WSOP 2021: Jeremy Ausmus Wins First Series Bracelet, Benny Glaser Leads $25K H.O.R.S.E.
WSOP 2021: Jeremy Ausmus Wins First Series Bracelet, Benny Glaser Leads $25K H.O.R.S.E.

Jeremy Ausmus won the second WSOP title of his career, first of the series, as he defeated the final four opponents in Event #3 to win the $1,000-entry COVID-19 Relief Charity Event. With just five players returning to action on Day 2 of the event and the 2021 World Series of Poker, Ausmus overcame a chip deficit heads-up to overnight leader Jesse Lonis to claim his maiden bracelet and the $48,681 top prize.

Ausmus Overcomes Lonis, Takes First Title of Autumn

It took no time at all for five players to become four as Lonis busted Steve Gross in fifth place for $10,854 when Gross’ eight-four was crushed by queen-five when the chip leader made a Broadway straight on the river. Soon after, Asher Coniff was all-in with ace-six and Lonis was the caller again, this time with pocket sixes. The small pocket pair held to send play to three-handed and Coniff to the rail for $14,919.

Lonis was running over the field, and that didn’t stop with the elimination of Mitchell Halverson in third place for $20,960. Halverson was all-in with the best hand, holding JsJh. Lonis called with 3s3h and would need a lot of help on the board. The flop was a safe 9s8c5s for Halverson, but the 3d turn spelt disaster and the 2s river didn’t save him.

Heads-up saw Lonis go into the duel with a 3:1 chip lead, but Ausmus quickly doubled himself level when his pocket tens held against Lonis’ KdJd. The final hand saw Ausmus all-in with Ac9c against Lonis’ Kh9h and when the board ran out Js8s6s2s5d, Ausmus won the WSOP bracelet and $48,681.

Event #3 $1,000 COVID-19 Relief Charity Event Final Table Results:

  1. Jeremy Ausmus – $48,681
  2. Jesse Lonis – $30,086
  3. Mitchell Halverson – $20,960
  4. Asher Conniff – $14,919
  5. Steve Gross – $10,854

Benny Glaser Leads $25K H.O.R.S.E.

The biggest event of the day, in terms of buy-in, the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E., saw a total of 78 players as registration closed with the start of play on Day 2 of the three-day event. British mixed game specialist Benny Glaser dominated much of the day, busting players throughout vital stages of the tournament. While others, such as Stephen Chidwick, were shot down outside the 12 money places.

Mike Matusow was another player who at one point looked very strong, only for two hands against Philip Sternheimer and Jesse Klein to leave ‘The Mouth’ on the rail. Cary Katz was the first player to sneak into the money, with his 12th place finish worth $42,162 after Yuval Bronshtein was the bubble boy in unlucky 13th place for no return on his investment.

Daniel Negreanu (10th for $46,002) and Roland Israelashvili (11th for $46,002) were both busted on the final hand of the day, with Glaser the beneficiary as his two pair aces and tens beat both Israelashvili and Negreanu’s weaker two pair hands.

When play ended, some very big names were still in the hunt with just nine players remaining. Chip leader at the end of Day 2 was Glaser but plenty of big names survived, such as Jesse Klein, David Benyamine, Phil Hellmuth, and Day 1 chip leader Chad Eveslage all making the cut.

WSOP 2021 Event #2 $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. Final Table Chipcounts:

  1. Benny Glaser – 2,590,000
  2. Jesse Klein – 1,800,000
  3. Chad Eveslage – 1,695,000
  4. David Benyamine – 1,680,000
  5. Phil Hellmuth – 1,640,000
  6. Philop Sternheimer – 865,000
  7. Ben Yu – 830,000
  8. Matt Glantz – 410,000
  9. DJ Buckley – 160,000

Barnett’s A Bracelet Winner

The first event on the schedule was Event #1, the $500 Casino Employees Event and that saw a dramatic conclusion crown Caesars Palace employee Jimmy Barnett as the winner.

In an event where 419 players created a prize pool of $175,980, Barnett went into a heads-up battle against Jack Behrens with more than double his opponent’s chips and sealed the deal when his flopped flush held against Behrens’ middle pair when the chips went into the middle.

Event #1 $500 Casino Employees Event Final Table Results:

  1. Jimmy Barnett – $39,013
  2. Jack Behrens – $24,112
  3. Danny Chang – $16,540
  4. Leo Abbe – $11,587
  5. Bryan Garret – $8,294
  6. Bobby Schmidt – $6,069
  7. Chris Minton – $4,542
  8. Rick Cuevas – $3,478
  9. Ronald Baltazar – $2,727
  10. Justin Steinman – $2,191

The Reunion Gets Underway

One of the biggest events of the series to look forward to for many recreational players was The Reunion, with a $500 buy-in and massive $5 million guarantee. Day 1a saw an incredible 2,649 players take to the felt in pursuit of glory, with many players simply happy to be at the felt after so long away from the action. For one player, the emotion of cashing in a WSOP event for the first time was too much to take in this heartwarming video captured by Kenna James and posted on Twitter.

It wasn’t only players comparatively new to success who were happy. Even with some long waits at registration desks, players who have seen it such as Mike Gorodinsky advocated patience and good humor as he praised the staff at the Rio who are making it so much easier for everyone.

READ: 10 Do’s And Don’ts For World Series of Poker First-Timers

At the end of Day 1a in The Reunion, it was Dave Alfa who totaled the biggest stack, with a massive 3,100,000 chips going into his bag. A slew of great players trail in his wake, however, with Konstantinos Gennaios (2,650,000), Ryan Leng (2,400,000), Joey Weissman (2,270,000) Ryan Laplante (1,700,000), and Cate Hall (1,500,000) all bagging up at the close of play.

Others weren’t so lucky, with former WSOP Main Event legend Matt Affleck, James Romero, and Amir Levahot all cashed but failed to make Day 2.

WSOP 2021 Event #4 $500 The Reunion Top 10 Chipcounts:

  1. Dave Alfa – 3,100,000
  2. Kostantinos Gennaios – 2,650,000
  3. Ryan Leng – 2,400,000
  4. Joey Weissman – 2,270,000
  5. Greg Armand – 1,890,000
  6. Ryan Laplante – 1,700,000
  7. David Danlag – 1,510,000
  8. Kenna James – 1,500,000
  9. Cate Hall – 1,500,000
  10. Walter Atwood – 1,400,000

Heimiller, Mizrachi In Omaha 8 Top 5

A strong field of 607 played Day 1 of Event #5, the $1,500-entry Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, with players such as Robert Mizrachi (177,000), JJ Liu (160,500), and Ari Engel (89,500) all thriving on the opening day of the three-day event.

At the close of play, Christopher Stephen had the chip lead with a massive 206,500 chips, trailed by players of the caliber of Max Pescatori (37,500), Dan Zack (123,500), and Ian O’Hara (57,000) all surviving the day.

WSOP 2021 Event #5 $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Top 10 Chipcounts:

  1. Christopher Stephen – 206,500
  2. Dan Heimiller – 177,000
  3. Robert Mizrachi – 173,500
  4. JJ Liu – 160,500
  5. Anatoliy Zyrin – 143,000
  6. Hernan Salazar – 141,000
  7. Allyn Shulman – 134,500
  8. Dan Zack – 123,500
  9. Gary Kosakowski – 120,000
  10. Frankie O’Dell – 112,500