will provide live updates throughout the tournament. Make sure to stay tuned in so you don't miss a thing.
Picking up the action on fifth street, Robert Campbell was the first to act and he put out a bet. James Obst called.
On sixth street, both players decided to check. On seventh street, Campbell bet and Obst dropped into the tank. He thought for about thirty seconds before deciding to call.
Campbell showed for two pair. Obst must've been thinking about raising because he showed for trip threes, and that would earn him the whole pot.
Paul Sokoloff: //
Chad Campbell: //
Eli Elezra: //
Chris Tryba: //
We picked up the action on seventh street, but there was already a massive pot in the middle of the table. Paul Sokoloff was first to act and he put out a bet. Chad Campbell called before Eli Elezra made it two bets. Chris Tryba called and then Sokoloff made it three bets. Campbell, Elezra, and Tryba all called.
"He has to have four tens," Tryba said immediately after action was closed.
Sokoloff did, in fact, show for four tens. His quads were good for the high end of the pot as Campbell and Elezra both mucked. Tryba showed his though and with his seven low, he took down the low side of the pot.
"My first five was a flush," Tryba said. "He has to have quads to be raising into these boards. But I didn't know if he was raising with a flush or a better seven or what."
"I had quads on the first four," Sokoloff mentioned.
Picking up the action on fourth street, Mike Watson checked, Carol Fuchs bet, and Watson called. On fifth street, Watson checked again and Fuchs bet. Watson called.
On sixth, Watson check-called another bet, and on seventh, Watson check-called once more. Fuchs shows for a flush and it was good for her to scoop the whole pot.
Chris Vitch: / /
Brendan Taylor: / /
Yehuda Buchalter: / (folds on fifth)
The action was on Chris Vitch on fourth street who was the first to throw in a bet. Yehuda Buchalter made it two bets and Brendan Taylor called. Vitche three-bet and both Buchalter and Taylor called.
Vitch led out on fifth and Buchalter thought for a minute before laying his hand down. Taylor stuck around and Vitch checked on sixth. Taylor was the one to initiate the betting this time and Vitch called.
On seventh, Vitch led out again and Taylor hummed for a moment before calling. Vitch showed for just a low hand and Taylor tabled for a pair of sevens to take the high hand.
Vitch is currently the clear chip leader late on Day 1 as he looks to defend his title that he won last year.
Stuart Rutter: / (folds on fifth)
Daniel Negreanu: / /
Matt Glantz: / /
Todd Brunson: / (folds on fourth)
Opponent: / (folds on fifth)
Five players were still alive in the hand heading to fourth street where a flurry of action unfolded. It was checked to Daniel Negreanu who made the first bet. Everyone called back with the action back on Stuart Rutter who made it two bets. Negreanu bumped it to three bets and Matt Glantz called. Todd Brunson got out of the way and Rutter made it four bets. Negreanu, Glantz, and the fourth player called.
On fifth, the action checked to Negreanu again who threw in a bet. Glantz raised this time getting rid of the two other players. Negreanu just called and Glantz said that was the best thing that happened to him all day.
Both players checked sixth and seventh with Negreanu turning over for two pair. Glantz picked up all of his cards and sent them face down to the muck.
Just a few moments later during the next hand, Negreanu had a small brain fart. "The only thing that would have been better is if I scooped the pot."
"You did get the whole pot," the whole table said as they burst into laughter.
"Oh ya," Negreanu joined in the laughter. "I was going to say, that was an awfully large half."
In the last mixed game championship event of the summer, all of the big names came out to test their luck on the opening day of Event #64: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, which drew 133 runners. Heading into Day 2, Chris Vitch leads a stacked field after bagging 279,500 chips to top the remaining 63 players.
Vitch came into the day looking to defend his title as the winner of this very event last year. He defeated 125 players then but will have a bit more competition this time around. Having won a World Series of Poker gold bracelet in the last two years, Vitch is looking to join Matt Matros and Loren Klein as the only players to win a bracelet in three straight years. As a mixed game specialist, Vitch has earned over $1.3 million in career tournament earnings and will be looking to add to that over the course of the next two days.
Some other big stacks following in Vitch's footsteps are Daham Wang who threw 276,500 in the bag, a mere 3,000 chips off the lead. Stuart Rutter ran up a stack of 236,000 to finish in the top three, while Terrence Hastoo (220,000) and Ryan Miller (207,500) round out the top five stacks.
The afternoon began with just 33 players taking their seats with a starting stack of 50,000 chips. Daniel Negreanu (76,500) was one of the first in his seat and remained there throughout the day. Negreanu added bits and pieces to his stack as the day went on until he nailed one big pot in the last level of the night. Negreanu entered a pot five ways and the action was capped on fourth street. By sixth street, the action was down to heads-up with Matt Glantz and Negreanu tabled two pair at showdown. That was good enough to earn him a healthy pot and put him back into contention, despite trailing off late.
Some other familiar faces to go wire-to-wire include David Benyamine (166,500), Jesse Martin (158,500),Eric Rodawig (79,500), and Mike Sexton (72,000). The entries continued to pile in as the day wore on with a total of 133 players making their way into the tournament.
The field was full of past bracelet winners and some of those moving on include Tom Koral (189,000), Scott Bohlman (156,000), Max Pescatori (85,500), Adam Friedman (79,000), James Obst (68,000), and Robert Mizrachi (35,500).
It wasn't a good day for all the players as over half of the field hit the rail over the first ten levels. Eli Elezra, Esther Taylor, Frank Kassela, Scott Seiver, Brandon Shack-Harris, Erik Seidel, Allen Kessler, Mike Matusow, John Hennigan, Jeff Lisandro, and Brian Hastings were among those eliminated.
With late registration staying open until the beginning of Day 2, the field is expected to add a few more entries. The action will resume tomorrow at 2pm local time on level 11 with the limits at 4,000/8,000. The prizepool and payouts will be announced once late registration closes and be posted shortly after.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on site to bring you all of the action throughout each and every event during the WSOP.