Darren Martin takes chip lead into final day of Harrah's New Orleans main event
New Orleans, LA (May 21, 2018) - Day 2 of the $1,675 Harrah's New Orleans Main Event began with 120 players, and 12 hours after play began, action ended with Darren Martin (pictured) leading the remaining 13 players with 1,875,000 in chips.
The first order of business on Day 2 was reaching the money, as only the final 72 players would cash. That meant 48 players would go home today with nothing to show for it, including T.K. Miles, Andy Hwang, Allen Kessler, Leif Force, and defending champion Jason Baldridge.
The unfortunate player who burst the Money Bubble was Buddy Bonnecaze, who was all in for less than the big blind in the sixth hand of hand-for-hand play. Three other players checked to the river on a board of , and Bonnecaze held for a full house and a chance to stay alive. But Lawrence Broom turned over to win the pot and burst the bubble, to the delight of 72 players and the dismay of Bonnecaze.
Once the Money Bubble burst, eliminations were frequent, and some of the notables to earn a cash today were Mark Dube (70th, $2,843), Ashly Butler (69th, $2,843), Peter Vitantonio (57th, $3,097), Walter Chambers (61st, $3,097), Nick Pupillo (53rd, $3,392), Marshall White (44th, $3,757), Cory Waaland (41st, $3,757), and Corey Bierria (29th, $5,443).
But history is written by the winners, and the 13 players who are still alive are the only ones with a chance to claim this title. Here are their seating assignments and chip counts heading into Day 3, followed by the remaining prizepool at stake:
TABLE 1
Seat 1. Jeff Banghart - 1,405,000 (47 bb)
Seat 2.
Seat 3.
Seat 4. Donnell Dais - 365,000 (12 bb)
Seat 5.
Seat 6. Darren Martin - 1,875,000 (63 bb)
Seat 7. Pearce Arnold - 695,000 (23 bb)
Seat 8. Ben Mintz - 545,000 (18 bb)
Seat 9. Justin Donato - 1,020,000 (34 bb)
TABLE 2
Seat 1. Nick Graphia - 245,000 (8 bb)
Seat 2. Scott Horvath - 1,535,000 (51 bb)
Seat 3.
Seat 4. Mike Cohen - 1,600,000 (53 bb)
Seat 5. Jerry Monroe - 735,000 (25 bb)
Seat 6.
Seat 7. Hugh Cullen - 985,000 (33 bb)
Seat 8. John Skinner - 1,765,000 (59 bb)
Seat 9. Andrew Dennis - 660,000 (22 bb)
1st: $208,184
2nd: $128,816
3rd: $94,482
4th: $70,262
5th: $52,958
6th: $40,447
7th: $31,298
8th: $24,534
9th: $19,477
10th-12th: $15,659
13th-14th: $12,745
In addition to the first-prize money, the winner will receive a WSOP Circuit Ring and a coveted seat in the 2018 Global Casino Championship.
Day 3 begins tomorrow (Monday) at 12:00 noon CDT, and the final 13 players will play as many one-hour levels as it takes to reach a winner.
Relive the Day 2 action with the live updates
Results Thus Far