The Field Combines For the First Time on Day 3 of the 2018 WSOP Main Event
Over the course of three starting days, as well as two Day 2's, the second-largest World Series of Poker Main Event field has been whittled down from 7,874 players to 2,786 hopefuls. For the first time, all players will join together to create one big field, spread across the AMAZON, BRASILIA and PAVILION rooms of the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
While the new WSOP Main Event champion will not be decided before July 14th, the first monetary rewards are looming on the horizon. Last year, an elongated bubble phase on Day 3 lasted until 1 a.m. before the bubble finally burst, guaranteeing all remaining players $15,000 on bagging. The same $15,000 awaits 1,182 players this year, but with the second-largest field ever, the money might not be reached tonight, bursting on Day 4 in the early stages instead.
Leading the way after two days is Ignacio Sanchez, who will start the day with 627,200 in chips. Holding the nut flush, Sanchez dragged a big pot off Cliff Josephy in the late stages of Day 2c to claim the overnight chip lead. Eric Sfez (551,900), Shawn Daniels (532,500), Matthew Klapstein (531,700) and Eric Liebeler (531,000) round out the top five after two days of playing.
Ten-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey had a strong showing on Day 2c and wields a commanding stack of 434,200. Yueqi Zhu (429,200), Richard Gryko (344,900), Ivan Luca (339,900) and Simeon Naydenov (338,400) are other bracelet winners that find themselves high in the standings. Team 888poker is represented by Pedro Correa (249,300), Billy Chattaway (242,400), Chris Moorman (220,000), Georgy Philippovich (200,500), Marti Roca de Torres (104,100), Daria Feshchenko (87,100), Ana Marquez (48,400) and Parker Talbot (27,600).
Play gets underway at 11 a.m. again, with blinds at 1,000/2,000 with a 300-ante. Another 5 levels are on top, each of them lasting 120 minutes in length. A 60-minute dinner break is scheduled after level 14, which is around 8:05 p.m. Live streaming of this event will take place on ESPN2 (3 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.) and PokerGO (6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.).
Day 3 schedule
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 120 minutes | 1,000 | 2,000 | 300 |
| 20-minute break | ||||
| 12 | 120 minutes | 1,200 | 2,400 | 400 |
| 20-minute break | ||||
| 13 | 120 minutes | 1,500 | 3,000 | 500 |
| 20-minute break | ||||
| 14 | 120 minutes | 2,000 | 4,000 | 500 |
| 60-minute break | ||||
| 15 | 120 minutes | 2,500 | 5,000 | 500 |