$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1A Players Remaining:  423 of 970

With the board reading , Adam Hendrix had 14,000 committed postflop in the cutoff, facing a raise from Frank Stepuchin in early position to about 38,000. Hendrix tanked for a little while.

“These solver ****er****ers,” said Stepuchin, with a grin.

Hendrix tanked for a little while longer before Stepuchin took out his phone and started the stopwatch app and slid it over to Hendrix.

“I’ll give you a minute before I call the clock,” said Stepuchin.

After about 30 seconds Hendrix reraised all in and Stepuchin called all in for about 25,000 more.

Hendrix: 
Stepuchin: 

Hendrix was ahead with a pair of aces and held through the turn and river to eliminate Stepuchin.

Adam Hendrix  –  288,000  (192 bb)
Frank Stepuchin  –  Eliminated

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1A Entries:  970

The player in the hijack raised to 3,500, Amnon Filippi called from the button, and Taylor Von Kriegenbergh called from the big blind.

All three players checked to the turn on a board of , and Von Kriegenbergh bet 5,000. The hijack folded, and Filippi called.

The river card was the , putting a ten-high straight on the board. Von Kriegenbergh bet 10,000, and Filippi called. Von Kriegenbergh turned over to win the pot with a jack-high straight, and Filippi mucked.

Von Kriegenbergh won this event all the way back in 2011, when it was a $10,000 buy-in, earning a first prize of $1,122,340.

Taylor Von Kriegenbergh  –  76,000  (51 bb)
Amnon Filippi  –  200,000  (133 bb)

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm. Day 1B begins tomorrow at 11:00 am.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1A Entries:  970

Victor Figueroa raised to 3,500 from the hijack, David Coleman called from the button, and the player in the small blind three-bet all in for 8,000. Matt Zarcadoolas four-bet all in about 49,000 and both Figueroa and Coleman folded.

Zarcadoolas showed , leading the small blind’ .

The board ran out , safe for Zarcadoolas to score the elimination.

“I folded a Royal,” laughed Coleman.

Matthew Zarcadoolas  –  68,000  (45 bb)

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1A Entries:  970

With the board showing on the turn and 31,500 already in the pot, the player in the cutoff had a bet of 15,000 in front of him, and Brian Hastings raised all in from the hijack for 68,500.

His opponent tanked for a long time before he folded, and Hastings took the pot.

Brian Hastings  –  115,000  (77 bb)

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm. Day 1B begins tomorrow at 11:00 am.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1A Entries:  967

The players returned from break to begin Level 9, with increased blinds of 1,000-1,500 and a 1,500 ante.

Registration has closed, and the tournament clock shows an unofficial field size of 967, which means the prizepool has already eclipsed the $3 million guarantee, with another full starting flight tomorrow.

A scan of the field during the break turned up three players with at least 325K in chips, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

1.  Nate Steuer  –  396,500  (264 bb)
2.  David Toscano  –  330,500  (220 bb)
3.  Stephen Song  –  328,000  (219 bb)

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm. Day 1B begins tomorrow at 11:00 am.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8:  600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1A Entries:  942

With the board showing on the river, the UTG+1 player checked, the hijack bet 5,000, and Daniel Bekavac raised to about 20,000.

The UTG+1 player check-reraised to about 70,000, and the hijack folded.

Bekavac called all in for 54,700 with for a pair of fours, and his opponent turned over for a pair of eights.

The turn card was the , giving the players two different open-ended straight draws.

The river card was the , and Bekavac won the pot with a ten-high straight to double up in chips.

Daniel Bekavac  –  125,000  (104 bb)

The tournament clock shows 942 entries as play resumes, and the prizepool is already up over $3.01 million, beating the $3 million guarantee on Day 1A.

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the end of the upcoming break (around 9:15 pm).

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8:  600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1A Entries:  925

Dylan Linde raised from middle position to 2,600, and Sheddy Siddiqui called from the big blind.

The flop came , Siddiqui checked, Linde bet 1,800, and Siddiqui called.

The turn card was the , and both players checked.

The river card was the , and they checked again. Linde showed for a pair of jacks on the river, and Siddiqui mucked with a reaction that implied he had the best hand on the turn. Linde won the pot.

Dylan Linde  –  89,000  (74 bb)
Sheddy Siddiqui  –  24,000  (20 bb)

The tournament clock shows 925 entries as play resumes, and the prizepool is already up to $2.96 million on its way to the $3 million guarantee.

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9 (around 9:15 pm).

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8:  600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1A Entries:  925

Francis Margaglione  –  330,000  (275 bb)
Duff Charette  –  220,000  (183 bb)
Ryan Van Sanford  –  195,000  (163 bb)
Jake Ferro  –  190,000  (158 bb)
Darren Rabinowitz  –  190,000  (158 bb)
Fred Goldberg  –  170,000  (142 bb)
Scott Zakheim  –  130,000  (108 bb)
Lexy Gavin  –  130,000  (108 bb)
Jonathan Jaffe  –  120,000  (100 bb)
Eric Baldwin  –  117,000  (98 bb)
Michael Nye  –  107,000  (89 bb)
Mo Arani  –  105,000  (88 bb)
Brock Wilson  –  90,000  (75 bb)
Aditya Prasetyo  –  80,000  (67 bb)
Roland Israelashvili  –  80,000  (67 bb)
Taylor Von Kreigenbergh  –  72,000  (60 bb)
Angelina Rich  –  70,000  (58 bb)
David Jackson  –  63,000  (53 bb)
Natasha Mercier  –  63,000  (53 bb)
Brian Green  –  58,000  (48 bb)
Christian Harder  –  57,000  (48 bb)
Nadya Magnus  –  55,000  (46 bb)
A.J. Kelsall  – 52,000  (43 bb)
Andrew Lichtenberger  –  48,000  (40 bb)
Katie Lindsay  –  35,000  (29 bb)
Yuval Bronshtein  –  35,000  (29 bb)
Tony Cousineau  –  26,000  (22 bb)

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7:  500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1A Entries:  893

Jason Weaver raised under the gun to 5,000, a player in middle position called, and the player in the hijack moved all in for 26,300. Weaver called, and the player in middle position thought for a while before he folded, claiming he had ace-queen.

The hijack turned over , but he needed to improve to stay alive against Weaver’s .

The board came , and the pocket kings held up for Weaver to win the pot and eliminate his opponent.

Jason Weaver  –  174,000  (174 bb)

The tournament clock shows 893 entries as play resumes, and the prizepool is already up over $2.85 million on its way to the $3 million guarantee.

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9 (around 9:15 pm).

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7:  500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1A Entries:  893

Stephen Song  –  310,000  (310 bb)
Nick Schulman  –  214,000  (214 bb)
Luke Brereton  –  175,000  (175 bb)
John Racener  –  145,000  (145 bb)
Alessio Isaia  –  140,000  (140 bb)
Amnon Filippi  –  135,000  (135 bb)
Frank Stepuchin  –  120,000  (120 bb)
Chad Eveslage  –  107,000  (107 bb)
Scott Blackman  –  70,000  (70 bb)
Mike Vela  –  67,000  (67 bb)
Eli Berg  –  65,000  (65 bb)
Jason Brin  – 64,000  (64 bb)
Nick Pupillo –  60,000  (60 bb)
Mike Gagliano  –  58,000  (58 bb)
Joe Serock  –  54,000  (54 bb)
Joe McKeehen  –  48,000  (48 bb)
Steve Buckner  –  45,000  (45 bb)
Aaron Massey  –  45,000  (45 bb)
Kharlin Sued  –  40,000  (40 bb)
Anthony Askey  –  35,000  (35 bb)
Matt Waxman  –  28,000  (28 bb)
Byron Kaverman  –  27,000  (27 bb)