Players on Day 1a of the $1,500 Millionaire Maker had until the end of Level 8 to entry or re-entry the tournament. After the dinner break, late registrations were closed.
According to the screens, 4,575 entrants were registered on this Day 1a (1,000 more than last year), and around 50 players who already have their tickets are still waiting to take a seat.
Twenty years after his defining victory in the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event that ignited the Poker Boom, Chris Moneymaker came to Las Vegas looking to further his already cemented status as one of the most important figures in poker history.
Only 27 years old at the time, Moneymaker spun a $40 satellite victory into $2.5 million in perhaps the most memorable and consequential WSOP victory of all time. Now a household name in poker, Moneymaker has now put up a $50,000 buy-in — the biggest of his two-decade poker career — to play the prestigious WSOP Poker Players Championship for the first time at the 2023 WSOP.
PokerNews spoke with Moneymaker during Day 1 on June 18 as he battled against the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Josh Arieh and two-time defending champion Dan "Jungleman" Cates, all of whom were seated at the 2003 Main Event champion's table.
A player in middle position opened to 2,200, but was raised by Jack Oliver from the big blind to 8,000. He was called by the initial raiser, and both players discovered flop of 10♦A♠8♠.
Oliver continued with a bet of 3,500. But this time, he was the one who got raised to 9,500. He called and checked on the turn 3♦. And when his opponent bet 11,000, Oliver moved all in for 27,600 chips. He was immediately called.
Jack Oliver: A♦8♣
Opponent: A♣Q♦
Oliver was ahead and needed to avoid a queen. No such card appeared as it was the A♥ on the river, and Oliver doubled up just before the dinner break. On the other hand, his opponent is now down to two blinds.. On the other hand, his opponent is now down to two blinds.
They are joined by World Poker Tour (WPT) Ambassadors Andrew Neeme and Brad Owen, who open up about how their respective vlogs helped them build their poker careers. They also discuss upcoming WPT initiatives and play a little game where we quiz them on "who said it?" regarding quotes from their first-ever vlogs.
Chad and Jesse also breakdown the big frame coming out of the 2023 WSOP, which is the antics of Martin Kabrhel in the $250K High Roller. Some top pros have accused him of behaving inappropriately, with some even suggesting he could be cheating. We share some some clips and hear from players on the ground during the event. What are your thoughts on the situation?
All the chips went in the middle preflop between Jonathan Therme, holding A♠Q♣ and at risk for a stack worth 29,300 and his opponent who had him covered and held J♠J♦.
Therme couldn't win the flip throughout a board 4♥7♦3♣2♣J♣, improving his opponent's hand into a set, and made his way to the exit.
From the cutoff, the 2023 PSPC Winner Aliaksandr Shylko opened to 2,000. He was called by Gaston Catzman in the small blind and the big blind.
On the flop 8♣8♥9♣, Shylko continued with a bet of 1,800 after the blinds checked. Catzman was the only one to call. On the turn 9♥, the Argentinian player called once again when Shylko bet another 3,000.
But the action slowed down on the river K♠, with Shylko checking back with A♠3♦. It turned out to be the winning hand, as Catzman flipped over J♥10♥.