2021 WSOP Day 18: Elezra in the Mix For His Fifth Bracelet

Day 18 of the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in sunny Las Vegas saw history made with Phil Hellmuth securing his 16th WSOP bracelet.

But that was not all the occurred on the 18th day of the series, because Ryan "Santasbzack2" Stoker won a bracelet in the $888 PLO Crazy 8's online event, while four other events edged closer to crowning their respective champions.

Eli Elezra hopes to join the five bracelet club on October 18. Elezra is the chip leader with 20 players remaining in the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. All four of Elezra's bracelets stem from non-Hold 'em events, so history bodes well for him.

Elezra in Pole Position in the $3K H.O.R.S.E.

Only 20 players remain in contention for the title of Event #32: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. champion, and it is Eli Elezra who is the man leading those players back into battle on October 18.

Elezra excelled on Day 2 and was one of only two players to cram more than a million chips into their overnight bag. The four-time WSOP champion returns to the action with an arsenal of 1,243,000 chips, with Qinghai Pan his nearest rival on 1,036,000 chips.

All four of Elezra's bracelets some from non-Hold 'em events, with his last two stemming from Seven Card Stud tournaments. His opponents need to avoid him during the Stud rounds if they want to topple him from his lofty perch.

Elezra is not the only former WSOP winner in the field, far from it. Jim Collopy (890,000), Barbara Enright (446,000), Daniel Negreanu (414,000), Tom Koral (341,000), Brandon Shack-Harris (292,000), and David Williams (99,000), are each vying for more poker gold.

Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. under the watchful eyes of the PokerNews Live Reporting team.

Event #32: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E Top 10 Chip Counts

Ryan Leng Leads Monster Stack Going Into Day 3

A week ago, Ryan Leng won his first WSOp bracelet in the $1,500 8-Game 6-Handed event, Now Leng is the chip leader going into Day 3 of Event #30: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em.

Day 2 saw the 1,220-strong field whittled to a more manageable 148 over the course of ten one-hour levels. Plenty of established professionals punched their Day 2 tickets, with equally as many falling by the wayside.

Leng’s 4,070,000 stack is the only one above four million chips, although Jason Wheeler (3,805,000) came close to surpassing that total. Others to look out for on Day 3 include Chris Brewer (2,280,000), James Romero (2,200,000), Upeshka De Silva (2,130,000), PokerNews’ Dannah Kamp (1,265,000), JJ Liu (1,245,000), Dylan Linde (82,000), and Jason Somerville (730,000).

All the returning players are safely in the money places and guaranteed no less than $4,527 for their efforts. However, the top seven finishers secure a six-figure sum, with the eventual winner padding their bankroll with $610,347 in addition to receiving a coveted WSOP bracelet.

Event #30: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em Top 10 Chip Counts

Alex Miles Tops $800 Deepstack Day 1 Chip Counts

Alex Miles is miles ahead of the opposition in Event #33: $800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em. Miles finished Day 1 with 2,700,000 chips from a 40,000 starting stack, over 500,000 more chips than second-placed Tony Nguyen.

The tournament drew in a 2,778-strong crowd before late registration slammed shut, but only 159 of those hopefuls still have a chance of winning this event's bracelet. Mile may be in the envious position of chip leader right now, but there are some incredible players in the chasing pack who will have a major say in where the tournament's bracelet ends up.

Todd Ivens (2,030,000), Robert Kuhn (1,825,000), and Nate Silver (1,020,000) have seven-figure stacks going into Day 2. Matt Affleck (840,000), Ryan Laplante (650,000), Pete Chen (465,000) are just a trio of other star still in the hunt for the title.

Event #31: $800 Deepstack No-Limit Hold’em Top 10 Chip Counts

Owen Shines Brightest on Day 1 of the $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw

Only 76 of the 284 starters remain in Event #34: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw and it is Adam Owen who is the overnight chip leader.

Owen, a mixed game specialist from the United Kingdom, did not get off to the best of starts but used all his skill and vast experience to turn around his flagging fortune and then some. Owen finished Day 1 with 246,000 chips, one of seven players to end the night with at least 200,000 chips.

Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Brian Yoon (226,500) is in the top three while Matt Grapenthien (210,000), and Cory Zeidman (198,000) have enough chips for top ten stacks.

Others still in the mix include Ian Johns (140,500) who is looking for his fourth bracelet, Dan Shak (122,000), Frankie O’Dell (103,000), David "Bakes" Baker (79,500), John Cernuto (77,000), Joe McKeehen (41,000), and Ari Engel (39,000).

Play resumes on October 1 at 2:00 p.m. local time, with the plan to play ten more one-hour levels.

Event #34: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Top 10 Chip Counts