Political polling guru Nate Silver finished Day 2 at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Hard Rock 'N' Roll Poker Open with one of the biggest stacks.
The $3,500 buy-in tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida attracted 1,566 entrants and is down to the final 63. WPT Champions Club member Ema Zajmovic busted in 64th place ($11,675) near the end of Sunday's session, and those left will return for Day 3 at noon ET on Monday.
Big Names Come Up Short
Each of those remaining players is guaranteed at least $11,675. But they're all vying for the first place prize of $778,490. The six-player final table members will each take home a minimum payout of $170,835.
A number of high-profile players cashed but headed to the exits on Day 2. That list includes Alex Foxen (187th for $5,560), Ali Imsirovic (177th for $5,865), Landon Tice (133rd for $7,520), Gal Yifrach (101st for $8,670), and William Hung (85th for $9,480).
The session ended with the conclusion of Level 20 (10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 big blind ante) at around 12:30 p.m. local time in South Florida. Play will resume with the blinds set for 15,000/25,000 (25,000 big blind ante) Monday and the action will continue until the final table has been achieved.
Will Nate Silver Win his First Major Poker Tournament?
Nate Silver is most known as the founder of FiveThirtyEight, a political polling and sports analysis website that has millions of readers. Prior to his career in politics, he played poker online, mostly limit hold'em games.
Over the past year, he's returned to the felt and has found some success in live tournaments, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP), where he finished runner-up in Event #16, $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship, his best game, for $151,842. But he still hasn't won a live major tournament.
On Tuesday, he could potentially have another crack at a final table. First, however, he must escape what is sure to be a difficult Day 3. Silver bagged 2,345,000 chips at the end of Day 2, putting him in third place behind Luke Martinelli (2,680,000) and Joseph Cheong (2,600,000).
With just under 100 big blinds when Day 3 kicks off, Silver will be in great position and only 57 eliminations away from the final table. But he'll be up against some tough competition, including Kristen Bicknell (1,320,000), Pavel Plesuv (600,000), and Maria Lampropulos (311,000).
WPT Seminole Hard Rock 'N' Roll Poker Open Day 2 Chip Leaders
| Place | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke Martinelli | 2,680,000 |
| 2 | Joseph Cheong | 2,600,000 |
| 3 | Nate Silver | 2,345,000 |
| 4 | Ankit Ahuja | 1,975,000 |
| 5 | Tomas Soderstrom | 1,975,000 |
| 6 | Jacob Ferro | 1,970,000 |
| 7 | Roberto Alberro | 1,830,000 |
| 8 | Willie Wiggins | 1,600,000 |
| 9 | Jakob Miegel | 1,600,000 |
| 10 | Steve Buckner | 1,585,000 |
Plesuv is the lone remaining past World Poker Tour champion. WPT crusher Darren Elias, the only four-time champion, was a rare no-show for the Seminole Hard Rock 'N' Roll Poker Open. He's busy back home in the Northeast competing in and hosting the End Boss Poker Series on the BetMGM/partypoker platform in New Jersey.
