2021 WSOP Day 20: Friedman After a Three-Peat as Negreanu and Hellmuth Advance to Final 10 in $10K Dealer's Choice

Day 20 of the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) featured another full day of poker action at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in sunny Las Vegas with Oct. 18 featuring six bracelet events.

Four players were awarded WSOP bracelets including David “Bakes” Baker winning the Event #34: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw for his third bracelet and Michael Noori (Event #30: $1,500 Monster Stack), Anthony Koutsos (Event #35: $500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em), Karolis Sereika (Event #37: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo) won their first bracelets.

Two huge events will see bracelets awarded on another day. Adam Friedman is attempting a three-peat in Event #36: $10,000 Dealer's Choice with 10 players left. Phil Hellmuth, who recently won his 16th gold bracelet is still alive in the hunt for his historic 17th bracelet, while GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu is hunting for his sixth.

The $50,000 High Roller witnessed two-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael Addamo and nine-time WSOP champion Erik Seidel on the top of the leaderboard after the opening day with late registration still open until the start of Day 2.

Friedman Look to Become a Three-Time Champion of Event #36: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship

The penultimate day of Event #36: $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship has come to a completion. After a solid twelve hours on the felt, the tournament has reached its final 10 players.

Heading into the final day all eyes will be on Adam Friedman and his attempt at a three-peat in this very event. He is currently the reigning two-time winner of this Championship event. This would be an amazing feat for a multitude of reasons, the $10,000 buy-in and dealer’s choice as two of the main ones. To complete a three-peat of such an event would be something to be remembered for many years to come.

Also looking to further cement his legendary status in WSOP history is none other than Phil Hellmuth. He has had a ridiculous start to this year’s WSOP, with multiple final tables as well as his 16th gold bracelet already locked up, Hellmuth will be going for #17 just three days after winning #16 in the Event #31: $1,500 Deuce to Seven Triple Draw. Look for Hellmuth to keep everyone on their toes as he goes for even more WSOP gold and history,

Joining Hellmuth and Friedman in the quest for cash and WSOP gold are none other than Mike Matusow and Daniel Negreanu, each looking to add a new bracelet to their respective collections.

Seat Draw Day 3 Event #36: $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship

The play on day 2 was very fast right out of the gate with eliminations coming at a rapid pace. Johannes Becker, Ari Engel, and Sorel Mizzi all made early exits. As the players inched closer to the money bubble, however, things began to slow. It was not until near the end of level 15 that the money was reached. Benny Glaser has the misfortune of being the true bubble as he finished 15th when his ace-high failed to hold against the king-high of Friedman in No-Limit Hold’em.

After the money bubble burst, there were a few quick eliminations as Chip Jett (14th - $17,103), Ryan Miller (13th - $17,103), Scott Seiver (12th - $20,726), and Ray Henson (11th - $20,726) all hit the rail, but each exited with cash for their efforts.

Remaining Payouts

The remaining ten players will return Wednesday afternoon and play for a coveted WSOP gold bracelet and the $248,350 first-place cash.

Please stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates of this, as well as every 2021 WSOP event, or live here at The Rio Hotel and Casino in the Amazon Room where the final 10 players will be returning Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. (PST) local time where they will play down to one winner.

Michael Addamo Bags Day 1 Chip Lead of Event #38: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed

Event #38: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed attracted 72 entries of poker's finest in attendance on its opening day with 21 of them finding a bag into Wednesday's Day 2.

Australian superstar Michael Addamo bagged the biggest stack with (5,150,000). Addamo has more than 14 million in career tournament earnings, including three wins last month in September on the PokerGo Tour, totaling more than $5,000,000.

Other notables to move on to Day 2 include Dan Smith (1,085,000), Seth Davies (430,000), Gal Yifrach (1,405,000), Stephen Chidwick (355,000), and Erik Seidel (3,730,000).

Event #38 Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

Those who did not find a bag but will have a chance to enter tomorrow include, Jason Koon, Joe McKeehen, Cary Katz, and David Peters.

Day 2 will begin at 2 p.m. local time on Wednesday, October 20th. Players are able to register until the start of the day. Play will resume with the blinds at 10,000/25,000/25,000 and will continue until there are five players remaining.