While most eyes were on the unfolding drama of the Main Event, Jared Bleznick and Gary Bolden were focused on bracelet journeys of their own. Both beat off stellar fields to win their respective events.
Event #92: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em
There were five contenders for the crown in the $50k when play resumed on day 3 yesterday; Bleznick was joined by Nacho Barbero, Jesse Lonis, Justin Saliba and Christoph Vogelsang in the chase for WSOP gold and $2million+ in winner’s booty.
With almost $500k already tied up, Vogelsang (surprisingly the only player without a bracelet to date) and Bleznick started the day clear of danger, the other trio all with less than 20 bigs.
Nevertheless, it was a bad beat that saw Saliba bust in 5th spot, too many spades sending him to the rail…
Justin Saliba: A♣ K♣
Jared Bleznick: A♠ Q♥
Flop: 8♥ 6♠ 5♠
Turn: 9♠
River: 7♠
Lonis and Barbero both survived all-ins at risk and it was perhaps inevitable they’d then clash for stacks…
Jesse Lonis: K♦ K♣
Nacho Barbero: A♥ 10♣
Flop: 9♠ 2♠ 7♥
Turn: 8♦
River: 5♥
…Barbero left with a chip and a chair, but busted by Lonis on the very next hand.
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With only the podium trio left, and stacks dwindling to rising blinds, any two decent cards were worth shoving but it backfired on Vogelsang when he open-shoved into the top of Bleznick’s big blind range…
Christoph Vogelsang: A♥ 9♠
Jared Bleznick: 10♣ 10♦
Flop: Q♥ 4♣ 7♣
Turn: 3♣
River: K♥
No help for the German who had to settle for 3rd place and $957,104, leaving Bleznick to enjoy a 2:1 chip lead over Jesse Lonis as they began their heads-up battle.
It didn’t last long, Bleznick winning a few small pots and then putting Lonis to the test pre-flop…
Jesse Lonis: 7♥ 7♠
Jared Bleznick: A♣ 4♣
Flop: K♦ 8♦ A♥
Turn: 5♠
River: A♠
…the second ace an unnecessary embellishment on an emphatic victory.
Bleznick explained afterwards how it was side-bets with Shaun Deeb that encouraged him to play the $50k, adding: “I’ve been friends with him for a long time, and just beat him out of a lot of money. But the reality of it is, this summer was about proving that I can win.”
Aside from Bleznick’s big win, of note is PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg’s 7th spot, a rare outing for the Canadian businessman who was the driving force behind the online poker boom of the noughties.
Event #92: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Jared Bleznick | USA | $2,037,947 |
| 2 | Jesse Lonis | USA | $1,358,633 |
| 3 | Christoph Vogelsang | Germany | $957,104 |
| 4 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | $685,405 |
| 5 | Justin Saliba | USA | $499,097 |
| 6 | Brynjar Gigja | Iceland | $369,654 |
| 7 | Isai Scheinberg | Canada | $278,552 |
| 8 | Erik Seidel | USA | $213,624 |
| 9 | Michael Rocco | USA | $166,786 |
Elsewhere in the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. (8-Handed) was coming to a close, the final duo having to return for a fourth day’s play after failing to settle matters in three hours of heads-up play the previous night.
Gary Bolden was looking for his first bracelet, whereas John Racener was aiming for number three, and the second of his 2024 WSOP campaign.
It didn’t take long to decide the destination of the title, Bolden picking up a couple of pots before the denouement in Stud Hi-Lo. After sealing the deal, Bolden explained: “Like I told John, I learned this game on the rooftop where the losers jump, but I’m still here, so I’m winning.”
Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E (8-Handed) Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout |
| 1 | Gary Bolden | USA | $206,321 |
| 2 | John Racener | USA | $135,877 |
| 3 | Travis Trail | USA | $91,547 |
| 4 | David Tarbet | UK | $63,134 |
| 5 | Luis Velador | Mexico | $44,591 |
| 6 | David “ODB” Baker | USA | $32,274 |
| 7 | Jeremy Ausmus | USA | $23,952 |
| 8 | Wooram Cho | South Korea | $18,238 |
As well as the Main Event, there are still a number of events running in the 55th Annual World Series of Poker.
- Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship
- Event #93: $777 Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em (7-Handed)
- Event #94: $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship
- Event #95: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em
- Event #96: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E. (8-Handed) are all in play, while
- Event #97: $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha, and
- Event #98: $1,500 The Closer both kick off today.
We’ll be back tomorrow with all the best of the action, but remember, today is a rest day for the final nine in the Main Event.
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