Dan Colman is as close to a force of nature as anyone in the nosebleed world of high stakes poker, and his legend may be about to continue. The man who’s scored almost $23 million in live tournament cashes already at the tender age of 23 is leading the High Roller for One Drop as Day 2 kicks off.
The World Series of Poker saw its biggest buy-in event of the summer begin on Sunday, as the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop kicked off in a very busy corner of the Amazon Room. And at the end of one day of play, it was Colman who had taken the chip lead yet again.
Looking to Win Another One Drop Tournament
Dan Colman famously won the 2014 Big One for One Drop, the $1 million buy-in charity tournament that has been held in 2012 and 2014. Now, the young gun holds the lead in the slightly smaller brother of the Big One, as he bagged nearly 2 million chips at the end of Day 1 of the One Drop High Roller.
A total of 135 players turned out for the High Roller, which helped raise more than $750,000 for One Drop, an organization devoted to improving access to clear water across the world.
With 40 minute levels, the tournament is surprisingly fast given the six-figure buy-in, and only 46 players remain in contention heading into Day 2.
It hardly needs to be said that this tournament features a stacked field, and there are plenty of notables inside the top ten of the chip counts.
Sorel Mizzi sits in second place, while Andrew Lichtenberger is in third. Coming close on their heels, Andrew Robl, Phill Hellmuth, and Tobias Reinkemeier are also right near the chip lead.
Also making an appearance in this event was Phil Ivey, who had yet to be seen at the 2015 WSOP. Unfortunately for the large rail that was following this tournament throughout the day, Ivey busted early, making this a rather brief sighting of the inscrutable pro.
Sixteen players will cash in this event, splitting up a prize pool of over $14.2 million. The winner will take home just under $4 million, and each of the top four finishers will win over $1 million for their efforts.
Petersen Defeats Mercier to Win PLO Championship
Jason Mercier appeared destined to win the $10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em Championship, and even held about a 4-3 chip lead going into heads-up play. But just two hands later, Mercier had hit the rail, and it was instead Alexander Petersen who had won his first career bracelet and the $927,655 first place prize.
Incredibly, this was Petersen’s first WSOP cash, but that’s not a reflection of his level of experience, particularly in Pot Limit Omaha games.
“I’ve played online for 10 or 11 years now, and Omaha for the last seven,” he said after the tournament. “The reason I hadn’t cashed at the World Series yet is that I see it as a break. You grind all year long, and then when you get to Vegas, you just get drunk.”
Petersen, who hails from Denmark, said that while he plays high stakes online and has seen swings a half a million dollars in a month, this is still his biggest payday. But he also pointed out that it won’t be quite as big for him as it looks in the record books.
“Many people will say that $900,000 is a big cash, but in Denmark you have to play like 55 percent tax,” Petersen said. “So I actually got second place.”
Jacquelyn Scott Crowned Ladies Champion
Petersen wasn’t the only first time WSOP casher to win a bracelet Sunday. Jacquelyn Scott won the 2015 Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship, earning $153,876 and a bracelet in her first-ever cash at the World Series.
“It’s great to win this,” Scott said after the tournament. “I’m so thankful to win. Not only was this a great tournament, it was also a great atmosphere.”
For Scott, a former registered nurse who now works as a realtor, the Ladies Championship was a special experience even before she booked her win.
“I was so impressed by the way everyone behaves and the kindness you see at the table,” she said. “We talk among ourselves and really enjoy the atmosphere. Many women make this their one Las Vegas tournament of the year.”
Liberto Wins $3,000 Six Max Title
Justin Liberto came back for an extra day of play and defeated Ireland’s Seamus Cahill in heads-up play to win the $3,000 No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed Championship. The win earned Liberto his first WSOP bracelet, as well as $640,711 in prize money.
For Liberto, who had previously won two circuit events and finished fourth in the 2013 Millionaire Maker, the win marked the highlight of his poker career so far.
“It feels great,” Liberto said of his win. “I’ve made plenty of runs, I’ve got a lot of seconds through fourths on my resume, and this is a feeling I haven’t really felt before.”
MacPhee Claims $5K Turbo Victory
Kevin MacPhee outlasted a field of 454 players to take home $490,800 and his first WSOP bracelet by winning the $5,000 Turbo No Limit Hold’em event. The win marked MacPhee’s second final table and fifth cash of this year’s WSOP.
“I am pretty used to the format,” MacPhee said of the fast structure in the Turbo. “I play a lot of turbos online. I use my push/fold calculators very methodically when I play online, so for me I feel like this is a pretty good event.”
In Other Events
The DraftKings 50/50 No Limit Hold’em tournament is down to just 28 players, with Ping Liu holding the chip lead. Notables still in contention include three-time bracelet winners Matt Matros and Dominilk Nitsche, both of whom are in the top half of the chip counts heading into Day 3.
Richard Bruning has run out to the early chip lead in the $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event that began on Sunday, a tournament that drew 2,412 entries. Just 278 players will be back for Day 2, and among them are Calvin Anderson, Leo Wolpert, Christian Pham, Rep Porter, and Martin Jacobson.
What’s Happening Today
While the One Drop High Roller was scheduled to crown a winner on Monday, it’s unclear if that will actually happen. There are still 46 players left, and the event could easily push into Tuesday. The DraftKings 50/50 event could also play down to a champion today, though with 28 players still alive in the tournament, it will be a long day, at the very least.
Meanwhile, there will once again be two new events added to the schedule on Monday. At noon Pacific Time, yet another No Limit Hold’em event kicks off, this time a $1,500 buy-in tournament that should see plenty of players turn out.
Later in the afternoon, the $25,000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha tournament will begin. This event is likely to draw a field similar to that of the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship that just ended, meaning there should be plenty of recognizable pros in what will be a small, but extremely talented, field.
