Coleman Razzles and Dazzles in Day 1 of $10,000 Razz Championship
Bring In: 1,000
Completion: 3,000
Limits: 3,000-6,000
A swift Day 1 in the Event #50: $10,000 Razz Championship saw 102 players make their way to Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas, to take their shot at World Series of Poker glory.
By the time the last street was dealt, over half of the field had been eliminated with Maxx Coleman emerging as the chip leader of the 47 remaining players after bagging up 319,500. Sitting a distant second is Sebastian Pauli with 235,500, and rounding out the top three is Ivan Schertzer, who ended with 214,500.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxx Coleman | United States | 319,500 | 40 |
| 2 | Sebastian Pauli | Germany | 235,500 | 29 |
| 3 | Ivan Schertzer | United States | 214,500 | 27 |
| 4 | Eric Rodawig | United States | 196,500 | 25 |
| 5 | Ray Fishman | United States | 195,000 | 25 |
| 6 | Max Pescatori | Italy | 188,500 | 24 |
| 7 | Ren Lin | China | 186,500 | 23 |
| 8 | John Racener | United States | 185,500 | 23 |
| 9 | Max Hoffman | United States | 184,000 | 23 |
| 10 | Qiang Xu | China | 174,000 | 22 |
Coleman, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, was the only player to bag over 300,000, thanks in part to picking off a bluff from Schertzer late in the day. Coleman is no stranger to deep runs in Razz, having notched back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the $1,500 Razz event over the past two years. With a pile of chips and plenty of experience, Coleman will be looking to make a deep run once again.
Day 1 got off to a muted start without significant chip movement until after the second break of the day. Up to that point, only three players found themselves on the rail — John Ma, Yuval Bronshtein, and Yueqi Zhu.
Following the break, however, players were eliminated nearly as quickly as new ones arrived. Among those who fell before receiving a bag were Allan Le, Chris Hunichen, Chino Rheem, Allen Kessler, Scott Seiver, Ari Engel, Jesse Lonis, David "ODB" Baker, and Anthony Zinno — who at one point held the chip lead before trending down and eventually busting to Yuri Dzivielevski.
Ren Lin arrived a few levels in and wasted little time getting involved in pots. Lin ran hot from the get-go and dubbed himself the "Razz Master" after eliminating Matt Grapenthien late in the day. His performance landed him with a top-ten stack worth 186,500.
Other notables who fared well include Nick Schulman (129,000), John Hennigan (130,000), Brian Yoon (156,000), John Racener (185,500), and defending champion George Alexander (169,500)
Play will resume on Tuesday, June 17, at 1 p.m. on Level 11, which features 1,000 antes and 4,000/8,000 betting limits. Levels will remain 60 minutes each until Level 15, at which point they will extend to 90 minutes for the duration of the tournament. Breaks will be held after levels 11, 13, 16, and 17 with an extended 60-minute dinner break after Level 15.
Late registration will remain open for one level and will officially close at the start of Level 12.
There's plenty of action to come, so be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you coverage from the floor leading to the next Razz champion.