Erick Lindgren leads a record-breaking field in Event #73: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet
With nine levels of play concluded (ten levels of play were initially scheduled but were reduced to nine after the start time was pushed back due to the Colossus), we can confirm a total of 377 players entered World Series of Poker Event #: 73 $2,500 Mixed Big Bet at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, smashing last year’s record of 281 by nearly 100 players.
The field is led by Erick Lindgren with 350,000, who shared a laugh with fellow bracelet winner, Yueqi Zhu, on their similar starting hand selection. Many other notable names will carry healthy stacks into Day 2, as well, including, Dimitrios Michailidis (330,200), Julio Belluscio (328,800) and three-time bracelet winner, Chad Eveslage (301,300), all crossing the 300,000 chip mark and rounding out the top four.
Ren Lin (255,000), Richard Bai (218,000), and Maximilian Schindler (203,800) are not far behind, either, each bagging more than 200,000 in chips.
With players able to re-enter up to two times, the record field of 377 entries created a total prize pool of $836,600, with 57 players earning at least $4,021, and $190,240 and the coveted gold bracelet going to the eventual champ.
Prize Pool and Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $190,240 | 11-Oct | $11,398 |
| 2 | $117,577 | 17-Dec | $8,948 |
| 3 | $78,939 | 18-23 | $7,199 |
| 4 | $54,118 | 24-29 | $5,938 |
| 5 | $37,901 | 30-35 | $5,027 |
| 6 | $27,130 | 36-41 | $4,713 |
| 7 | $19,857 | 42-49 | $4,398 |
| 9-Aug | $14,870 | 50-57 | $4,021 |
As expected, action was fast and aggressive in the big bet games, as demonstrated in this hand by Josh Arieh, and this one that sent him back to the registration cage for the first time.
Craig Chait was an early elimination, as was Poker Hall of Famer, Daniel Negreanu.
The remaining 146 survivors will return on Sunday, July 2nd at 2 p.m., positioning themselves to take home the much desired gold bracelet.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage of this live event.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erick Lindgren | United States | 350,000 |
| 2 | Dimitrios Michailidis | United Kingdom | 330,200 |
| 3 | Julio Belluscio | Argentina | 328,800 |
| 4 | Chad Eveslage | United States | 301,300 |
| 5 | Ren Lin | United States | 255,000 |
| 6 | Richard Bai | United States | 218,000 |
| 7 | Benjamin Miner | United States | 213,700 |
| 8 | Tamon Nakamura | Japan | 210,200 |
| 9 | Maximilian Schindler | United States | 203,800 |
| 10 | Xu Zhu | China | 193,000 |
