After nine levels of play on Day 1 of Event #45: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship at the 2024 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, tournament crusher Maxx Coleman excelled in the various limit game disciplines to bag an impressive 307,500. He is joined near the top of the leaderboard by Mike Leah (282,500) and Clayton Mozdzen (273,500).
Day 1 attracted a total of 152 entries, but with late registration open until the end of Level 10 on Day 2, that number is sure to grow and may even surpass the 185-strong field seen in last year's edition. In other events with a similar structure at this year's WSOP, maximum late registration numbers have typically been high. Given the prestige of this event, there is no reason to suspect it will prove the exception.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxx Coleman | United States | 307,500 |
| 2 | Mike Leah | Canada | 282,500 |
| 3 | Clayton Mozdzen | Canada | 273,500 |
| 4 | Sergey Rybachenko | Russia | 266,500 |
| 5 | Peter Rouviere | United States | 247,000 |
| 6 | David Prociak | United States | 241,000 |
| 7 | Robert Wells | United Kingdom | 236,000 |
| 8 | Gary Bolden | United States | 215,000 |
| 9 | Daniel Strelitz | United States | 205,500 |
| 10 | Brandon Shack-Harris | United States | 199,000 |
Poker's best and brightest were well represented on the first day of the tournament, many of whom will return for Day 2. They include two time bracelet winner David Prociak (241,000), recent runner-up in Event #40: $1,500 Razz Brandon Shack-Harris, and second on the all-time bracelet leaderboard Phil Ivey (73,500).
Other notable players took a shot at WSOP gold but fell short at the first hurdle. They include Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow and Carol Fuchs. No reentries are permitted, so they will all have to wait until next year to take another shot.
The first couple of levels of limit tournaments do not usually see a whole lot of chip movement or flashy hands but today David Benyamine ensured that would not be the case as he made a royal flush in a hand of Omaha Hi-Lo early in the day. Despite this, he only managed to take half of the pot as he did not hold a low hand. Still, the old-school French player is in with a chance at victory as he comes back for the second day, though with only 25,000 in chips. Benyamine will have his work cut out for him.
Day 2 is set to begin on June 18 at 1 p.m. local time. Players will return to Level 10, which features 1,500/3,000 blinds with 3,000/6,000 betting limits. Levels 10 through 13 will continue to last 60-minutes each, but will increase to 90-minutes each from Level 14 onward. Players will be sent on 15-minute breaks after Levels 11, 13, 15, and 16, and an extended 60-minute break after Level 14, which will be at approximately 7:00 p.m.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you all the mixed-game action leading to the next H.O.R.S.E. champion!
