Joe Cassidy, Brien Meinders and Austin Scott all bagged their first WSOP bracelets while Schwartz, chess player and former November Niner, staked his claim to the chip lead with 18 left in Event 27, $1,500 HORSE.
Rast and Dunst, meanwhile, had perfect days to bag up massive stacks on Day 1 of Event 28, $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Four-Handed.
Cassidy, Meinders and Scott Join Bracelet-Winners Club
Three first-time bracelet winners were crowned yesterday at the WSOP with the marquee piece of hardware bestowed on veteran pro Joe Cassidy.
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Cassidy and six-time bracelet winner Scotty Nguyen returned to the Rio to wrap their heads-up match in Event 24, $5k Omaha Split 8-or-Better, with Cassidy claiming victory fairly early in the day.
Denying Nguyen, Phil Ivey and Mike Matusow at the final table, Cassidy made a well earned $294,777 for the win.
In Event 25, the $1,500 Limit Shootout, Brian Meinders topped a final table that included PokerStars pro Victor Ramdin and two-time bracelet winner Brock Parker to claim his first bracelet.
Meinders earned $116,118 for the win while runner-up Darin Thomas took home $71,704.
Austin Scott also claimed his first-ever WSOP bracelet yesterday when he defeated Brett Richey heads-up in Event 26, $3k Pot-Limit Omaha.
The tough final table included Dutch Boyd, Tom Chambers, Khiem Nguyen and Vadzim Kursevich along with Richey.
Scott, who finished eighth in the same event last year, earned $361,797 for the win.
Schwartz Leads, Chidwick Chases in $1,500 HORSE
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Former November Niner Ylon Schwartz is back in the headlines as he’s stacked his way to the chip lead entering the final day in Event 27, $1,500 HORSE.
Schwartz, who finished fourth in the 2008 WSOP for $3.7 million, bagged up 416,000 in chips to lead the final 18 going into tomorrow.
Stephen “Stevie444” Chidwick, Zimnan Ziyard, David Chiu and Allen Cunningham are also still alive.
Play resumes at 1 pm tomorrow and will play down to a winner.
Top 10 and chip counts:
1. Ylon Schwartz 416,0002. Brandon Guss 368,0003. Sandjay Pandya 353,0004. Robby Rasmussen 315,0005. Benjamin Lukas 285,0006. Ellor Sion 282,0007. Jason Brown 267,0008. Bryce Yockey 265,0009. Stephen Chidwick 220,00010. Marlon Milne 218,000Dunst and Rast Crush $2,500 No-Limit Four-Handed
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In the other event that could play down to a winner tomorrow, just 88 players remain in Event 28, $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Four-Handed, with Brian Rast and Tony Dunst stacked at the top of the leaderboard.
In a field stuffed with pros and with the cards flying, Rast and Dunst had virtually perfect days to both end Day 1 with over 160k in chips.
Steven Weiss leads the two slightly with 171,000 while Sam Stein bagged up 154,200 to sit just off the pace.
Jason Koon, Daryll Fish, Lex Veldhuis and Joe Tehan round out a packed top 10.
Jake Cody, Davidi Kitai, Gavin Smith, Jeff Madsen, Steve O’Dwyer, Isaac Haxton and Annette Obrestad are just a few of the other notable names also still alive and in contention.
Obrestad, who featured prominently in our "All Women, All the Time" coverage yesterday, looked to be on her way to a big stack but fell back near the end of the day.
Check our live coverage section starting at 1 pm for full coverage from Day 2 at the Rio.
Top 10 and chip counts:
1. Steven Weiss 171,0002. Brian Rast 168,0003. Tony Dunst 162,8004. Sam Stein 154,2005. Shankar Pillai 150,0006. Jason Koon 139,0007. Brendon Ruble 126,0008. Daryll Fish 125,7009. Lex Veldhuis 102,20010. Joe Tehan 96,600Visit www.pokerlistings.com