Day 1 Chip Leader Steven Stolzenfeld Still In Contention on Day 4 of Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Championship
For a while, it was looking like it was not needed, but eventually Day 4 of Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deep Stack Championship of the 2023 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas is upon us. The field was reduced from 4,303 starting players to just 44 at the start of Day 3, and the pace of play was at such speed that it was looking like a victor would be crowned a day earlier than originally planned. Ultimately, however, play was paused with three players remaining, who bagged and tagged for Day 4.
Returning at noon local time are John Taylor, David Guay, and Steven Stolzenfeld. Stolzenfeld captured the chip lead all the way back on Day 1, when 543 players were still in contention. He used those chips well throughout two more days of play, and now finds himself at the final three, with all eyes set on the much-desired bracelet and $270,972 that will be awarded for winning it.
Stolzenfeld, who made a WSOP final table in 2021, will return with the fewest chips, however. He bagged 35,200,000 and will start with just under 30 big blinds on Day 4. Guay is one step above him with 46,000,000 chips, while Taylor holds the narrow chip lead with 48,225,000.
Guay is a well-accomplished player with over one million in recorded lifetime tournament earnings, including two deep runs in the epochal WSOP Main Event in 2017 and 2019, as well as two runner-up finishes in $1,000 buy-in events. He is sure to be looking to do one better this time around and close the tournament out and win his first-ever bracelet.
Day 4 Seating
| Casino | Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horseshoe | Featured | 1 | David Guay | Canada | 46,000,000 | 38 |
| Horseshoe | Featured | 2 | Steven Stolzenfeld | United States | 35,200,000 | 29 |
| Horseshoe | Featured | 3 | John Taylor | United States | 48,225,000 | 40 |
With the final table set early in the evening on Day 3, the three remaining competitors already said their goodbyes to six of their table mates. Ahmed Karrim,Paul Hindmarch, David Sebesfi, and Frenchmen Gaetan Balleur, Romain Kowalczyk and Jonathan Fhima all failed to make the final day as they departed from the final table prematurely. The result is that the three remaining players are guaranteed to have turned their $600 investment into at least $124,850, an astronomical six-figure score for a three-figure buy-in.
Final Table Results/Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $271,032 | ||
| 2 | $167,483 | ||
| 3 | $124,850 | ||
| 4 | Jonathan Fhima | France | $93,795 |
| 5 | Romain Kowalczyk | France | $71,018 |
| 6 | Gaetan Balleur | France | $54,199 |
| 7 | David Sebesfi | Australia | $41,694 |
| 8 | Paul Hindmarch | United Kingdom | $32,332 |
| 9 | Ahmed Karrim | South-Africa | $25,276 |
When cards go back in the air at noon, play will start in Level 39, with blinds of 600,000/1,200,000 with a 1,200,000 big blind ante. Levels will be 60 minutes in length, with a break after every two of them. Play will continue for however long it takes for a Deep Stack Champion to be crowned.
Stay tuned as PokerNews will provide all of the three-way and heads-up action taking place on Day 4.