2018 WSOP Main Event Day 2AB Recap: 1,131 Move Onto Day 3

A total of 2,460 players returned to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino for day 2AB of the 2018World Series of Poker $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event, which drew the second largest total field in the tournament’s history with 7,874 total entries. After playing five two-hour levels only 1,131 players made it through to day 3, with a chance to keep battling it out for the bracelet and the top prize of $8,800,000.

Shawn Daniels is the outright chip leader from the day 2AB, which saw the survivors of day 1A and day 1B play concurrently, although the two fields were still separate. Daniels ended the day with 532,500. He finished 72nd in this event in 2017 for $101,444. The only other players to exceed the 500,000 mark were Eric Liebeler (531,000), Samuel Bernabeu (524,000), Michael Dyer (502,400) and Casey McCarrel (501,800).

Kelly Minkin ended the night with 380,800. In 2015 Minkin finished 29th in the WSOP main event for $211,821. Other notables to survive to day 3 with stacks of over included Chris Kruk (370,500), Govert Metaal (355,400), Richard Gryko (344,900), two-time bracelet winner Ben Yu (311,000), Lacey Jones (295,800), Aymon Hata (292,000), Chris Klodnicki (280,000), Darryll Fish (278,800), Melanie Weisner (256,900), Marvin Rettenmaier (256,400), four-time World Poker tourmain event winner Darren Elias (240,700) and Alex Foxen (238,900).

A number of recent WSOP main event final tablists made it through the day as well, including 2008 fifth-place finisher Scott Montgomery (234,500), 2015 seventh-place finisher Pierre Neuville (230,000), 2006 fourth-place finisher Allen Cunningham (223,500), 2017 runner-up Daniel Ott (192,900), 2011 fourth-place finisher Matt Giannetti (79,200) and 2009 main event fifth-place finisher Jeff Shulman (69,300).

Four prior champions of this tournament have made it through day 2AB, including 2000 main event winner Chris Ferguson (160,000), 1987 and 1988 champion Johnny Chan (107,200), 1998 world champion Scotty Nguyen (74,300) and 2012 main event winner Greg Merson (68,300).

Emmy award-winning actor and comedian Ray Romano also survived the day with 71,400. Best known for his starring role in television hit Everybody Loves Raymond, the 60-year-old actor has played the WSOPmain event several times since the poker boom of the early 2000s.

Of course, not everyone could survive the day. More than 1,300 players were knocked out of the big dance, including eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel, two-time bracelet winner Scott Seiver, Harrison Gimbel, two-time bracelet winner Calvin Anderson, Tony Dunst, Antoine Saout, Gaelle Baumann, Jeremy Ausmus, Mike Sexton, three-time bracelet winner Brian Hastings, Allyn Shulman and 2009 WSOP Europemain event champion Barry Shulman. Two prior champions of this event also fell today: 2005 main event winner Joe Hachem and 2013 champion Ryan Riess.

Those players that did make it through the day will return for day 3 on Saturday, July 7 at 11:00 a.m. local time, being joined by the survivors from day 2C which will kick off at 11:00 a.m. on Friday.

Source: cardplayer.com

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