A total of five players saw fourth street with only three making it to fifth. Hal Rotholz was the bring in with the 5♥, Marcel Vonk called a completion with the K♥, and another player came along with the 8♦.
Vonk led with a bet on fourth which both opponents called. On fifth, Vonk led again, the third opponent called, Rotholz raised, and both players called.
The action checked through on sixth. On seventh, Marcel Vonk bet, the third opponent called, and Rotholz folded with frustration.
Vonk showed down his kings full of nines and was able to get value from the two pair of his opponent.
Allen Kessler brought in with the 4♣ and then called when a player on his direct left completed with the A♣.
Allen Kessler: J♣5♥3♠ / 4♣6♦2♠Q♠
Opponent: XxXxXx / A♣K♣A♥6♠
His opponent took a passive line as he checked-called on fourth through sixth.
On seventh, Kessler's opponent check-called a final bet and got the bad news immediately as Kessler had made a six-high straight and the sixth best low to scoop the pot as he had continued to gain momentum early in the day
Fifth street saw both players pair up and Smith lead out while Smith called.
On sixth street, Smith bet for a second time and Smith called.
Both players checked seventh street and Dylan Smith tabled 2♣5♦5♣ for fives and sixes which was good for the pot as Bradley Smith looked at his hand again and mucked.
One bet went in from each player on fifth street. On sixth, Hellmuth raised a bet from the second opponent and both players called.
On seventh, Hellmuth led and both players called.
Hellmuth revealed his straight flush as his perplexed opponent mucked what was presumably the the nut-flush. The first opponent made a seven-six low which was good for half.
Day 1 of Event #69: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better is in the books. A total of 611 players made their way to the Paris Convention Center, where 15 levels were played over the course of 10 hours. Only 157 found a bag and will return on Day 2.
Leading the pack heading into the second day is Jon Turner, who bagged an impressive 329,000, ahead of his nearest competitor Denis Strebkov with 327,500. Christian Roberts rounds out the top three at 321,500.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chips
Big Bets
1
Jon Turner
United States
329,000
33
2
Denis Strebkov
Russia
327,500
33
3
Christian Roberts
Venezuela
321,500
32
4
Leandro Ruy
Brazil
266,000
27
5
Travis Pearson
United States
257,000
26
6
Barry Grime
United Kingdom
254,500
25
7
Robert Quiring
United States
195,000
20
8
Thomas Taylor
Canada
190,500
19
9
Ryutaro Suzuki
Japan
187,000
19
10
David Emmons
United States
183,500
18
This year’s event experienced a massive turnout, with 611 hopefuls entering throughout the day, well north of last year’s 566 runners. Of these players, 92 players will be guaranteed a min-cash of $3,020, with the eventual champion set to take home $153,730.
The Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event always brings out the biggest stars in the poker world. All of the finest in the mixed game community made their way to the Paris Convention Center today, including Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, and Brian Rast.
Stud Hi-Lo is beloved by the mixed game community and is one of the largest $1,500 mixed tournaments each year. This year, it has already exceeded the fields of the Stud Hi, Triple Draw, and Razz tournaments. Fortunes can change massively on each street, and seemingly simple decisions become more complex as the hand progresses.
The Day’s Action
Hellmuth was the beneficiary of a massive pot early in the day when he made a straight flush against a nut flush. He had already made a flush on fifth street, but hit the eight of diamonds on seventh to outdraw his opponent on his way to a bag of 161,000.
He was not the only player who made a straight flush today. Late in the day, Peter Levine made a straight flush on seventh street in a massive four-way two-bet pot. Bryan Micon was eliminated in the hand; he was already drawing dead on seventh. However, Levine added an exclamation point after he drilled the eight of diamonds to make the straight flush on the end.
Phil Hellmuth
Several notables successfully fought through the first 15 levels and found bags for Day 2. Some of these include Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra, six-time bracelet winner Shaun Deeb, the red hot Christopher Vitch, and mixed-game regulars Chad Eveslage and Dylan Smith, the latter of whom is coming off a deep run in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
Well known players to take their shot but fail to see a return on their investment include 2023 second-place finisher Mike Matusow, Poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey, four-time bracelet winners Phillip Hui and Brad Ruben, and mixed-games crusher Ari Engel.
Payouts
Place
Payout
1
$153,730
2
$102,492
3
$70,288
4
$49,127
5
$35,006
6
$25,442
7
$18,866
8
$14,280
9
$11,038
10-11
$8,716
12-15
$7,035
16-23
$5,807
24-31
$4,904
32-39
$4,240
40-47
$3,754
48-55
$3,407
56-63
$3,171
64-92
$3,020
Play resumes on June 28th at 1 p.m. local time, at which point play will continue for ten 60-minute levels with a 60-minute dinner break after Level 21.
Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team continues to provide updates from this event to its conclusion.
