Day 2 of Event #24: $1,500 Limit Hold’em begins at 2 p.m. today with 132 players returning to play 10 more one hour-long levels.
This event got 616 entries for a total prize pool of $831,600. The top 93 finishers will not leave empty-handed, as the minimum payout will be $2,246. Up for grabs for first place is $177,985.
Michael Reed starts the day as the biggest stack with 111,600 chips, followed by the only other player over 100,000 — Jeff Thompson, who has 108,700. Three-time bracelet winner Barry Greenstein is looking for bracelet number four and has 54,400 at the start of Day 2. Tyler Bonkowski is looking for a back-to-back final table in this event as he finished third last year. He starts the day as one of the short stacks with 8,300.
Several other accomplished players are still in the field and will be battling here on Day 2. They include Joshua Turner (78,500), Mike Cordell (72,500), Sean Berrios (71,900), Alex Luneau (53,500), Ray Henson (56,400), Esther Taylor (49,100), Terrence Chan (43,400), Ronnie Bardah (30,100), John Racener (18,000), Brock Parker (17,700) and Andrey Zaichenko (12,800).
Breaks are scheduled every two levels of play with a 60-minute dinner break after the sixth level at approximately 8:30 p.m.
Be sure to follow the action throughout the day right here at PokerNews.
Jeff Norman raised in middle position and Paul-Francois Tedeschi called in the big blind. The flop came and Tedeschi checked. Norman bet and Tedeschi check-raised. Norman called.
The turn was the and Tedeschi bet out. Norman let his hand go and Tedeschi took the pot. He continued to chip up after that hand, too, and after starting the day with just 13,700, Tedeschi is now up to 44,000 before the end of the first level of play.
With the board reading and over 20,000 in the middle, Tyler Bonkowski bet from the big blind and his opponent in late position raised.
Bonkowski called and his opponent showed for the straight on the river. Bonkowski lost the pot and is one of the short stacks as hand-for-hand proceeds.
Barry Greenstein opened in the cutoff and Josh Turner three-bet on the button. It folded back around to Greenstein who called.
The flop came and Greenstein checked. Turner bet and Greenstein called.
On the turn, Greenstein check-called another bet from Turner and the river was the . This time, Greenstein bet out and after a short pause, Turner flashed and folded.
Just after losing more than half of his chips to Barry Greenstein, Joshua Turner raised in late position, Harun Sapmaz three-bet in the cutoff. Shane Buchwald made it four bets on the button, Carmen Fung called in the big blind, and Turner went all in for 8,300. The other three players called and there were three players who could bet on the side.
The flop came and the three players checked. The turn was the and Fung bet out. Sapmaz folded and after thinking for a little while, Buchwald folded face up.
Fung:
Turner:
Fung's pocket jacks was ahead of Turner's fours and the river changed nothing. Turner was eliminated and Fung collects the pot that she would have had to split with Buchwald had he stayed in.
Jun Ong raised in the cutoff and John Racener called in the big blind. The flop came and Racener checked. Ong bet, Racener raised, Ong made it three bets, and Racener got the rest of his chips in. Ong called and they showed down.
Racener:
Ong:
Ong's two pair, tens and aces, was ahead, and Racener couldn't catch up on the turn or the river.
With over 26,000 in the middle and the board reading , Philip Sternheimer checked in the cutoff, and Harun Sapmaz bet on the button. After a long pause, Sternheimer check-raised, and Sapmaz called.
The river was the , and Sternheimer bet 6,000. Sapmaz called, and Sternheimer tabled for jacks full of kings to win the pot.
Sternheimer is closing in on the chip lead, just behind Michael Reed at the moment.
Michael Reed just won a 140,000-chip pot after it was capped three ways preflop.
The flop was , and Benjamin Ashkar bet. Reed called, and the third opponent folded. Reed and Ashkar were heads up to the on the turn. Ashkar bet again, Reed raised, and Ashkar three-bet. Reed called. The river was the and Ashkar bet again. Reed raised and Ashkar called, turning over a set of queens with .
In a four-way, single-raised pot, the flop came . Ray Henson checked in the small blind, Carmen Fung checked in the big blind, and Ian Johns bet with 1,000 chips behind. Matt Grapenthien called on the button, and so did Henson and Fung. The turn was the , and the blinds checked again. Johns went all in for his last 1,000 chips, and all three opponents just called.
The river was the , and the three players that could still bet for a side pot all checked.
Johns announced, "Aces up," and tabled for aces and fives. His hand was good against Grapenthien's , as well as the others' pocket twos and pocket fours.
Tablemate Christopher Chung laughed as he told Johns, "We had four outs total to bust you."
Johns explained to his tablemates, "You gotta wait for the goods. You can't just put it in with anything."
Just a little while ago down to 12,000 chips, the three-time bracelet winner collected the pot to quadruple up to 58,000.
and Tedeschi checked. Norman bet and Tedeschi check-raised. Norman called. 
and Tedeschi bet out. Norman let his hand go and Tedeschi took the pot. He continued to chip up after that hand, too, and after starting the day with just 13,700, Tedeschi is now up to 44,000 before the end of the first level of play.
and over 20,000 in the middle, Tyler Bonkowski bet from the big blind and his opponent in late position raised. 
for the straight on the river. Bonkowski lost the pot and is one of the short stacks as hand-for-hand proceeds.
and Greenstein checked. Turner bet and Greenstein called. 
. This time, Greenstein bet out and after a short pause, Turner flashed 
and folded.
and the three players checked. The turn was the 
face up. 
and Racener checked. Ong bet, Racener raised, Ong made it three bets, and Racener got the rest of his chips in. Ong called and they showed down. 
turn or the 
on the turn. Ashkar bet again, Reed raised, and Ashkar three-bet. Reed called. The river was the 
for a straight and collected the pot.
, and Johns, who has three bracelets, including two in Limit Hold'em events, doubled through. 
. Ray Henson checked in the small blind, Carmen Fung checked in the big blind, and Ian Johns bet with 1,000 chips behind. Matt Grapenthien called on the button, and so did Henson and Fung. The turn was the 
, and the blinds checked again. Johns went all in for his last 1,000 chips, and all three opponents just called. 
, and the three players that could still bet for a side pot all checked. 