WSOP Week 7 – New Champion to Be Crowned Today
3 minutes
Last Updated: July 17, 2023
It’s been a long and hot poker summer in Las Vegas, and we’re about to witness an epic conclusion to the 2023 World Series of Poker. Namely, the largest Main Event in the history of the Series is down to just three players from the original 10,043.
While there were a few other tournaments that took place the last week, the Main Event stole the spotlight, and for a good reason. With a massive prize pool of $93.4 million, the winner alone will take home $12.1 million, and we are about to find out who that winner will be.
Yesterday, players returned to play the final table, and after 116 poker hands, the field of nine was reduced to just three. The other six banked between $900,000 and $3,000,000 for their efforts, while the three coming back today are guaranteed at least $4,000,000.
Close Race Ahead
Coming back to play for the 2023 WSOP Main Event title are three US players. Steven Jones is the official chip leader, with 119 big blinds to start the day.
The other two, however, are not far behind, as Daniel Weinman is coming back to a stack of 100 big blinds exactly, while Adam Walton starts with 83 bigs.
With no runaway chip leader, this is truly anyone’s tournament to win, although Jones was on a bit of a heater yesterday, eliminating a few players along the way.
Whoever emerges victorious will take home a hefty prize of $12.1 million – the biggest one ever paid by the Main Event. There is $6.5 million reserved for the runner-up, while the player who hits the rail first today will still get $4,000,000.
Day 9 of the $10,000 Main Event has concluded following Jan-Peter Jachtmann's 4th place elimination.
Play will resume tomorrow at 1 pm with the blinds at $1,000,000/$2,000,000 and the following chip distribution:
Steven Jones 238,000,000
Daniel Weinman 199,000,000
Adam… pic.twitter.com/fCc5ZWwAFI— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 17, 2023
So, no matter how cards break today, it will be a good day for all three. That said, with millions riding on a flip of each card and plenty of chips in play, it safe to assume players will be watching their steps and no one will be in the rush to hit the rail and start the celebrations.
There will be plenty of time for that later, anyways.
If you’d like to see the conclusion of the biggest event in poker in almost real time, tune in to PokerGO, where the final table action will be streamed and you’ll get to see every hand.
The POY Race Locked Up
Last week, it seemed like there could be some changes in the POY rankings, depending on how things developed. However, the leader Ian Matakis removed all doubts, making another deep run in a $3,000 PLO event, finishing in third.
3rd place it is! Was a very fun battle, thanks for all the love and support!
— Ian Matakis (@IMatakis) July 15, 2023
He is now well ahead of other serious contenders, Chris Brewer, Shaun Deeb, and Josh Arieh, and with only a couple of tournaments left on the schedule, it seems very unlikely anyone can catch up.
There have been some strange twists in the past, though, so we’ll hold on with pronouncing the POY winner at this time, but Matakis does seem like a lock.
It’s been a very good series for Matakis, who managed to win his first WSOP bracelet, make several final tables, and cash for some 20 times.
Almost Time to Say Goodbye
Believe it or not, we’ve reached the conclusion of the World Series. Today, we’ll find the new Main Event winner, and there are only two more tournaments left on the schedule starting today and the day after.
So, in a couple of days’ time, the crowded halls of Horseshoe and Paris will not feel nearly as busy.
There will still be plenty of poker to be played in Las Vegas, but the numbers we’ve seen this year were truly mind-blowing.
Talking about numbers, stay tuned for an in-depth article on those, as we will dissect the largest WSOP in history. But, for now, get ready for tonight’s action on the big stage and enjoy the show as the 2023 Main Event winner is crowned!