The 2022 WSOP at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas continues today with Event #82: $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack which kicks off at 12:00 p.m. local time.
Players begin with a starting stack of 40,000 and blinds at 100/100/100. Levels will be 30-minutes in duration with a 20-minute break every four levels and a 75-minute dinner break after Level 12 (approximately 6:40 p.m.) They will play 22 levels before chips are bagged for the night.
Last year's winner was Jason Wheeler who bested 1,921 entrants to claim the first place prize of $204,274. He defeated Colombian Julian Velasquez heads up to claim the bracelet.
If trends continue, this event will be even bigger than last year and could top last years $1,352,384 prize pool.
Stay tuned in to PokerNews for live updates on all of the action throughout both days as another WSOP champion will be crowned.
There was a three-way all in between Brian Pinkus in the hijack with 39,500 at risk, the big blind and the under-the-gun player, who had them both well covered.
Brian Pinkus:
Big Blind:
Under-the-gun:
It was a bit of a cooler to say the least and the board was dealt and as the lead in the hand changed twice, ultimately giving Pinkus a knockout and almost triple up after he get there with a straight.
The under-the-gun player was raising his voice as the floor was called because the dealer hadn't taken a cut of the under-the-gun's chips. Defending champ, Jason Wheeler was trying to resolve the situation and aided the floor person when he came over, explaining the situation.
The under-the-gun player told Wheeler if he is not in the hand, he should not get involved, though Wheeler was just trying to ensure the players were paid the correct amounts once the board had ran out. After it all blew over, the table relaxed and got a little more friendly as they resumed play.
Wheeler, the defending champ has had a good start to the day, chipping up to four times the starting stack.
The bubble has burst in Event #82, with Richard Alati one of three players eliminated.
Alati had jammed the cutoff with 58,000 and the big blind of Aaron Frei called. Before cards were flipped Alati shrugged as he told PokerNews ''I'm happy to flip it on the bubble with this hand on the bubble'' showing his holding.
Richard Alati:
Aaron Frei:
The board ran out to give Frei quads and eliminate Alati on the bubble. The saving grace for Alati was that two other players hit the rail on the bubble at the same, so the three of them split the $1,282 min-cash for $427 each.
After 22 levels of play, Day 1 of Event #82: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack has wrapped up. A huge field of 2,812 entrants took to the tables today, all with a shot at 2022 World Series of Poker gold.
Of those entrants, only 167 players will return for Day 2, which starts at Level 23, and features 30-minute levels up until the crowning of the tournament's champion. Last year's winner Jason Wheeler was mixing it up to defend his title, but ultimately it was not his day.
Justin Lapka bagged up 2,425,000 chips, which proved enough to claim the Day 1 chip lead. Lapka's stack is slightly larger than the 2,350,000 in Brazilian Marcelo Giordano Mendes' 2,350,000.
Event #82: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Top 10 Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chips
Big Blinds
1
Justin Lapka
United States
2,425,000
81
2
Marcelo Giordano Mendes
Brazil
2,350,000
78
3
Selim Oulmekki
France
2,030,000
68
4
Steve Savio
France
1,965,000
66
5
Artem Metalidi
Ukraine
1,895,000
63
6
Francis Anderson
United States
1,800,000
60
7
Ranganath Kanchi
United States
1,650,000
55
8
Martin Gavasci Napoletano
Argentina
1,635,000
55
9
Marsel Backa
United States
1,605,000
54
10
Richard Alsup
United States
1,500,000
50
Other notables joined the action, some for bracelet gold, some for money, some for Player of the Year points, or a combination of the three. These included Player of the Year leader Dan Zack plus contenders Dan Weinman and Shaun Deeb. Deeb was the only of the three to make the money, however.
There were three bubble bustouts, with Richard Alati one of them after he ran pocket queens into the ace-jack of Aaron Frei and Frei hit quads. The post-bubble bust-out bonanza was fast-paced, with Brian Pinkus going from chip leader to bust within one level.
Some of the most well known players returning for Day 2 are Ebony Kenney (795,000), Ryan Leng (395,000), Marsel Backa (1,605,000) and Gary Whitehead (1,325,000).
Blinds will be 15,000 / 30,000 with a big blind ante of 30,000 when play resumes at 12 p.m. local time on July 15 at Bally's and Paris Ballrooms, Las Vegas, where we will crown another WSOP champion.