Action was picked up with Gary Gwinn out of position against Wade Kotarba in position on a flop reading 3♣10♥4♠.
Both players got their chips in for the pot worth 2,300,000 and the players turned over their cards.
Wade Kotarba: A♦K♦4♥4♦2♦
Gary Gwinn: A♠2♣5♣8♥8♥
The board ran out 9♥A♥ as the river gave Gwinn the wheel to take down the pot as he clapped his hands together in celebration while Kotarba exited the tournament in 20th place.
Action was picked up with Jon Shoreman and Sean Baker all in for their tournament lives on the flop of 4♠2♥Q♣ with Bjorn Verbakel having called them covering all players.
Sean Baker: A♠Q♦Q♥J♥9♠
Jon Shoreman: A♣2♣3♥7♣7♦
Bjorn Verbakel: A♥J♠J♥5♠3♦
The board ran out J♣5♥ and Shoreman and Verbakel made the wheel on the end to chop up Baker's chips and Baker exited the tournament area.
With just 18 players remaining in Event #41: $1,500 Big O of the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, the legendary Johnny Chan is trying to snag an elusive 11th bracelet.
Gary Gwinn ended the day on top of the pile, with 4,570,000 in chips,over a million more than his nearest rival Victor Ramdin, on 3,495,000.
But nobody could begrudge Chan for stealing the headlines. A true icon of the game, he battled his way through the field and currently sits in 12th place with 1,360,000 in chips, and a chance of capturing another WSOP title. Chan is tied with Phil Ivey and the late Doyle Brunson on ten bracelets and hasn't added to his collection since 2005. Could June 19 be the day Chan ends his bracelet drought?
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Gary Gwinn
United States
4,570,000
76
2
Victor Ramdin
United States
3,495,000
58
3
Scott Abrams
United States
3,200,000
53
4
Bjorn Verbakel
Netherlands
3,090,000
51
5
William Haffner
United States
2,805,000
47
6
Adam Owen
United Kingdom
2,705,000
45
7
Robert Williamson III
United States
2,700,000
45
8
Xu Zhu
United States
2,400,000
40
9
Owais Ahmed
United States
2,225,000
37
10
Billy Ward
United States
1,980,000
33
Veterans Turn Back the Clock
Day 2 was full of action, as the 219 players who survived Day 1 were whittled down to three tables of six. Those lucky few will return ton June 19 with at least $11,434 locked up, but with one eye on the $315,203 that will be awarded to the winner of this inaugural event.
It was a day when the old-school stalwarts showed that they can mix it with the best of the young guns. Aside from Chan and Ramdin, the field still contains Robert Williamson III (2,700,000) and Jon Shoreman (1,175,000).
Other notables who will fancy their chances include Adam Owen (2,705,000) and bracelet winner Owais Ahmed (2,225,000).
However, several big names did not make it through the day. The likes of Jeffrey Lisandro, Mike Gorodinsky, Brad Ruben, Ari Engel, and Yuval Bronshtein were all sent to the rail as the field thinned.
Players will return on Monday at 1:00 p.m. local time in the Horseshoe and play down to a winner. Play will start at Level 26, with blinds of 30,000/60,000 and a 60,000 ante. Levels will last 60 minutes, with a 15-minute break at the end of every two levels.
Remember to stay locked into PokerNews for full coverage of WSOP 2023.