2023 WSOP Week 1 Roundup: First Bracelets Awarded
The World Series of Poker got underway on May 30 with a few bracelet events. The 2023 WSOP quickly swelled to numerous events per day at various stages of play.
Thus, a roundup of each week can keep you up to date on the happenings for one week as poker fans and players head into another of grander proportions.
Event 1: Thai Takes It
The Casino Employees tournament has been the first bracelet event of the summer for years. It is a low $500 buy-in event reserved for people who qualify as employees in the gambling and/or poker industries. This year, it didn’t set a record but ranked quite high with its 1,015 entries, more than the 832 entries in 2022 and far more than in the two prior WSOPs.
In the end, Peter Thai took it down. He admitted that the final table was tough, but his years of experience came into play. “I never expected to win,” he told PokerNews after his victory. “I just came here wanting to have fun, and one thing led to another. It was an unforgettable experience.”
This was the first gold bracelet for the table games dealer at Parkwest Casino 580 in Livermore, California.
| Event 1 | $500 buy-in | NLHE Casino Employees (1 RE) |
| Total entries: | 1,015 | (832 in 2022, 419 in 2021, 685 in 2019) |
| Total prize pool: | $426,300 | |
| Players paid: | 153 | |
| Minimum payout: | $801 | |
| Final table results: | 1st place: | Peter Thai (USA) $75,535 |
| 2nd place: | James Urbanic (USA) $46,690 | |
| 3rd place: | Paul Blanchette (USA) $33,051 | |
| 4th place: | Bruce Jiang (USA) $23,738 | |
| 5th place: | Benson Tam (USA) $17,303 | |
| 6th place: | Sean Balfour (Canada) $12,802 | |
| 7th place: | Keith McCormack (USA) $9,607 | |
| 8th place: | Joe Pavan (USA) $7,337 | |
| 9th place: | Lisa Eckstain (USA) $5,686 |
Peter Thai takes down the opening event of the 54th Annual World Series of Poker!
Thai outlasted 1,015 entries in the $500 Casino Employees Event to earn $75,535 and the first gold bracelet of his career.
Event Recap & Interview: https://t.co/3L7htQoj3w pic.twitter.com/uEQ4Qts6Rn
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 1, 2023
Event 2: Vuilleumier with Pride
The second event was a high roller, immediately giving high-stakes players something to play on Day 1. It was a $25K buy-in Hold’em that played six-handed and was a new event on the WSOP schedule. The field delivered a diverse lineup as the event moved forward
And it was Alexandre Vuilleumier of Switzerland who ultimately defeated Chance Kornuth to grab his first bracelet and $1.2M. In a post-game interview, he said that this was the top year of his poker career. “I’m really happy with everything that’s happened.”
The International Chess Master collected his first WSOP bracelet and did it at the start of Pride month. He said that he is now a part of a select group of LGBTQ+ bracelet winners and proudly represented a minority community in poker.
| Event 2 | $25K buy-in | NLHE HR 6-Max (1 RE) |
| Total entries: | 207 | |
| Total prize pool: | $4,864,500 | |
| Players paid: | 32 | |
| Minimum payout: | $40,000 | |
| Final table results: | 1st place: | Alexandre Vuilleumier (Switzerland) $1,215,864 |
| 2nd place: | Chance Kornuth (USA) $751,463 | |
| 3rd place: | Sean Winter (USA) $518,106 | |
| 4th place: | Axel Hallay (France) $363,326 | |
| 5th place: | Ren Lin (China) $259,220 | |
| 6th place: | Joey Weissman (USA) $188,219 |
What a way to start #PrideMonth ! 🌈🌈🌈
Happy to join my friend @Protentialmn and our godmother @VanessaSelbst in the ranks of LGBTQ+ bracelet winners! ❤️ any other champions I forgot? 😊 https://t.co/bqSV4E6lya
— AlexandreVuilleumier (@elcancherito22) June 2, 2023
Event 3: Mystery Millions Grows
At the end of the first week of the WSOP, the Mystery Millions tournament was still growing. There were four starting days for the $1K buy-in event, with one reentry allowed per flight. The number of entries was already substantial, but a final number will not be released until Sunday, June 4.
Event 4: A Day to Remember
The WSOP Tournament of Champions is a freeroll…with a $1M prize pool. It was a chance for players from around the world who have won WSOP Circuit events, 2022 WSOP bracelets, and other qualifying events to compete for pieces of this freeroll. Out of 989 people who qualified to play in the TOC, there were 741 who showed up.
Ronnie Day was one of those players. He had just picked up his first WSOP Circuit ring within the past month and qualified to play the TOC. His performance could serve as a class in patience and short-stack play, as he was one of the shortest stacks going into every day of the tournament. It wasn’t until the final table that he rose to the top for the win.
Day said that he viewed the tournament as good practice for the Main Event but went on to win. “It’s so surreal right now; it’s unbelievable,” he said. “I don’t even know how to explain it.”
| Event 4 | Freeroll | Tournament of Champions |
| Total entries: | 741 | |
| Total prize pool: | $1,000,000 | |
| Players paid: | 100 | |
| Minimum payout: | $2,400 | |
| Final table results: | 1st place: | Ronnie Day (USA) $200,000 |
| 2nd place: | Brent Gregory (USA) $120,000 | |
| 3rd place: | Patrick White (USA) $87,000 | |
| 4th place: | Hunter McClelland (USA) $63,000 | |
| 5th place: | Wissam Gahshan (USA) $46,000 | |
| 6th place: | Justin Hotte-McKinnon (Canada) $35,000 | |
| 7th place: | Barry Schultz (USA) $26,000 | |
| 8th place: | Daniel Marx (USA) $20,000 | |
| 9th place: | Zachary Gruneberg (USA) $16,000 |
Feels like a surreal moment, thank all of you for the love and support. I am going to take some time to let it sink in, but those that messaged me I will get back with you tomorrow. Thank you all
— ronnie day (J.R.) (@scrondog) June 4, 2023
Event 5: Eveslage Claims Second Gold
The Dealer’s Choice tournament is a favorite for mixed game players, one with 20 variations and only a $1,500 buy-in. It always draws some of the biggest players in the game.
Chad Eveslage was one of those players. In just the last few years, he has accumulated everything from a WSOP bracelet to a WPT title, the latter leading to the WPT Player of the Year honor. He then started the 2023 WSOP by nabbing his second bracelet and $131K.
Upon claiming the victory, he admitted to being skilled in a wide variety of games, though he felt he had an edge in No Limit Hold’em. And he had fun doing it. “The mixed (game) atmosphere is much, much more laid back. We were joking around heads-up.”
| Event 5 | $1,500 buy-in | Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed (1 RE) |
| Total players: | 456 | (430 in 2022, 307 in 2021, 470 in 2019) |
| Total prize pool: | $608,760 | |
| Players paid: | 69 | |
| Minimum payout: | $2,411 | |
| Top chip counts: | 1st place: | Chad Eveslage (USA) $131,879 |
| 2nd place: | Andrew Kelsall (USA) $81,509 | |
| 3rd place: | Nick Kost (USA) $54,247 | |
| 4th place: | John Racener (USA) $36,953 | |
| 5th place: | Clayton Mozdzen (Canada) $25,779 | |
| 6th place: | James Johnson (USA) $18,428 |
Chad Eveslage wins the $1,500 Dealer's Choice to earn the second bracelet of his career!
The event attracted a total of 456 entries generating a total prize pool of $608,760, and Eveslage takes home $131,879 for the win!
Event Recap & Interview: https://t.co/HoTfCVWJuB pic.twitter.com/9jPbLEmMK7
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 3, 2023
Event 6: Moncek Masters Mix
One mixed game that is immensely popular at the World Series is the simple mix of No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. The structure is fast but the buy-in is $5K, so the field ends up being an elite group of players. Just in the final run-up to the final table, players like Martin Zamani and Yuval Bronshtein made deep runs.
The final table brought in players like Kristen Foxen, Christian Harder, and Alex Livingston. But it was Michael Moncek who emerged victorious to claim his second WSOP gold bracelet after just winning his first last year. He was especially excited to win it in the first week of the WSOP.
“It means a lot,” Moncek said, “and now I have a decent shot at going for Player of the Year.”
| Event 6 | $5K buy-in | Mixed NLHE/PLO (2 RE) |
| Total entries: | 568 | (788 in 2022, 579 in 2021) |
| Total prize pool: | $2,608,200 | |
| Players paid: | 86 | |
| Minimum payout: | $8,000 | |
| Final day payouts: | 1st place: | Michael Moncek (USA) $534,499 |
| 2nd place: | Fernando Habegger (Switzerland) | |
| 3rd place: | Alex Livingston (Canada) $235,062 | |
| 4th place: | Michael Banducci (USA) $169,674 | |
| 5th place: | Christian Harder (USA) $124,266 | |
| 6th place: | Tyler Brown (USA) $92,362 | |
| 7th place: | Kristen Foxen (USA) $69,683 | |
| 8th place: | Ferenc Deak (Hungary) $53,377 |
Congratulations to Michael Moncek, winner of the $5,000 Mixed NL/PLO event for $534,499 and his second career gold bracelet!
Moncek defeated PLO coach ‘jnandez’ heads up for the win #poker #wsop pic.twitter.com/TDB0xJuNyZ
— Poker Org (@pokerorg) June 3, 2023
