WSOP Day 42: Mizrachi's Defense Continues, Matusow Penalized in Main Event

Former Champions Mizrachi, Hellmuth, and Raymer Advance

Day 2abc saw the first major merging of fields as 2,468 players returned to the tables from the initial three flights. An additional 312 entries joined during the first two levels of late registration, bringing the total number of entries to 8,389 and pushing the prize pool to over $78 million. After ten hours of play, 1,260 players secured their spots for Day 3.

The biggest drama was caused by Mike “The Mouth” Matusow. During a hand against Steven Ross on the river, Matusow broke the rules by revealing one of his cards after being provoked by his opponent. Although Matusow argued that it's allowed in heads-up, the floor was firm, penalizing him for one orbit. “This is total nonsense,” Matusow complained, as he failed to progress to Day 3 due to the penalty.

Meanwhile, defending champion Michael Mizrachi had a stellar evening. “The Grinder” made an impressive comeback. He dropped below the 50,000 mark during the day but climbed back up to 202,500 chips with a series of pot wins. “Looks like a repeat!” he remarked about his performance at the end of the day.

Leading the chip counts was Argentina’s Gaspar Fernandez, amassing a massive 754,000 chips. Sasha Liu also penned a fantastic story, entering via late registration and building her stack to over eight times its size, placing her just below the top 20 in ranks.

Many stars also advanced, including Phil Hellmuth (173,000), Scott Seiver (282,000), Josh Arieh (118,000), and Greg Raymer (291,000).

However, the tournament farewelled several former champions like Huck Seed, Joe Cada, Damian Salas, and Daniel Weinman. Erik Seidel, Billy Baxter, Annette Obrestad, and Jason Koon also exited the event.

Top 10 Stacks After Day 2abc – Event #82: $10,000 Main Event

Neng Lee Dominates Day 1b of the Ultra Stack

Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack is one of the most popular tournaments in the series for recreational players. Day 1b drew 2,424 entries, bringing the total number of registrations to 3,790 and pushing the prize pool close to the $2 million mark.

After a grueling 22 levels, only 184 players remained in Day 1b. The dominant chip leader was American Neng Lee, who was the only player in this flight to surpass the three-million mark, carrying 3,040,000 chips into the combined Day 2.

A notable event of the day was the advancement of recent Tag Team bracelet winner Bren Drummond, who currently holds 11th place. Other WSOP champions like Safiya Umerova and Sean Jazayeri also remain in the mix. The tournament continues with the final flight 1c, after which all successful players will gather for the title chase.

Top 10 Stacks After Day 1b – Event #86: $600 Ultra Stack

Sources: WSOP, WSOP Live, X, YouTube