John Taylor Bags Chip Lead With Just Three Players Remaining
Day 3 of Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Championship at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas saw 44 competitors return and vying for the coveted WSOP gold bracelet and first-place payday of $270,972.
After 11 levels of play, just three players remain. The final table was a roller coaster, but after the dust settled and the bags were filled the chip leader going into Day 4 was John Taylor who bagged 48,225,000. Just behind him was David Guay with 46,000,000 and Steven Stolzenfeld with 35,200,000.
Final Three Seating
| Casino | Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horseshoe | Feature | 1 | David Guay | Canada | 46,000,000 | 38 |
| Horseshoe | Feature | 2 | Steven Stolzenfeld | United States | 35,200,000 | 29 |
| Horseshoe | Feature | 3 | John Taylor | United States | 48,225,000 | 40 |
At about 8:00 p.m. local time, Gaetan Balleur was eliminated in sixth place and although the plan was to play Day 3 down to five competitors, the decision was made to continue play. The five competitors took their seats at one of the main tables just outside the main stage and the play continued.
The battle raged on as the final table had multiple players who were sitting on over 55 big blinds. The first of the final five to be eliminated was Romain Kowalczyk, who made an unfortunate misstep when he bluff-jammed the river into the made straight of Stolzenfeld. That would be followed by the swift exit of standout player Jonathan Fhima in fourth place.
The final three players then fought it out for multiple hours with no end in sight. The play was nothing short of aggressive and fast with all three players holding the chip lead for periods of time, but none would go easy. After Level 38, the final three players bagged up to get some much-needed rest.
At the moment all three players have locked up a minimum of $124,821. They will return at 12 p.m. on Level 39 at 600,000/1,200,000/1,200,000 blinds and one of them will walk away with over a quarter million dollars and a WSOP gold bracelet.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates straight from the tournament floor of Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack Championship.