WSOP Day 41: Main Event Star-Studded Flight and a TikTok Engineer's Triumph

Tough Exit for Doug Polk in the Colossal Day 1d of the Main Event

The fourth and traditionally largest opening flight of Event #82: $10K Main Event wrapped up the initial flight phase. A massive 4,694 players entered Day 1d, bringing the total registrations to 8,077. This number is not final, as late registration is still open for the first two levels of Day 2.

The ceremonial start of the day was led by UFC champion Sean O’Malley, who after calling “Shuffle Up and Deal” joined the tables himself and successfully advanced with a stack of 43,700.

The biggest spectacle was provided by Chicago club owner Jimmy D’Ambrosio, who drank beer at the TV table, entertained those around him, and despite not having slept for two days according to his own confession, packed an impressive 175,200 chips.

The day had its dark side with brutal coolers. Doug Polk was knocked out after his K-K ran into an opponent's flopped full house.

Even worse was the fate of three-time champion Davidi Kitai, who held a full house on the board A❤️ 5♠ 5❤️ 2♦ J♦ with A♠ A♣, but his opponent Michael Leib revealed quads with 5♦ 5♣. Kitai didn't bust, but he faces a tough climb back.

In a field overflowing with stars, 3,638 players advanced, including well-known names like Viktor Blom (217,100), Martin Kabrhel (202,200), Shiina Okamoto (170,000), Alex Foxen (151,700), Benny Glaser (106,000), Kristen Foxen (99,800), Daniel Negreanu (54,100), and Shaun Deeb (86,900).

From the Mizrachi family, youngest member Paul Mizrachi advanced with a huge stack of 197,200, outshining all his famous uncles combined and his father, Michael Mizrachi, who had advanced in Day 1b.

Top 10 Stacks After Day 1d – Event #82: $10,000 WSOP Main Event

TikTok Engineer Takes Home the Bracelet

The champion of Event #85: $1K NLH was Zixuan Liu, a Chinese software engineer working for TikTok. Turning his second WSOP attempt into a golden bracelet and a $219,391 prize from a field of 1,732 entries, Liu couldn’t hide his tears after winning the heads-up against Justin Shiao, declaring it a turning point in his life.

Throughout the tournament, Liu demonstrated steely nerves. Dropping to just four big blinds at one point, he clawed his way back to the top. His first announcement after the win was that he would buy his wife a new car as a thank you for supporting his poker hobby.

Final Table Results of Event #85: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Successful Start for the “Ultra” Mass Event

Event #86: $600 NLH Ultra Stack kicked off during the day, one of the most affordable and spectator-friendly tournaments in the schedule. The opening flight 1a proved the popularity of this format, attracting 1,366 entries despite the ongoing Main Event, pushing the prizepool to nearly $700,000.

After 22 levels of play, the field thinned considerably, with 98 players bagging up. Among those advancing is the only WSOP winner, two-time bracelet holder Ryan Bambrick.

The event will continue with two more starting days, 1b and 1c. All successful players will meet in the combined Day 2, scheduled for Wednesday, July 8.

Sources: WSOP, WSOP Live, X