The previous two days of Event 40: $250,000 Super High Roller at the 2023 World Series of Poker have provided much delight to stream viewers and railbirds as a small collection of poker's biggest names and VIPs have been battling it out in the biggest buy-in event of the summer.
In addition to the high level of poker being played, the tournament has also thrown several curveballs.
Firstly, unknown poker player Dustin Bailey bagged the Day 1 chip lead to the surprise of himself and many. Bailey talked his wife and kids into coming out to Las Vegas and persuaded them to let him play in the $250K for Father's Day.
Just before play got underway on Day 2, Jason Koon had his stack pulled as he received word that his wife had gone into labor with their second child.
Then, as the second day was in its twilight hours, Phil Ivey bubbled the six-figure buy-in event.
Overnight more drama unfolded when Andrew Robl sent out the below tweet regarding polarizing figure Martin Kabrhel.
How is Martin Kabrhel not banned from the WSOP? He makes any tournament no fun for anyone and on top of it I’ve seen him mark cards in every tournament I’ve ever played with him. https://t.co/AK9XmxSJrr
— Andrew Robl (@Andrew_Robl)
Plan for Day 3
The 69-entry field that generated a prize pool of $17,181,000 has been whittled down to nine players, with play getting underway at 2 p.m. local time inside Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Those who remain have already made the unofficial final table and have locked up a minimum payout of $478,663, but of course, all eyes will be on the $5,293,556 set aside for the winner.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $5,293,556 |
| 2 | $3,271,666 |
| 3 | $2,279,038 |
| 4 | $1,632,005 |
| 5 | $1,202,318 |
| 6 | $912,022 |
| 7 | $712,953 |
| 8 | $574,899 |
| 9 | $478,663 |
Coming into Day 3 as the chip leader is three-time bracelet winner Chance Kornuth, who is the only player with a stack greater than 20 million. Kabrhel bagged second-best and Artur Martirosian rounds out the top three chip counts.
Young upstart Alex Kulev, who has already tasted Super High Roller success this year, is also one to watch when cards go in the air.
As mentioned, play begins at 2 p.m. local time and PokerNews will be bringing you all the live updates from the tournament floor. At 4 p.m., the updates will briefly pause as cards-up coverage will be available on PokerGO. The stream is expected to start at 5 p.m. and updates will be in sync with the broadcast so no action is spoiled.
$250,000 Super High Roller Unofficial Final Table
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Veneziano | United States | 6,775,000 | 23 |
| 2 | Chris Brewer | United States | 8,525,000 | 28 |
| 3 | Martin Kabrhel | Czech Republic | 18,400,000 | 61 |
| 4 | Brandon Steven | United States | 3,225,000 | 11 |
| 5 | Chance Kornuth | United States | 22,450,000 | 75 |
| 6 | Artur Martirosian | Russia | 18,225,000 | 61 |
| 7 | Dan Smith | United States | 7,800,000 | 26 |
| 8 | Alex Kulev | Bulgaria | 12,600,000 | 42 |
| 9 | David Peters | United States | 4,925,000 | 16 |
As always, be sure to keep it locked in with PokerNews to find out the conclusion of this exciting event.
