Jesse Klein denied Hellmuth, Glaser to take down the $25K H.O.R.S.E. for over $552K.

Largely unknown Mixed Games player Jesse Klein won his first WSOP bracelet after taking down a final table stacked with stars at the 2021 World Series of Poker. The recruitment firm owner went from recreational hopeful to WSOP winner on a final day full of drama as one $25,000 event ended and another began.

Hellmuth Rants, Glaser Denied As Klein Pulls Out The WIn

All the focus at the start of the third day of WSOP action was on the final table of Event #2, the $25,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event which saw another mixed game specialist, British player Benny Glaser, go into the final table with the lead. It took little time for Matt Glantz to become the first casualty of the day as Phil Hellmuth took out his fellow American in Razz with a ten-five, with Glantz paired up and drawing dead on 6th street. Glantz cashed for $52,211.

Next to go was DJ Buckley, who lasted just a few minutes more to bust in eighth place for $61,549. Buckley’s elimination to Ben Yu precipitated an extended period of play without a bust-out, but it was not short of drama as Hellmuth exploded at the end of losing a hand to eventual champion Klein. Folding on the river, Hellmuth declared his opponent’s start as “insane” and it was to serve as the opening bout in a war of words between the pair.

It was some time before Yu busted in seventh place for $75,260, but that was only the warm-up act to another blow-up from Hellmuth as Klein scooped a second big pot against the 15-time WSOP bracelet winner. The Poker Brat was back as Hellmuth left the table, pacing the floor and cursing at his lack of fortune. Just a few hands later, Hellmuth was gone, out in sixth place for $95,329 after bricking every street in Seven Card Stud against Chad Eveslage.

After the event, Hellmuth was keen to point out the benefits of his staying power in bringing his A-Game to the Rio.

Hellmuth’s bust-out started a flurry of them. Philip Sternheimer was crushed in the same format by Glaser to leave in fifth place for $124,935. The same winner of that hand took out the aforementioned Eveslage in fourth for $169,218 when Glaser’s pair of sevens with a low ace was enough to win both Hi and Lo to send his American rival to the rail.

Glaser led at that stage, but over the course of two hours without an elimination, each man had their periods of domination as the chips moved between each man. French player David Benyamine’s neck was on the block when he lost on 7th street to Klein, who won the pivotal pot to go into heads-up with a massive lead of 10.1 million to Glaser’s 1.5m.

Klein won his maiden bracelet not long after the final duel began, with his victory in a Seven Card Stud hand ending an entertaining event. While Glaser, who had already won three WSOP bracelets in his career called off his stack with a smile and will enjoy the second-place prize of $341,274. For Jesse Klein, however, it was the fulfillment of a dream as the recruitment firm owner capped an enjoyable two-day sojourn to Sin City with a WSOP bracelet and $552,182 score.

Event #2 $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. Final Table Results:

  1. Jesse Klein – $552,182
  2. Benny Glaser – $341,274
  3. David Benyamine – $236,626
  4. Chad Eveslage – $169,218
  5. Philip Sternheimer – $124,935
  6. Phil Hellmuth – $95,329
  7. Ben Yu – $75,260
  8. DJ Buckley – $61,549
  9. Matt Glantz – $52,211

Jake Daniels Leads $25K NLHE, Michael Addamo Outsted

Many of the H.O.R.S.E. field took to the 6th event on the schedule, the $25,000-entry NLHE High Roller that kicked off on Day 3 of the WSOP. With 135 entries in total, it was Jake Daniels who ended Day 1 top of the pile, bagging up 1,182,000 chips by close of play as one of only two players to “crack a milly.”

While Daniels was steady throughout, he did not dominate the leaderboard until the final two levels, eliminating Eric Worre and Daniel Negreanu to vault himself to the top of the chip counts, with Michael Liang (1,028,000) and James Chen (835,000) his nearest challengers. Elsewhere in the top 10 players, Jake Schindler (667,000) and Chance Kornuth (570,000) will be major threats when the action resumes on Day 2.

Several superstars made the upper echelons of the leaderboard, but plenty of big names hit the rail too. Australia’s most successful tournament player of all-time, Michael Addamo busted both bullets so will not be eligible for re-entry on Day 2. Others to lose their stacks on Day 1 included Stephen Chidwick, Brian Altman, Kenny Hallaert, Koray Aldemir, Sam Grafton, Joseph Cheong, Ryan Riess, Jeremy Ausmus, Upeshka De Silva, and Niall Farrell whose epic journey to the World Series was common among those from outside the United States.

At the close of play on Day 1, just 54 players made the counts, but with entry and re-entry possible on Day 2 right up until the start of play, that number is sure to swell with some of the best players in the world going for gold. Galen Hall was among those to express his relief at playing some live poker for the first time in a very long time.

 

Some of the biggest players in the world have already been drawn together for Day 2, with battles between Jake Schindler, Adrian Mateos and Mikita Badziakouski at one table just a single example of the level of quality in the event. Whoever grabs a final table place at the end of Day 2 will have earned it.

Event #6 $25,000 No Limit Hold’em High Roller Top 10 Chipcounts:

  1. Jake Daniels – 1,182,000
  2. Michael Liang – 1,028,000
  3. James Chen – 835,000
  4. Scott Eskenazi – 747,000
  5. Jake Schindler – 667,000
  6. Clayton Kalisek – 610,000
  7. Alexandros Theologis – 594,000
  8. Chance Kornuth – 570,000
  9. Ankush Mandavia – 553,000
  10. Brian Rast – 551,000

Brobyn Bags 5 Million During Reunion Day 2

The Reunion, otherwise known as Event #4 on this year’s 2021 WSOP schedule, saw a huge number of entries on Day 1b, as 4,455 players took to the felt and made it into the money. Several high-profile players busted out before 204 players bagged up for the night, with Maurice Hawkins, Shaun Deeb, and Brad Owen just three of the Day 1 casualties.

Others thrived at the felt, however, and by close of play, it was Robert Brobyn who bagged the biggest stack of chips, an incredible 5,015,000 of them. That total was way clear of Brobyn’s nearest challenger on the day Tyler Jamieson (3,040,000) and Brobyn’s lead represents the overall tournament lead after two days. Others to pile up plenty of chips on Day 1b included two former WSOP bracelet winners in the form of Ronnie Bardah, who proved a ‘Survivor’ with 2,005,000, and Jeremy Wien (1,640,000).

WSOP 2021 Event #4 $500 The Reunion Top 10 Chipcounts:

  1. Robert Brobyn – 5,015,000
  2. Tyler Jamison – 3,040,000
  3. Jared Ambler – 2,450,000
  4. Ya Yun Liu – 2,445,000
  5. Ryan Messick – 2,410,000
  6. Elvis Toomas – 2,375,000
  7. Darryl Ronconi – 2,030,000
  8. Ronnie Bardah – 2,005,000
  9. Randy Rhee – 1,990,000
  10. Mark Lilomaiava – 1,765,000

Connor Drinan, Rob Mizrachi Top Omaha 8 Final 15

Event #5, the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, saw 230 players whittled down to just 15 by the close of Day 2. Of those 15 players, only Connor Drinan and Robert Mizrachi have won WSOP bracelets before, but with both men at the top of the chipcounts, it could be a ding-dong battle on the final day to see whether Drinan wins his second, Mizrachi wins his fifth or a new player gets their hands on the gold.

Day 2 of the event saw players such as Brian Hastings and Shaun Deeb hit the rail on the day the bubble burst with players such as Max Pescatori (80th for $2,400), David ‘Bakes’ Baker (75th for $2,400), Randy Ohel (48th for $3,200), Ari Engel (41st for $3,634) and former two-time WSOP bracelet winner Ryan Hughes (18th for $5,580) all make the money.

It’s the potential shoot-out between Drinan and Mizrachi that has us salivating, however, as the final day of the event on Monday will crown a winner.

WSOP 2021 Event #5 $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Top 10 Chipcounts:

  1. Connor Drinan – 2,415,000
  2. Robert Mizrachi – 1,410,000
  3. Sandy Sanchez – 1,380,000
  4. Pearce Arnold – 1,160,000
  5. Carl Lijewski – 1,095,000
  6. Curtis Phelps – 1,080,000
  7. Kris Kwiatkowski – 1,045,000
  8. Yehuda Buchalter – 1,020,000
  9. Michael Moed – 965,000
  10. Scott Baumstein – 900,000