They are joined by renowned Japanese vlogger Masato Yokosawa, AKA “World Wide Yokosawa.” While players in the United States might think folks like Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme has the biggest vlog followings in the world, that distinction actually belongs to Masato, who regularly clears 600K views on each of his vlogs!
The Japanese vlogging sensation opens up about his start in poker, what inspired him to start a vlog, and how he’s managed to turn it into a smashing success with the help of a creative team. He also talks about his desire to win a WSOP gold bracelet, how Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth are perceived in his home country, and what the future looks like for poker in Japan.
Middle position bet 32,000 and was called by the hijack. Steven Polen in the button took about two minutes before moving all in for 135,000. Middle position folded, but the hijack made the call.
Steven Polen: A♦9♥
Hijack: A♠10♠
Polen was behind, but his dread soon turned into relief after drilling a nine on the 9♦8♥5♥ flop. The hijack couldn't catch up after the A♥Q♠ completed the board and Polen almost tripled up.
Ronald Lane called an all in from Joseph Villhauer, with the latter at risk after the rest of the table folded.
Joseph Villhauer: K♣10♣
Ronald Lane: K♠J♠
Lane was squarely ahead and increased his advantage on the 9♦2♣J♥ flop. The 5♥ turn changed nothing, while the 10♠ river completed the board with Lane raking in the last of Villhauer's stack.
One hand later, Lane was stacking more chips after his A♣Q♥ was good for another sizeable pot.
The action in Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold’em was fast and furious early in the day, with players reaching the money after just four levels in. After 10 more levels of play on Day 2, Farhad Davoudzadeh will carry a sizeable chip lead as 109 players remain in contention heading into Day 3 at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
Davoudzadeh carried some 2023 World Series of Poker momentum into this event, fresh off a cash in Event #56: $500 SALUTE to Warriors. The native of Iran bagged 2,400,000, good for a lead of almost 800,000 over his closest competitor to begin the penultimate day of action. Davoudzadeh has amassed almost $600,000 in cashes over his WSOP career, including a third-place finish in Event #2: The COLOSSUS II - $565 No-Limit Hold'em back in 2016, and is clearly in the driver's seat for his first WSOP title.
The day began with 810 players returning from a starting field of 3,121, all chasing the $371,603 first-place prize and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet. Giving chase are Jeanclaude Perrot (1,615,000), Mark Gerecke (1,600,000), Ronald Lane (1,525,000) and Federico Trujillo (1,425,000) rounding out the top five.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Farhad Davoudzadeh
Iran
2,400,000
120
2
Jeanclaude Perrot
United States
1,615,000
81
3
Mark Gerecke
United States
1,600,000
80
4
Ronald Lane
United States
1,525,000
76
5
Federico Trujillo
Argentina
1,425,000
71
6
Rassoul Malboubi
United States
1,310,000
66
7
Brendan Byrne
Ireland
1,285,000
64
8
Scott Laird
United States
1,190,000
60
9
Andreas Boelling
Germany
1,167,000
58
10
Craig Jones
United States
1,145,000
57
Day 2 Action
Players took their seats at 10:00 a.m. local time, and the 810 chairs had broken down to less than 500 in the first three levels of the day. The bubble was looming shortly afterwards, with hand-for-hand action seeing both William Dopico & Robert Fisher lose their all-ins to chop the 469th place min cash of $1,600.
From there, the field kept breaking tables at a brisk pace until the dinner break helped slow things down. In the end, just 109 players found a bag with one notable name still among them. Defending event champion Massoud Eskandari saw a late-night run boost his stack back up to a healthy 825,000, still very much in the running to repeat his performance of a year ago.
There was also a very touching moment later in the day, as Marshall Brenden received a round of applause in the room after playing his final hand. Brenden was the oldest remaining player in the field on Day 2, making a run into the money and finishing in 165th place at 91 years old.
Several notable names were unable to find a bag for Day 3, including Loren Cloninger, Barbara Enright, Everett Carlton and Poker Hall of Fame member Billy Baxter all coming up short of the money. Humberto Brenes and Steve Zolotow were among the names to cash before making their exits on Day 2.
Day 3 will begin at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 28, starting on Level 21 with the blinds at 10,000/20.000 and a 20,000 big blind ante. The field will again play 10 60-minute levels, with a 15-minute break after every two levels. The scheduled 60-minute dinner break will begin around 4:30 p.m. at the conclusion of Level 26.
The PokerNews team will continue to follow all of the action until the newest WSOP bracelet winner is crowned.