Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 23: 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante
Players Remaining: 32 of 1,222
Average Stack: 1,146,000 (57 big blinds)

Garrett Greer was all in for 154,000 preflop, and Mike Shariati put him at risk with the covering stack in the big blind.

Greer:
Shariati:

The board ran out , and Greer’s aces held to earn him the double-up.

Garrett Greer – 342,000 (17 bb)
Mike Shariati – 530,000 (27 bb)

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Start of Level 23: 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante
Players Remaining: 40 of 1,222
Average Stack: 917,000 (46 big blinds)

The players have just returned from their second break of the day, and Enos Smith has pipped into the lead with 40 players remaining. He’s one of three players over the two-million-chip mark, and there are 11 more with seven-figure stacks in trail.

Here’s the top of the leaderboard:

Enos Smith – 2,317,000
Justin Young – 2,315,000
Andrey Plotnikov – 2,143,000
Jon Turner – 1,754,000
Ben Tarzia – 1,687,000
Tim Reilly – 1,628,000
Matt Haugen – 1,601,000
Phillip Hui – 1,452,000
Edward McPike – 1,426,000
Zoltan Czinkota – 1,380,000
Andrzej Rogowski – 1,327,000
Kevin Chan – 1,269,000
Brian Yoon – 1,231,000
Cate Hall – 1,163,000

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 22: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 41 of 1,222
Average Stack: 894,000 (56 big blinds)

Tim Reilly opened the cutoff to 35,000, and Rob Brown three-bet shoved for 144,000 in the small blind. Reilly eyed up the remainder, then called to put Brown at risk.

Reilly:
Brown:

The board ran out . Brown could not catch up, exiting in 41st place at the hands of Reilly.

Tim Reilly – 1,625,000 (102 bb)
Rob Brown – Eliminated

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 22: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 41 of 1,222
Average Stack: 894,000 (56 big blinds)

SHRP Team member Mukul Pahuja open-shoved for 205,000 in early position, and Rob Brown re-shoved for about 335,000 right behind him. The rest of the table folded, and the cards were turned up with Pahuja at risk.

Pahuja:
Brown:

The flop took one of Brown’s outs away, and the turn and river secured Pahuja’s double.

Mukul Pahuja – 450,000 (28 bb)
Rob Brown – 130,000 (8 bb)

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
End of Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 74 of 1,222
Average Stack: 495,000 (50 big blinds)

From a starting field of 1,222 entries, the final 488 returned to the ballroom on Saturday for Day 2 of the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship. Ten more levels were put in the books, whittling the field down to 74 survivors at the end of the night.

Andrey Plotnikov worked his way to the top of the leaderboard during the middle levels, and he didn’t relinquish that position for the rest of the day. Plotnikov finished with the big stack of 1,793,000, one of nine players who bagged up seven figures.

Here’s how the chip millionaires stack up behind him:

Andrey Plotnikov – 1,793,000
Brian Yoon – 1,468,000
Justin Young – 1,466,000
Rob Kuhn – 1,447,000
Kevin Chan – 1,350,000
David Shmuel – 1,173,000
Matt Haugen – 1,137,000
Phillip Hui – 1,106,000
Tim Reilly – 1,030,000

Mike Shariati is the current leader in the WPT Player of the Year race, and he’s looking to cement the title, finishing Day 2 with 292,000 chips. Fellow Champions Club members Adrien Allain (258,000), David Paredes (217,000), and Marvin Rettenmaier (187,000) also survived the day, though all four of the former champs will have their work cut out for them on Day 3.

There are also four SHRP Team members still in contention for what would be their first WPT title. Mukul Pahuja has come close a couple times before, and he leads his patched-up peers with 417,000 chips. Pahuja is followed by John Racener (390,000), Stewart Newman (169,000), and Michael Laake (123,000).

Day 3 begins Sunday at 12:00 p.m., and action is scheduled to continue until the final table is set. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $6,856, but all eyes are on the WPT Champions Cup and the $654,161 top prize awaiting the eventual winner.

The Day 3 seat draw will be published shortly.

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
End of Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 74 of 1,222
Average Stack: 495,000 (50 big blinds)

The clock has run out on Day 2, and the survivors are bagging up their chips for the night. The board shows 74 players remaining.

A full list of chip counts and the Day 3 seat draw will be published shortly, along with a recap of the day’s action.

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 81 of 1,222
Average Stack: 453,000 (45 big blinds)

Justin Young opened to 22,000 under the gun, and Jason Wheeler three-bet to 58,000 a couple seats over. Young four-bet to 137,000, and Wheeler took pause. He asked how much Young was playing (about 900,000), then moved all in for about 500,000 total. Young called quickly, putting Wheeler at risk.

Young:
Wheeler:

The board ran out , and Young’s queen-high flush earned him a big knockout pot in the penultimate hand of the night.

Justin Young – 1,480,000 (148 bb)
Jason Wheeler – Eliminated

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 81 of 1,222
Average Stack: 453,000 (45 big blinds)

The clock has been paused with 10 minutes remaining in the level. A six was drawn from the deck, so each table will play that many more hands before bagging up for the night.

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 85 of 1,222
Average Stack: 431,000 (43 big blinds)

Jake Bazeley opened to 22,000, and Mukul Pahuja called in position. The flop came , and Pahuja called a continuation bet of 26,000. Both players checked through the turn, and the river was the . Bazeley bet 60,000, and Pahuja called.

Bazeley showed , and Pahuja flashed what looked like pocket jacks as he mucked, conceding the pot.

Pahuja is one of four SHRP Team members still in contention as Day 2 winds down, and he’s now sitting right at the chip average after that little dent to his stack.

Jake Bazeley – 485,000 (49 bb)
Mukul Pahuja – 430,000 (43 bb)

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 89 of 1,222
Average Stack: 412,000 (41 big blinds)

Rainer Kempe opened to 25,000 in the hijack, and Brent Roberts three-bet shoved for 208,000 on the button. Barry Hutter called all in for the same amount in the big blind, and Kempe folded to let the other two play for stacks.

Roberts:
Hutter:

The board ran out . Roberts took a temporary lead on the flop, but Hutter rivered the nut flush to earn the knockout, more than doubling up in the process.

Barry Hutter – 455,000 (46 bb)
Brent Roberts – Eliminated