Only 29 Remain in $1,500 Freezeout; Belluscio Shoots For Second Bracelet
Day 2 of Event #52: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em saw 354 hopefuls return to Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas on their quest for World Series of Poker glory.
Only 29 competitors were able to survive the day and put chips into the bag for Day 3. All those who return will be guaranteed $12,762 but visions will be set on the $410,426 top prize – quite the slice from the $3,077,145 total prize pool. Bracelet winner, Julio Belluscio (6,900,000) bagged the lead and will be looking to earn his second gold bracelet. He’s closely followed by Asher Conniff (5,650,000), who will have the exact same objective.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts per WSOP+ App
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julio Belluscio | Argentina | 6,900,000 | 115 |
| 2 | Asher Conniff | United States | 5,650,000 | 94 |
| 3 | Kurt Fitzgerald | United States | 3,960,000 | 66 |
| 4 | Stoyan Madanzhiev | Bulgaria | 3,955,000 | 66 |
| 5 | Carlos Kinil | Mexico | 3,425,000 | 57 |
| 6 | Carlos Leal Kinil | Mexico | 3,425,000 | 57 |
| 7 | Mauro Francolini | Italy | 3,355,000 | 56 |
| 8 | Samuel Rosborough | United States | 3,220,000 | 54 |
| 9 | Matan Mesika | Israel | 2,875,000 | 48 |
| 10 | Bryan Piccioli | United States | 2,395,000 | 40 |
Day 2 Action
With only six eliminations separating the start of Day 2 field from securing a cash or leaving empty-handed, it didn’t take long into the first level of the day to go hand-for-hand. Justin Lett ended up being the true bubble of the tournament, as the hand after his elimination saw three people chop the prize money; Martin Mathis, Michel Molenaar, and 2009 WSOP Main Event Winner, Joe Cada, chopped the two minimum payouts on the bubble.
Among the notables to depart in the money were four-times bracelet winners Kristen Foxen (253rd - $3,022) and Georgios Sotiropoulos (114th - $4,012); start of the day chip leader Liran Betito (158th - $3,664); and Brett Apter (110th - $4,012) just to name a few. Jamie Gold (30th - $12,762) seemed poised for a deep run as he built his stack in the later phases of the tournament, but ended up losing his chips during the last three hands of the night.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $410,426 | 10-11 | $29,923 |
| 2 | $273,545 | 12-13 | $23,788 |
| 3 | $200,173 | 14-17 | $19,117 |
| 4 | $147,952 | 18-26 | $15,533 |
| 5 | $110,463 | 27-29 | $12,762 |
| 6 | $83,318 | ||
| 7 | $63,494 | ||
| 8 | $48,892 | ||
| 9 | $38,047 |
The remaining competitors will return at 1 p.m. local time Thursday, and the field is slated to play down to a winner, taking 15-minute breaks every two 60-minute levels. A possible dinner break will be determined as the day progresses.
Follow all the updates here on PokerNews through to the conclusion of this event, as well as the rest of the bracelet events from the 2025 WSOP.