Berkey, Kenney Bag Huge as Bubble Looms at WPT Five Diamond

The 2021 Entire world Poker Tour (WPT) Five Diamond Environment Poker Typical at Bellagio will head into Day 3 on Friday close to the funds, and with a plethora of big identify professionals even now chasing the $1.2 million to start with area prize.

Bryn Kenney, Joseph Cheong, and Matt Berkey had been amid all those who finished Thursday’s Day 2 session with enormous stacks. Kenney is on the lookout to jump back into the all-time live poker event cashes lead in advance of Justin Bonomo, who also reached Working day 3 but with a lesser stack.

Bonomo, now with just above $57 million in cashes, holds the direct by just more than $260,000. That slim margin could only be overtaken by a fifth spot or far better complete (assuming Bonomo will not also operate deep).

Berkey’s Very first Significant Title

There are even now 105 gamers out of 716 remaining in the $10,400 invest in-in tournament in Las Vegas. Just one of them is Matt Berkey, who completed Day 2 with 648,000 chips, fantastic for the fifth greatest stack (blinds will resume at 3,000/5,000/5,000). Ben Hamnett, a former WPT champion, retains the chip guide at 800,000.

Berkey, the founder of the Address for Why poker teaching brand, is hunting for his very first major match win. He is under no circumstances gained a Globe Collection of Poker (WSOP) or WPT title, and his most significant occupation cash — $1.1 million — was in a $300,000 invest in-in occasion (2016 Tremendous Higher Roller Bowl). But he’s nevertheless been one particular of the most prosperous pros in the sport.

The Pittsburgh indigenous could be just times away from scoring a career-defining match get. But he’ll have to outlast a tricky industry that contains good match grinders. So a lot of higher-profile gamers stay.

The seemingly limitless listing of talent, excluding any aforementioned gamers, includes 2018 5 Diamond champ Dylan Linde (406,000), Erik Seidel (385,000), Landon Tice (379,000), Nate Silver (313,000), Tom Marchese (218,000), Andrew Lichtenberger (201,000), and Nick Schulman (178,000).

And, as for each normal, Darren Elias is even now in it as the funds bubble strategies with 242,000 chips. The only 4-time WPT winner is hunting to turn into the only 5-time WPT winner.

Minimal Seating

In 2019, the most recent WPT Five Diamond, there had been a complete of 1,035 entrants. Alex Foxen, who bagged a down below normal stack on Thursday, received it for $1,694,995. This year, attendance was down noticeably with 716 entrants. Matt Savage spelled out to PokerNews why this year’s occasion was rather a little bit smaller sized.

Savage, the WPT’s Govt Tour Director, explained there was a dealer shortage and only 34 tables inside of the Bellagio poker room were obtainable for the tournament.

Inspite of the decrease in attendance, Savage stated the turnout was “greater than I envisioned.” Presented the supplier lack and limited seating, he appeared to be pleasantly amazed that the tournament still finished up with a moderately large subject.

The bubble will very likely burst early on Working day 3, which commences at midday PT. There are 105 gamers remaining and 90 of them will income. A min-income is value $18,110, and the pay jumps will start out to get large as soon as the field dwindles down to close to a dozen.

_{*Direct photo from WPT.com.}