Six Left to Battle it Out for Their First Bracelet in Event #34: $1,000 Double Stack NLHE
Today is the day that someone is guaranteed to win their first ever gold WSOP bracelet in Event #34: $1,000 Double Stack No-Limit Hold’em and much of the poker world is watching to see if it will be Joseph Cheong as he will go into the day with a massive chip lead of 100 big blinds. The tournament attracted 6,214 entries in total and only six players are left who will be returning at noon local time to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino to battle it out until the final all-in has been won.
Cheong has 58 cashes in the WSOP circuit which earned him three WSOP Circuit rings but the majority of his $6,350,745 in WSOP cashes have come during several summers in Las Vegas. After five final tables in the hunt for a bracelet, which includes a 3rd place finish in the 2010 Main Event and 4th place in the 2012 WSOPE Main Event, he has a great starting position right now. Cheong is followed by David Ivers with 60,400,000 in chips. Ivers is maybe a little less well-known in the WSOP world but is supported by a rambunctious rail (who were actually also cheering on Cheong on Day 4) which includes Francis Anderson who finished in 4th place in the Marathon last week.
The only other player who bagged an above average stack was the Day 3 chip leader, Zinan Xu with 53,900,000. Xu notched his first WSOP cash in the 2017 Main Event when he finished in 178th place. China’s hope for their first 2019 bracelet had already collected eleven cashes before this event and will be trying to make this one his career-best. And then there are three players who have the shortest stacks on the table with 18, 12, and 5 big blinds. They are Andrea Buonocore, Ido Ashkenazi, and Arianna Son.
Buonocore cashed twice this summer already but this will be his first time that he has come close to being able to win a bracelet. This is also the case for Ashkenazi and Son. For Son there might be some added pressure as she could be the first woman to win a bracelet this year and during the week which is traditionally called “Ladies Week” here in Las Vegas too. No matter what happens, today, someone will walk away with their maiden bracelet and $687,782 here at the 50th Annual World Series of Poker.
When the players return to the Amazon Room at noon to resume play at one of the outer Feature Tables, they will play the remaining 25 minutes and 30 seconds left in Level 39 with a small blind of 500,000, big blind of 1,000,000, and a big blind ante of 1,000,000. A 15-minute break is expected after Level 40 and every two levels after that. They are all guaranteed at least $133,970 and play will continue until the bracelet has been awarded to the champion.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on hand to bring you all the action of each hand from the moment the cards go back in the air until the final river has been dealt. Stick around to see who will be victorious at the end of the day.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ido Ashkenazi | United States | 11,700,000 | 12 |
| 2 | Andrea Buonocore | Italy | 17,800,000 | 18 |
| 3 | Joseph Cheong | United States | 100,300,000 | 100 |
| 4 | Zinan Xu | China | 53,900,000 | 54 |
| 6 | David Ivers | United States | 60,400,000 | 60 |
| 9 | Arianna Son | United States | 4,500,000 | 5 |