With registration officially closed, the total numbers are in. Today's event received a total of 1,739 entries, creating a prize pool worth $2,347,650.
The top 261 places will earn a prize, with the largest portion going to the eventual champion, who will be awarded a top prize of $391,960. Everyone who makes the money will take home at least $2,252.
First, Hellmuth was all in with versus Scott Zhakim's . The board had already been killed, and the two got it in preflop for roughly 23,000 apiece. Zhakim got a full double-up, and Hellmuth was left with 650 chips.
Hellmuth folded the following hand, then was all-in for 500 in the big blind when this hand occurred: A player in middle position raised to 1,400. The small blind called, and Hellmuth was in for the main pot, while the other two players had built an 1,800-chip side pot. The flop was , and the small blind check-folded after the original raiser bet 1,700.
Hellmuth tabled , and his opponent showed . The board spiked the gutshot for Hellmuth on the turn when the hit, and the river bricked off a . Hellmuth was still alive.
Hellmuth folded his small blind the following hand.
In the next hand, the player under the gun raised to 1,400. Hellmuth moved all in on the button for 1,725 and was called by Zhakim in the small blind and Matt Milsna in the big blind. The original raiser also called.
The flop was , and Zhakim checked. Milsna moved all in for 12,375, and the under-the-gun player went all in covering him. Zhakim folded, and the hands were tabled.
Hellmuth
Milsna
Under the gun
The hit the turn, and the landed on the river, giving Hellmuth the nut flush, Milsna the king-high flush, and two pair for the player under the gun.
Hellmuth won the blinds and antes on the next hand and was close to 10,000 in chips again.
Joshua Steiner's stack was cut down in front of him with laid beside it. The board read , and Steiner's heads-up opponent was pushing a double up's worth of chips into the pot.
From the chatter around the table, it sounds like Steiner's opponent had flopped a set of queens when all the money went in.
With about 11,000 in the pot and the board reading , action was on Michael Wasserman, and he checked. Dennis Phillips was on the button and bet 4,000. Wasserman didn't waste any time moving all in, sending Phillips into the tank.
After analyzing things for a few minutes, Phillips figured, "I'm ahead at least 25 percent of the time if you have the flush draw," and then thought a bit more and added, "I don't want to limp into the money." He called, with Wasserman covering his all in of roughly 30,000.
Wasserman tabled , and Phillips showed , exclaiming, "I'm way ahead, yes!" He gave a little fist pump just before the river brought the , giving both players the straight and chopping the pot.