button in SafariErik Seidel in Hot Pursuit of Bracelet 11 as WSOP’s Latest Champion Set to Be Crowned
A star-studded field returns to Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas at 1 p.m. local time today as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) prepares to award its 96th gold bracelet of the summer.
After two full days of play, the 892-player field in Event #96: $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha has been reduced to just 18 contenders. By the end of the day, one player will walk away with the bracelet and the top prize of $407,137 from the $2,381,640 prize pool.
Among the top five stacks returning, 2010 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Erik Seidel returns as the most accomplished player remaining in the field. The ten-time bracelet winner brings back 2,860,000 as he looks to capture bracelet number 11. Seidel will first need to reel in the three players ahead of him, led by Christopher Vitch, who enters the final day as the chip leader with 4,710,000.
Biao Ding sits second with 3,940,000 as he chases his first WSOP bracelet. In contrast, five-time bracelet winner Robert Mizrachi rounds out the top three with 3,515,000.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Vitch | United States | 4,710,000 | 118 |
| 2 | Biao Ding | China | 3,940,000 | 99 |
| 3 | Robert Mizrachi | United States | 3,515,000 | 88 |
| 4 | Erik Seidel | United States | 2,860,000 | 72 |
| 5 | Andreas Hagen | Norway | 2,855,000 | 71 |
| 6 | Pakinai Lisawad | Thailand | 2,465,000 | 62 |
| 7 | Krasimir Yankov | Bulgaria | 2,280,000 | 57 |
| 8 | Alex Livingston | Canada | 2,230,000 | 56 |
| 9 | Joshua Wang | China | 2,025,000 | 51 |
| 10 | Octavian Vogele | Austria | 1,775,000 | 44 |
Alex Livingston (2,230,000) and Sam Soverel (1,460,000) complete the list of 25K Fantasy Draft picks still in contention, while Xing He (1,280,000) and Robert Cowen (335,000) are the only other bracelet winners remaining in the field.
Day 3 gets underway at 1 p.m. local time, with play continuing until a champion is crowned. Action resumes on Level 23 with blinds of 20,000/40,000 and a 40,000 big blind ante. Each of the 18 returning players is guaranteed $17,319, but all are just 17 eliminations away from the WSOP gold bracelet and the $407,137 top prize.
Event #96 - Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $407,137 |
| 2 | $271,371 |
| 3 | $185,282 |
| 4 | $128,819 |
| 5 | $91,232 |
| 6 | $65,840 |
| 7 | $48,436 |
| 8 -9 | $36,336 |
| 10 -11 | $27,808 |
| 12 -17 | $21,719 |
| 18 | $17,319 |
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Stay tuned as PokerNews brings you all the action from the felt until a $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha champion is crowned.