Through The Lens of Drew: Legends Make Waves in the $50k

Drew Amato • Jun 17, 2018

Ivey. Rast. Hansen. Here’s a Look at Day 2 of the $50k.

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Drew Amato has been covering the World Series of Poker since 2014. This year he’s covered the U.S. Poker Open and Super High Roller Bowl for Poker Central. Twice per week, Amato will share his favorite images from the World Series of Poker. Enjoy this recurring piece as, in his own words, Amato describes the biggest moments in the game.

Every day during the $50,000 Poker Players Championship I will share five of my favorite photos. Here’s a look at Day 2.

About the tournament: Two-time winner Michael Mizrachi bagged up the chip lead while 10-time bracelet winner and Hall of Fame inductee Phil Ivey is right on his heels. The other two-time champ, Brian Rast is still in the hunt while Daniel Negreanu keeps his bid for back-to-back final tables alive. Other big names still in contention include Shaun Deeb, Eli Elezra, Dan Smith, Jean-Robert Bellande and Justin Bonomo.

Among those no longer with us on Day 3: Former winner Matthew Ashton, Gus Hansen, Bryn Kenney, Nick Schulman, Paul Volpe and Mike Matusow. Live streaming of this event starts on Twitch on Day 4, and the final table will be live on PokerGO.

A Fan Favorite: The Poker Players Championship offers a unique opportunity for poker fans to watch their favorites in action. As the table sit close to the rail, poker fans from all over the world kept pouring in throughout the day.

Four Going on Five: It should come as no surprise to see Brian Rast near the top of the leaderboard here on Day 2. Rast, fresh off his fourth bracelet win less than a week ago, is chasing his 3rd PPC title. A win this year would set Rast apart as he’s currently tied with Michael Mizrachi.

Gus Gonna Gus: While the majority of players did sit down and register on Day 1, a handful elected to wait until Day 2. Among those, high stakes legend Gus Hansen. The Great Dane was all smiles entering the tournament area but wasted no time getting into the zone, mixing it up in some big pots. Hansen was eliminated late on Day 2.

Mike The Mouth: I always find the table dynamics so interesting in these big buy-in events. While the fields remain relatively small, the high-stakes community is a close-knit one and everyone seem to have some history. A few fun hands broke out between Mike Matusow and Daniel Negreanu here on Day 2, including a hand of limit hold’em that resulted in this photo. I guess the Mouth wasn’t too pleased with Negreanu raking in the pot.

Enigma: Among the stars in the $50k, none is bigger than Phil Ivey. Day 2 has gone in favor of Phil, as he managed to chip up and build a top 10 stack heading into the dinner break. Often considered “one of the best” by his peers, Ivey will certainly be a player to keep an eye on as play continues over the next few days.

You’ll also enjoy “Super High Roller Bowl Highlights”, “Poker’s Annual Gold Rush” and “Doyle’s Final Ride” in the series “Through the Lens of Drew” by clicking the links.

Follow Drew Amato on Instagram. The 2018 World Series of Poker streams live on PokerGO now. Don’t miss a minute of the action by subscribing to PokerGO. The final table of this event will be live on PokerGO. Follow Poker Central on Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest from the world of poker.

Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Brian Rast, Mike Matusow, Michael Mizrachi, Drew Amato, Gus Hansen, 2018 World Series of Poker, Poker Players Championship