Glaser and Schemion Among Day 51 WSOP Winners

Written by Jennifer Newell

Last updated on November 20th, 2021

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Less than a week remains at the 2021 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The tournaments are still in full swing, but fans will notice a wind-down over the weekend. In the meantime, though, Friday was Day 51 of the live series and a very busy one with seven tournaments playing.

The biggest crowd came in for the Closer with its multiple starting days and reentries allowed, but the biggest stakes were happening in the $250K Super High Roller and the new $50K PLO High Roller. And a couple of big names in poker won WSOP gold – all on Friday at the Rio in Las Vegas.

Event 78: $10K Razz Championship

What should have been a three-day tournament stretched into four because of the late hour of the heads-up match between Benny Glaser and Everett Carlton. Day 4 brought those last two players back on Friday to play for the bracelet, and they finished the tournament in less than an hour. It was no easy task, but Glaser pulled it off to claim his fourth career WSOP victory. He told PokerNews:

“I’m feeling amazing. There were a couple of rough hands where he took the lead, and it started to feel less enjoyable, but in the end, I think that made the win even more enjoyable.”

 

I got the win!! 😁🥇
I'm genuinely so happy. It's amazing 😊
And it's been an incredible series!
Thanks for all the love everyone, it seriously means a lot! ♥️ pic.twitter.com/SXzrJ72ipl

— Benny Glaser (@BennyGlaser) November 20, 2021

Event 79: $1,979 NLHE Poker Hall of Fame Bounty

This was another tournament that went longer than anticipated. Six players stopped at the end of Day 2 and returned on Friday to play it out. And it was slow going on that day as well, until Ole Schemion took control and started busting players in sixth and then fourth and third places. He went into heads-up as a massive chipleader, and he quickly took care of his last opponent to claim his first WSOP bracelet. He discussed with PokerNews:

“It’s not too often in live tournaments that you come in first place. It’s what we all try to do, but it feels very good to run through a good field and win one. … It has been very difficult to play any live poker with things how they are. I was really craving it, and it just feels great to come out here to play. Now, it feels even better now that I have won something.”

 

Ole Schemion outlasts 468 entrants in the Poker Hall of Fame Bounty event to earn $172,499 and his first gold bracelet.
📸: Katerina Lukinahttps://t.co/uwirgrWvhM pic.twitter.com/OLpSwBWMHY

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) November 20, 2021

Event 80: $3K PLO 6-Handed

This tournament ended late into the night – early in the morning, actually, for those watching from the East Coast of the US. It didn’t take all that long to set the final table on Friday from the day’s starting field of 26. But once they did, it was caution set in. The first eliminations didn’t happen for well over an hour. From there, Mike Matusow was the seventh-place finisher, denied his fifth bracelet, and Dylan Weisman busted in fourth place, missing his second. Heads-up came down to two UK players, with Robert Cowen taking a slight lead into heads-up but increasing that significantly and fairly quickly. Ultimately, Cowen won his first bracelet just days after a very deep run (39^th place) in the WSOP Main Event. He spoke to PokerNews after the win:

“I have had quite a few deep runs. I played well all series, really. I have not made many mistakes; it’s just that this one landed as the big winner. … It’s not quite sunk in yet. It’s a big load off. I have been wanting one of these (bracelets) for 15 years after watching the Main and stuff on ESPN.”

 

Robert Cowen grabs his first WSOP bracelet coupled with $280,916 after taking down the $3,000 PLO 6-max.
📸: Rachel Kay Millerhttps://t.co/ZH0NUohV7F pic.twitter.com/zgIerSYGsS

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) November 20, 2021

Event 81: $800 NLHE Deepstack

As has become the norm for these fast structures in the deepstacks, this event worked its way from 121 starters on Day 2 to a winner. The original chipleader, Will Givens, departed in 39^th place on Friday. Ramon Colillas followed in 35^th, with Jim Collopy in 31^st and Ping Liu in 15^th. The international final table sent out more well-known players like Ralph Massey in seventh and Garry Gates in fourth. Jason Wheeler and Julian Velasquez played a roller coaster of a heads-up match with Wheeler ending up on top. He chatted with PokerNews next:

“My first time I got heads-up for a bracelet was in 2009, and at the time, you, know, it was so long ago. It takes so long to be back heads-up for a bracelet. I played almost every event that was on the series. I have been working hard, and it feels good to be validated and play well.”

 

Jason Wheeler tops a field of 1,921 players to earn $204,274 and his first WSOP bracelet.
📸: Rachel Kay Millerhttps://t.co/0NYwsGVsKt pic.twitter.com/n87wVq8NLy

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) November 20, 2021

Event 82: $250K NLHE Super High Roller

It was a small tournament from the start. With a price tag of $250K, players weren’t exactly lining up to play. What made it even smaller was a potential breakout of Covid-19 among high rollers. Chris Brewer, one of the usuals in a game like this, announced that he tested positive for Covid-19 despite no symptoms and being vaccinated. He urged others to get tested who had played against him.

Fellow high-stakes player Christoph Vogelsang wrote a quick contract for the players in this tournament – most agreeing to it – to say that all players had to test negative before buying in to the event. Someone provided enough tests. And if anyone tested positive once in the event, they agreed to leave it with a refund via the prize pool.

It appeared that the contract was not necessary, but it was a safety net for those who wanted to play with less risk and more accountability.

Find out the details about the COVID-19 contract players took upon themselves to form in the @WSOP $250k Super High Roller. #WSOPhttps://t.co/45ufZK65do pic.twitter.com/ClwKJWWFC0

— Chad Holloway (@ChadAHolloway) November 20, 2021

Day 2 started with 15 returning players and four new ones from late registration. As play moved forward, high-stakes players like Sam Soverel and Justin Bonomo busted relatively early. Original chipleader Michael Addamo exited before the money as well, as did Jake Schindler and Dan Smith. After they combined to one table, Daniel Negreanu exited, Stephen Chidwick did the same, and David Peters followed. On the money bubble, Vogelsang busted. The final five will return on Saturday to play for the win.

 

Event 83: $1,500 NLHE Closer

The first of two flights brought in 802 entries. The staff tallied a prize pool just for the Day 1A players, started payouts with 121 remaining, and continued paying until play stopped with 25 players. Among those moving on to play on Sunday were Kenny Hallaert, Chris Moorman, and Rainer Kempe.

 

Event 84: $50K PLO High Roller

How many poker players would put up $50K to play Pot Limit Omaha? Dozens, as it turned out. From 85 starting entries, only 33 players made it through the day, though. A bit of controversy arose when the tournament director stopped the event two levels before scheduled due to an anonymous request from a player. Some were not pleased, but they will return on Saturday to play for final table spots.