While Day 1a of the most prestigious poker event of the year, the elusive and highly anticipated $10,000 WSOP MAIN EVENT, is about to kick off, eight players will shortly determine a new champion at the 2019 World Series of Poker in Event #69: $1,000 Mini Main Event.
Taking place for the very first time, the tournament drew a staggering 5,521 entries in a Freezeout format and the final eight will return to their seats on the Amazon feature table at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino at noon local time to secure as big a portion as possible of the $4,968,900 prize pool.
All remaining hopefuls have parlayed their initial investment of $1,000 into a payday of $71,199 already, but all eyes are firmly set on the top prize of $628,654 and the coveted WSOP bracelet that comes along with it.
One of the final eight already has a WSOP bracelet to his name and Andres Korn will also be the chip leader heading into the final showdown after claiming 75,000,000 to his name. Close behind are France's Jeremy Saderne with 64,000,000 and Yi Ma from China with 62,600,000.
Koji Takagi may become the third player ever from Japan to claim WSOP gold and enters the final day with a stack of 44,000,000, while Lula Taylor continues her standout performance in the event and has 30,500,000 to her name. The final table line-up is completed by Stefan Widmer (28,400,000), Ben Alloggio (13,900,000) and Philip Gildea (12,400,000).
Event #69: $1,000 Mini Main Event Final Table
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|
| 1 | Ben Alloggio | United States | 13,900,000 | 7 |
| 2 | Andres Korn | Argentina | 75,000,000 | 38 |
| 3 | Stefan Widmer | Switzerland | 28,400,000 | 14 |
| 4 | Yi Ma | China | 62,600,000 | 31 |
| 5 | Koji Takagi | Japan | 44,000,000 | 22 |
| 6 | Philip Gildea | Ireland | 12,400,000 | 6 |
| 7 | Lula Taylor | United States | 30,500,000 | 15 |
| 8 | Jeremy Saderne | France | 64,000,000 | 32 |
The action recommences with 17 minutes remaining in level 41 at blinds of 1,000,000/2,000,000 and a big blind ante of 2,000,000. Saderne has the button with a dead small blind and Alloggio as the single big blind, and the 30-minute level structure will certainly provide plenty of action in the hours to come.
Stay tuned to find out who joins the WSOP bracelet winner circle, as the PokerNews team provides hand-for-hand updates until a champion is crowned. You can also follow the live stream on CBS All Access as of 1 p.m. local time.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|
| 1 | | | $628,654 |
| 2 | | | $388,284 |
| 3 | | | $287,219 |
| 4 | | | $214,047 |
| 5 | | | $160,715 |
| 6 | | | $121,586 |
| 7 | | | $92,686 |
| 8 | | | $71,199 |
| 9 | James Stewart | United States | $55,118 |
Tags:
Andres KornBen AlloggioJeremy SaderneKoji TakagiLula TaylorPhilip GildeaStefan WidmerYi Ma
kept Gildea ahead with his queens. The 
on the turn added a flush draw to Saderne's aces.
, that landed on the river and a boisterous French rail exploded in celebration. Gildea received $92,686 for his deep run.
flop gave Alloggio top pair while Ma had a gutshot straight draw. Nothing changed with the 
turn, but Ma once again spiked magic with the 
river to eliminate Alloggio in 8th place for $71,199.
