The past week brought some big news for those hunting bracelets at the WSOP. This week’s WSOP Weekly shows that Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer may be quick on the button, but poker is a different story altogether.

Here’s a look at what has happened at the Rio in recent days.

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Jeopardy champ brings game to WSOP

Plenty of eyes were on recent Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer on Monday. He made his WSOP debut in the $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty.

Despite a deep run, his run came to an end in Level 14 just short of the money. Then, he teamed up with Mike Sexton for the $1,000 Tag Team.

“I decided to enter because Mike Sexton contacted me and offered to sponsor my buy-ins,” the professional sports bettor told the Review-Journal. “I don’t have any plans to enter another WSOP event beyond those two. I played online poker semi-professionally in the early 2000s, but I don’t intend to make a career of it now, as I’m sure I wouldn’t be good enough at it to justify forgoing other opportunities.”

The 34-year-old won almost $2.5 million during his run on the game show, which lasted 32 games. Holzhauer, who lives in Las Vegas, planned to donate 50 percent of any WSOP winnings to charity.

His run at the WSOP didn’t come as easy as the buzzer on Jeopardy.

WSOP Weekly Winners Circle

Loren Klein has been one of the names in the news this summer. Last Friday, he finished off the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet for his fourth bracelet and $127,808.

What makes that win even sweeter is that it’s his fourth bracelet in four straight years. The only other players to accomplish that feat are Bill Boyd and Doyle Brunson in the ‘70s.

Another player grabbed gold last week for the first time as well. Stephen Chidwick took down the $25,000 PLO High Roller for $1.6 million.

Chidwick now has almost $25 million in live tournament winnings. That’s good for 15th on the all-time money list.

In online action, Jason Gooch added to his big run this summer. After finishing runner-up in the $600 Online PLO, Gooch won the $1,000 Online Double Stack on Sunday. The Texan took home $241,492 and his first bracelet.

Here’s a look at a few other winners:

• $1,000 Ladies NLHE – South Korea’s Jiyoung Kim took the title and $167,308 in an event that featured 968 entries.
• $2,500 NLHE – Canadian Ari Engel won his first bracelet and $427,399. That adds to an already big WSOP Circuit collection that includes nine championship rings.
• $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo – Brazil’s Yuri Dzivielevski took the title and $213,750. New Jersey’s Dan Zack took fifth for $43,950 after already winning a bracelet this summer.
• $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-Handed – Eight players remain with $1.1 million going to the winner. Others returning include Kyle Montgomery, Eoghan O’Dea, and former November Niner Jeremy Ausmus. Ausmus is looking for that second bracelet after finishing fifth in the 2012 Main Event for $2.1 million.

This week at the WSOP

Event 58: $50,000 Poker Players Championship (June 24)

If Monday’s action weren’t packed enough, this big buy-in, high-prestige event kicked off. Champions have included some of the biggest names in poker.

That includes Michael Mizrachi, who won it in 2018 for $1.2 million but also won in 2010 and 2012. Already with a bracelet in $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, “The Grinder” will be looking for his sixth bracelet.

The event has become one of the most prestigious tournaments on the schedule and attracts plenty of pros. Players must be sharp to play this mix of games.

• No Limit Hold’em
• Seven Card Stud
• Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
• Razz; Pot-Limit Omaha
• Limit Hold’em
• Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better
• 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw 6-Handed)

Got all that? The final table will make for some interesting viewing on PokerGO on Friday.

Event 62: $10,000 Razz (June 26)

If hoping to get the worst hand possible and avoiding pairs is your game, then this event is for you. Look for plenty of big names chasing a Razz title.

That includes Phil Hellmuth, who took this title in 2015 and also won a $2,500 Razz title in 2012. Last year, Calvin Anderson took the title for more than $302,000.

Anderson already has a sixth place finish in another lowball event this summer – $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw.

Event 65: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo (June 28)

The PLO specialists and big guns will be out in force hoping for a shot at this nice title. Last year, Loren Klein came out on top of a field that brought in 476 runners.

That win brought his third bracelet and more than $1 million. In fact, Klein’s bracelets have all come in games featuring some form of the game:

• 2019 – $2,500 Mixed Big Bet, featuring PLO, Big O, and PLO Hi/Lo)
• 2018 – $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
• 2017 – $1,500 PLO
• 2016 – $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha

It’s those kinds of skills that make him someone to watch yet again in this event.

Bargain buy-ins

• Event 57: $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold’em (June 24) – Teams of two, three, or four can channel their inner wrestler for some tag team action. This makes for one of the coolest vibes in the Rio all summer. Players cheer on their partners along the rail while awaiting their chance to get in the action.
• Event 59 – $600 NLHE Deepstack Championship (June 25) – Yet another chance at a bracelet and big score for a low price. This one features a $500,000 guarantee. Players are allowed on re-entry with an added premium to the winner – a $10,000 Main Event seat.
• Event 61: $400 Colossus (June 26) – The action gets underway with starting flights on Wednesday and Thursday. Players are allowed one re-entry in each flight. A million bucks for only $400? That was the case last summer for Brazil’s Roberly Felicio, who topped a colossal field of 6,716.
• Event 64 $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold’em (June 28) – This tournament sponsored by 888poker has become a summer staple at the Rio. The online site’s signature event guarantees $888,888 to the winners. The site offers legal online poker in New Jersey and sends qualifiers from all over the world to the RIo. The event features three starting flights with payouts beginning in each.  Last year, Galen Hall took down the Big Ocho for his first bracelet in an event with 8,598 entries.
• Event 68: $1,000 WSOP.com NLHE Championship (June 30) – The big Sunday WSOP.com action once again brings players a shot at a bracelet. This event features the highest online buy-in of the summer and should draw a nice prize pool.

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