It would have been a tremendous feat if they could have done it, but the players came up short. Thursday’s Day Two action at the 2022 World Poker Tour World Championship came up just short of the money bubble on Thursday night. This means that there are going to be some unhappy campers who will return on Friday and, for their efforts, will have nothing but a story to tell.
From 1185 Players To…
1185 players returned to the Wynn Las Vegas on Thursday with visions of millions dancing in their heads from the WPT World Championship. The $29 million-plus prize pool had completely shattered the guarantee and every player who reached the final table was guaranteed a seven-figure payday. Of those still left in the tournament, Aryan Oliveira had the best chance at making some money from his efforts, sitting on top of the standings with his 1.551 million in chips while the field was in pursuit.
It was either “double up or go home” time for many who came to the felt on Thursday. Michael Mizrachi was one of those who found a fortunate double against Michael Gagliano when ‘The Grinder’ turned a set of fives against the flopped Aces of Gagliano. Former WPT World Champion David Williams also got fortunate, dodging Tim Reilly’s flush draw to scoop up nearly 300K in chips.
Alas, the news wasn’t as good for a couple of other competitors. Maria Ho was leading Benny Glaser, her A-8 off suit running against Glaser’s K♦ Q♦, but the board didn’t cooperate. The flop helped Ho, coming A-6-5, and a King on the turn left Glaser still needing another King or a Queen to win the hand (a board pair would only help Ho). The river rolled out with another King to give Glaser trips in an unlikely manner and send the Women in Poker Hall of Famer out the doors of the Wynn.
Lars Kamphues also was dismissed rather cruelly. Holding an A-Q, Kamphues saw a flop of A-J-3 improve his holdings against Ben Bianco’s A-10 with all Kamphues’ chips at stake. A ten on the turn would change the fortunes, however, leaving Kamphues looking for a King to complete the Broadway straight. Such a card was not in offering for Kamphues, coming down as the 4♦ to eliminate the popular Austrian pro.
Will They, or Won’t They?
As the WPT World Championship ambled on into the evening, the question became whether the money bubble would pop. Freddy Deeb took over the lead at one point before Oliveira came storming back, going over the two million mark in besting Noah Boeken in a hand. By the time the final level began, 468 players were remaining and there were visions of the money bubble popping by the close of business.
It wasn’t to be, however. By the time the final cards were dealt, 399 players remained from the original starting field. That was just short of the 370 players who will take home cash from this event, leaving some business to take care of on Friday afternoon. These ten players look to have little to worry about as they sit atop the Day Two standings:
1. Adrian Sorel State, 2.4 million
2. Andriy Lyubovetskiy, 2.2 million
3. Lucas Foster, 2.135 million
4. Isaac Kempton, 2.1 million
5. Nicholas Lee, 2.09 million
6. Adam Hendrix, 2.055 million
7. Soheb Porbandarwala, 2.035 million
8. Thomas Schultz, 1.945 million
9. Krasimir Yankov, 1.91 million
10. Marc MacDonnell, 1.89 million
Deeb (1.425 million) and Oliveira (610K) are still around in the tournament, but other notable names have inserted themselves into the discussion. Technically the defending champion of the tournament (as he won the event the last time it was held in 2015), Asher Conniff is stacked with 1.675 million in chips. He’s joined by other WPT Champions’ Club members such as Mike Del Vecchio (1.67 million), Taylor von Kriegenbergh (1.625 million), and Erkut Yilmaz (1.415 million), who will all have an excellent shot at advancing.
Action is already underway for Day Three, with the first order of business to pop the money bubble. That could go either way; depending on whether there’s some gamble in the crowd, the bubble action could be quick or go for hours. With a min-cash of $17,400, some people are going to fight tooth and nail over when they depart the 2022 WPT World Championship.
