On the Day 7 dinner break of the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, just 20 players remained from the 6,650-entry field. Each was guaranteed $241,800 in prize money, but each was aiming to claim the $8 million top prize and to etch their name in poker history.
Among the contenders was a trio of gold bracelet winners – Chance Kornuth, Mitchell Halverson, and Chase Bianchi. Of those, Bianchi found himself in the best position sitting fourth in chips with 28.7 million.
The 34-year-old married family man – he and his wife have two foster children aged five and seventeen months – previously won the 2016 WSOP Event #17: $1,000 NLH for $316,920, which comprises a big chunk of his $872,718 in lifetime earnings according to The Hendon Mob.
Main Event His Only Tournament
Bianchi currently lives just north of Boston but made the trip in Vegas to play just one tournament, this year’s $10,000 Main Event. No matter where he finishes, it will mark his first cash since December 2019.
Like many others, Bianchi is a product of the “Moneymaker Boom” when he learned to play with baseball teammates in the Seattle area.
“The junior varsity team,” Bianchi told PokerNews with a smile. “We’d get together and the moms would joke that I had a summer job because I’d always beat [the players] in their $5 and $10 buy-in poker games. This was the Chris Moneymaker era, like 2004.”
From there, Bianchi honed his game online. He still dabbles at the virtual felt, even doing some Twitch live streaming in the past, but nowadays he plays primarily live cash games when he can. His poker playing is limited these days after he got into software development.
For more on Bianchi, follow him on Twitter @Chase_Bianchi.
Pocket Rockets for Bianchi
One big hand for Bianchi on Day 7 took place in Level 32 (150,000/300,000/300,000) when Brazil's Philipe Pizzari Pinto raised to 650,000 under the gun and Bianchi three-bet to 1.7 million from the hijack. Action folded back to Pinto and he called to see a flop of 3♦️
Pinto checked and Bianchi continued for 1.2 million, which the Brazilian called.
On the 8♥️
Philipe Pizzari Pinto: k♥️
Bianchi was ahead with aces while Pinto was drawing to a heart flush. Unfortunately for him, the 10♣️ river was brick and Bianchi's pocket rockets held to score the knockout.
That helped Bianchi get up to nearly the 30-million mark, where he’s hovered ever since. Only time will tell if Bianchi can capture his second bracelet, but he’s certainly got the chips and experience to make a run at poker history.
