2022 WSOP Day 30: The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

The says the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and that was certainly the case on Day 30 of the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas. PokerNews had prepared to write about how three players became 2022 WSOP champions but it turned out only two events concluded in time to bestow that honour on people. In addition, one event that should have played down to five players ended with seven bagging and tagging.

Team Leonard (Patrick Leonard & Espen Jorstad) triumphed in Event #55: $1,000 Tag Team after defeating Team Paggeot heads-up to secure $148,067 and their first WSOP bracelets. Only five teams from an initial 913 pairings reached the final day's action, and it was Team Leonard who gets to call themselves this tournament's champion.

The second bracelet went to Lawrence Brandt in Event #58: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better. This tournament looked destined for an unscheduled Day 4 but in the early hours of June 30, not long before the sun was about to come up in Nevada, Brandt defeated Corey Wade heads-up to bag the title, $289,610 and their first WSOP bracelet.

Bracelet number three should have been dished out in Event #62: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em, but the tournament staff brought the curtain down on proceedings at 3:00 a.m. local time with 20 tired players still in the hunt.

Cates Leads the Fantastic Five in the $50K PPC

Defending champion Dan Cates holds a narrow chip lead going into the final day of Event #56: $50,000 Poker Players Championship where only four opponents stand between him and back-to-back victories in what is arguably the toughest event on the WSOP schedule.

Cates (9,075,000) returns to the action from 4:00 p.m. on June 30 knowing he is only four eliminations away from an incredible victory. British mixed game specialist Benny Glaser (8,260,000), Yuri Dzivielevski (7,535,000), Johannes Becker (5,470,000), and Japan's Naoya Kihara (3,265,000) are the other four finalists vying for gold.

Event #56: $50,000 Poker Players Championship Final Five

Jim Leads the Magnificent Seven in the $600 Deepstack

Seven players are vying for the bracelet awarded in Event #56: $600 Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold'em, and it is Alex Jim (36,300,000) who leads them back into battle from 12:00 p.m. local time on June 30.

The initial plan was to reduce the 60 Day 3 returnees to a final five, but play was halted with seven players remaining due to it being 3:00 a.m.

The final day could be over quickly because only three players have more than the average stack, and three have fewer than 15 big blinds. Jon Van Fleet (32,800,000) is second in chips and is arguably the most experienced of the remaining players. Can Van Fleet make that experience count?

Event #57: $600 Deepstack Championship Chip Counts

Defending Champion Through to Day 3 of the $1,000 Super Seniors

Defending champion Jean-Luc Adam (750,000) progressed to Day 3 of Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors albeit in 26th place from the 87 who bagged and tagged their stacks at the close of play. Adam is certainly not yet out of the running, but he will have plenty of work to do when play resumes at 10:00 a.m. on June 30.

Leading the final 87 players into battle is Robert Schuler (2,100,000), the only player whose stack contains more than 100 big blinds. Two-time bracelet winner Barny Boatman (1,165,000) finds himself in the top ten while Day 1 chip leader Angelita Grayer (560,000) is still in the mix.

Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors Top 10 Chip Counts

Only Five Players Remain in the $10K Short Deck Event; NakanishiIs In Pole Position

Japan's Shota Nakanishi (2,562,000) holds a commanding lead going into the finale of Event #60: $10,000 Short Deck No-Limit Hold'em where only five players have the chance to capture the $277,712 top prize.

Nakanishi is a Short Deck specialist and it showed as he finished with 312 antes in his stack, almost double the amount of Stephen Chidwick (1,423,000) who is hopeful of securing his second bracelet.

Also in the mix are Ben Lamb (1,207,000), five-time WSOP champion Brian Rast (855,000), and Sean Winter (533,000), the latter bringing up the rear and, like Nakanishi, is yet to win some poker gold.

Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 30.

Event #60: $10,000 Short Deck No-Limit Hold'em Final Five

Ladies Turn Out in Force For Their Championship; Sharma Shines

Gargee Sharma shone brightest as 1,074 women were reduced to only 274 hopefuls after Day 1 of Event #61: Ladies No-Limit Hold'em. Sharma bagged up 419,000 chips and has done her chances of glory no harm at all.

Dozens of household names punched their Day 2 tickets on the first attempt, including Cherish Andrews (363,000), Charlotte Van Brabander (228,000), Ruth Hall (191,000), Maria Konnikova (153,000), Jamie Kerstetter (133,500), Melanie Weisner (113,500), and Loni Harwood (90,500) among others.

The ladies return to their seats at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 30 and they'll fight it out for another ten levels.

Event #61: Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship Top 10 Chip Counts

Super Turbo Bounty Goes Into an Unscheduled Day 2

Event #62: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em was due to crown its champion but a decision was made to bring the players back for an unscheduled Day 2 at 3:00 p.m. local time on June 20 with 20 players remaining.

Chris Fraser helped himself to 22 bounties during the Day yet still finds himself in 17th place with 1,350,000 chips. Only Merijn Van Rooj (1,150,000) and two-time bracelet winner Dash Dudley (725,000) have fewer chips.

John Bredengerd (8,500,000) returns to the action at the chip counts' summit. He is joined by fellow big stacks David Sanchez (6,850,000), and Shaun Colquhoun (5,500,000), the latter fresh off the back of a fourth place finish in the $500 Casino Employees event earlier in the series.

Event #62: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em Top 10 Chip Counts

$10K PLO8 Championship is the Biggest Ever

A bumper crowd of 268 turned out in force for Day 1 of Event #63: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, making it the largest such tournament in WSOP history. Those 268 starters were reduced to 124 by the time the curtain came down on Day 1's action.

Ryan Hughes (407,000) pipped Andrew Brown (380,000) to the chip lead. Both grinders will be confident of going super deep in this monster-sized event.

Others safely through to Day 2, which commences at 2:00 p.m. on Jun 30, include Chino Rheem (331,500), Chance Kornuth (273,500), Kyle Cartwright (269,500), Amnon Filippi (247,500), Daniel Negreanu (191,500), defending champion Josh Arieh (189,000), Brian Hastings (177,500), and Eli Elezra (165,500).

June 30 at 2:00 p.m. is when this host of star return to the action at Paris Las Vegas.

Event #63: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship Top 10 Chip Counts