$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1:  1,500/2,500 with a 2,500 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining:  387 of 1,155

After 10 levels of play, Day 1B came to an end with 387 players remaining, and the biggest stack belongs to Akash Seth, who bagged up 730,500 (292 big blinds).

The full list of official chip counts and the Day 2 seat draw will be posted later tonight, but here’s a look at the players who finished with at least 500K in chips:

1.  Akash Seth  –  730,500  (292 bb)
2.  Luke Brereton  –  628,500  (251 bb)
3.  Joel Weisberger  –  600,500  (240 bb)
4.  John Miller  –  540,000  (216 bb)
5.  Senhao Cao  –  502,500  (201 bb)

There were 1,135 entries for Day 1A, and another 1,155 entries today for Day 1B, giving us a total field size of 2,290. The prizepool will be worth $7,328,000, and the full list of payouts should also be posted later tonight.

Day 2 begins tomorrow (Sunday) at 12:00 noon. Return to SHRPO.com for our continuing coverage of the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown championship.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10:  1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining:  440 of 1,155

The player in the cutoff got it all in preflop for 22,000 against Akash Seth (small blind) and Ami Rubin (middle position).

Both players checked to the river on a board of , and all three players turned over their cards.

Akash Seth:    (eight high)
Ami Rubin:    (pair of nines)
Cutoff:    (pair of eights)

Rubin won the pot to eliminate the player in the cutoff from the tournament.

Ami Rubin  –  330,000  (165 bb)

Action will continue tonight until the end of this level, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10:  1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining:  440 of 1,155

After some preflop raising and reraising, the UTG player moved all in for about 80,000, and the UTG+1 player moved all in over the top for about 160,000. Akash Seth called from the big blind, and all three players turned over their cards.

Akash Seth:  
UTG:  
UTG+1:  

The pocket kings held up for Seth to win the entire pot and eliminate both players on his way to 735,000.

Akash Seth  –  735,000  (368 bb)

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10:  1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining:  450 of 1,155

1.  Luke Brereton  –  580,000  (290 bb)
2.  Joel Weisberger  –  545,000  (273 bb)
3.  Senhao Cao  –  510,000  (255 bb)
4.  Nick Palma  –  495,000  (248 bb)

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10:  1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining:  470 of 1,155

We’ve received confirmation of the field sizes and total prizepool, and the full list of payouts will be posted later tonight.

Day 1A:  1,135
Day 1B:  1,155

Total Field:  2,290

Total Prizepool:  $7,328,000

With 2,290 entries, this is now the second largest WPT event at this buy-in level, second only to this same event back in 2021 (which had 2,482 entries).

Today’s Day 1B is the fourth largest flight in Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood history, and yesterday’s Day 1A is the fifth largest.

The full list of payouts will be posted later tonight after play ends.

And don’t forget the Players Party, which Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood is hosting in the L Bar (next to the lobby), with free drinks and appetizers from the acclaimed Japanese restaurant Kuro.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10:  1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining:  470 of 1,155

A player moved all in from the cutoff for 28,500, and Stuart Paterson called from the small blind with . His opponent turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and his opponent paired his jack on the flop, but improved no further. Paterson won the pot with his pocket aces to eliminate his opponent from the tournament.

Stuart Paterson  –  140,000  (70 bb)

Action will continue tonight until the end of this level, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining:  513 of 1,155

With the board reading , the player in the big blind was all in for about 120,000 with against John Miller in the small blind holding for a set of sixes.

The river was the , safe for Miller to score the elimination.

John Miller  –  420,000  (280 bb)

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1B Entries:  1,155

Bala Patur raised all in for 5,500 from middle positions Valerie Novak three-bet to 15,000 from the hijack, isolating the action.

Patur: 
Novak: 

The board ran out , giving Novak a pair of aces to eliminate Patur.

Valerie Novak  –  115,000  (77 bb)
Bala Patur  –  Eliminated

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Day 1B Entries:  1,155

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

Registration is now closed, and the tournament clock shows an unofficial field size of 1,155. As soon as we get confirmed numbers, we will post them here in the updates, but the total prizepool should be worth more than $7.3 million.

A scan of the field during the break turned up six players with at least 300K in chips, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

1.  Luke Brereton  –  534,000  (356 bb)
2.  Nick Palma  –  477,000  (318 bb)
3.  Naing Thu  –  386,000  (257 bb)
4.  Mark Koeln  –  332,500  (222 bb)
5.  Michael Nugent  –  325,500  (217 bb)
6.  Alex Cole-Gardner  –  313,500  (209 bb)

Action will continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8:  600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1B Entries:  1,119

Natasha Mercier opened to 2,500 from under the gun, a player in middle position three-bet to 7,500, and Mercier called.

The flop was and Mercier check-called 12,000 from her opponent.

The turn was the , Mercier checked, her opponent shoved for about 70,000, and Mercier tanked for a little while.

“I don’t believe you,” said Mercier, before she called with . Her opponent showed for an open-ended straight draw.

The river was the , safe for Mercier to score the elimination.

Natasha Mercier  –  279,500  (233 bb)