WPT Champions Make Day 3 of WPT SHRPS Championship
5 minutes
Last Updated: May 3, 2024
It was another exciting day of action at the World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship, as the 643 survivors of Days 1A and 1B came back to continue their adventure and look to make it into the money.
Indeed, the money bubble burst with 243 players remaining, and while many notables fell along the way, others thrived and built up a respectable stack in the late levels of Day 2, including previous WPT champions like Eric Afriat, Chris Moorman, and Justin Young.
None did better than Josh Reichard, a player who has had modest success at the WPT thus far, but will be looking to make a deep run in this one, as he bagged a chip lead stack for Day 3, with 2,795,000 chips to his name.
He is followed by Michael Rocco, a player with over a million in WPT earnings, and Denis Cyr, who will start Day 3 with respective stacks of 2,035,000 and 1,900,000.
The other 99 players who come back to play tomorrow will all be playing catch up, with notable names high in the chip counts including Landon Tice and Scott Baumstein.
Here is a look at the top 10 chip counts at the end of Day 2 action:
| Position | Player | Chip Stack |
| 1 | Josh Reichard | 2,795,000 |
| 2 | Michael Rocco | 2,035,000 |
| 3 | Denis Cyr | 1,900,000 |
| 4 | Matt Higgins | 1,535,000 |
| 5 | Kaleb Harwell | 1,420,000 |
| 6 | Dom Sarle | 1,400,000 |
| 7 | Landon Tice | 1,365,000 |
| 8 | Jackob Datashvili | 1,134,000 |
| 9 | Scott Baumstein | 1,040,000 |
| 10 | Mike Vainer | 1,028,000 |
Eric Afriat Continues His SHRPS Dominance
Winning a WPT champion’s title is a feat that many poker players chase their whole lives, but one that Eric Afriat has managed three times during his illustrious career.
What’s even more interesting is that it all started at WPT SHRPS back in the 2013/14 season, when Afriat won his first WPT title and just over a million dollars to kick-start his WPT adventure.
Eric added further WPT silverware at WPT Borgata Winter Open in 2017/18 and WPT Fallsview Poker Classic in the 2019 – 21 season that was interrupted by the pandemic, making him one of the few players who own three such titles.
Yet, what’s even more impressive is that Afriat came close to repeating his WPT SHRPS success in 2018/19, when he lost the heads up match against James Caroll.
Afriat’s impressive run at this venue now continues, as he once again makes Day 3 and seeks to make another final table appearance in his seemingly unstoppable march to WPT greatness.
He will be entering Day 3 with a stack of 450,000 chips and will need some help in the early levels, but a double up or two would see him with a real chance at once again making a run at the title.
Chris Moorman Still in the Running
Another familiar face to be making Day 3 of the WPT SHRPS Championship is Chris Moorman, who won his first WPT title back in the 2013/14 season at WPT LA Poker Classic.
The legendary tournament grinder has been looking for a repeat ever since, and came ever so close in last year’s WPT World Championship, where he finished fourth and won over $2 million.
While Chris will still be mourning that loss, his eyes are firmly set on the final table once again, as he enters the battle with the remaining 100 players and looks to be one of the lucky eight to play at the televised final table in Las Vegas this May.
Moorman will be playing with a stack of 510,000 chips, similar to that of Afriat, and will also be looking to start the day strong and build up a stack throughout tomorrow’s action.
Brad Owen Looking for Tournament Glory
The name Brad Owen has been tossed around in the poker world a lot lately, but most of it has been in relation to his cash game prowess, as that is the arena in which Owen built his career.
Yet, the legendary Vlogger has had a decent amount of tournament success as well, as he has accumulated almost $600,000 in winnings at the WPT alone since joining the tournament scene in 2022.
Brad came close to a couple of side event titles last year at the WPT World Championship and made the final table of WPT Gardens Poker Championship as well, and will be looking for an even better finish this time around.
He will have his work cut out for him, as the WPT Global Ambassador starts the day with just 390,000 in chips and in need of an urgent double up.
Landon Tice Outlasts Jeremy Becker This Time
In one of the more exciting stories of the WPT SHRPS Championship, both Landon Tice and Jeremy Becker were still in the running deep into Day 2, with just over 100 players in action.
The two young guns became subject of a beef between one of the game’s most vocal players, Daniel Negreanu, and Solve for Why owner Matt Berkey, who cross-booked their tournament action for the summer.
While that bet is not yet on, and will only kick in during the World Series of Poker, the eyes of the poker world are already fixed on the two players, as they continue to impress with their results across different venues and game types.
Had the tournament counted for the cross-book, Negreanu would have been the one sweating, as his horse Jeremy Becker got eliminated in 120th place for a payout of $8,200, while Tice was left at the tables with a very healthy stack.
Tice will be looking to add to his somewhat modest tournament winnings and break the million dollar mark for the first time in his career, while Becker will no doubt jump into the very next tournament he can find running at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Day 3 Action Starts at Noon Tomorrow
Day 2 of the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship is now officially in the books, and exactly 101 players have survived, with more than 100 others heading for the cage to collect their winnings throughout the day.
Action picks up tomorrow with blinds starting at 15,000/25,000 and a big blind ante of 25,000, as Josh Reichard leads the field into another day of chaotic battle at the felt.
Stay tuned for more updates from one of the biggest WPT stops of the year, and keep track of your poker idols and their progress in the event right here.
