Ali Eslami Runs Away From the Pack on Day 1 of the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
Low Card: 1,000
Completion: 3,000
Limits: 3,000-6,000
Some of the biggest names in poker finished Day 1 of Event #74: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship near the top of the leaderboard, but they are all looking up at the player who dominated the day. Ali Eslami, who won his lone World Series of Poker bracelet in the $1,500 version of this event in 2022, bagged up a massive stack of 395,000 as he ended up as the overwhelming chip leader.
Seventy-four players survived the day, among them Andrey Zhigalov (276,500), Allen Kessler (273,000), Brandon Shack-Harris (244,500), and Nacho Barbero (215,500).
Four-time bracelet winner Brad Ruben scooped a pot to bust John Racener on his way to bagging up 205,500, while Todd Brunson (187,500), Chris Vitch (181,000), and Robert Campbell (142,500) also ended up as big stacks.
End of Day Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Eslami | United States | 395,000 | 66 |
| 2 | Andrey Zhigalov | Russia | 276,500 | 46 |
| 3 | Allen Kessler | United States | 273,000 | 46 |
| 4 | Brandon Shack-Harris | United States | 244,500 | 41 |
| 5 | Hisashi Yamanouchi | Japan | 236,000 | 39 |
| 6 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | 215,500 | 36 |
| 7 | Brad Ruben | United States | 205,500 | 34 |
| 8 | Maximilian Schindler | United States | 203,500 | 34 |
| 9 | Xixiang Luo | China | 203,500 | 34 |
| 10 | Rob Hollink | Netherlands | 190,000 | 32 |
Poker commentator Norman Chad chopped two pots near the end of the night, one of which led to the elimination of Poker Hall of Famer John Hennigan, as he finished with 138,500. The rest of the leaderboard includes the likes of Dario Sammartino (134,000), Mike Matusow (99,000), Jeremy Ausmus (81,500), and Robert Mizrachi (35,500).
Scott Seiver etched his name in the WSOP record books with his third bracelet of the summer earlier in the day, then wasted little time jumping into this tournament. However, he’ll have his work cut out for him tomorrow as he bagged up only 17,500.
Some of the notables who failed to survive the day included $50,000 Poker Players Champion Daniel Negreanu, Shaun Deeb, defending champion Ryan Miller, Maria Ho, and Jen Harman.
With 143 entries on Day 1, the field has already eclipsed last year’s total. Late registration remains open for the first hour of Day 2. The action kicks off at 1:00 p.m. local time inside the Horseshoe Las Vegas Event Center on Level 10 with limits of 3,000-6,000.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow, providing all the live updates as the packed field continues toward the money bubble.