This summer has just hits different for Chance Kornuth.
Kornuth, the World Poker Tour Champion and three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, is in the midst of an epic summer sun run. A heater that consists of five six-figure scores in a month and a career-high cash of $1.2 million in the WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller, the first seven-figure score of his career.
But that massive payday isn’t the only first that took place this summer. Nine months ago, Kornuth and his family moved from Las Vegas, NV to Nashville, TN and this marks his first WSOP without having them nearby but clearly, he’s found a way to adjust.
“They came for two weeks and left about 10 or 11 days ago,” Kornuth said. “It was great having them here but even when they’re here during that time, I’m still focused on playing. But it’s nice to be able to hug your wife and hold your daughter.”
That focus he talked about is on display here in the 2023 Main Event. Kornuth returned to the Day 3 field, one which holds more than 3,500 survivors, wielding a top-100 stack. Even with all of his success, the victory at the Wynn Mystery Bounty for $537,000 or his runner-up finish in the WSOP $25,000 NLHE for $751,463, Kornuth quickly lists plenty of reason to keep his eye on the prize in the Main.
And after the second break, Kornuth became one of the first players to top the million-chip mark.
“This particular event just kind of has it all, right? It has the money, it has the prestige, and it’s one of the few things that is still on my list of career achievements that I’d really like to do…final table this thing.
“I’m not going to lie, I was talking to my wife yesterday about how tired I’m starting to get but I have some plans in place to get a little bit more rest and just do my best to play my best and stay focused for another week or so until the World Series is over.”
Looking back, Kornuth has two previous cashes in the Main Event. The first was in 2019 where he finished in 184th place for $50,800 and, more notably, his 16th-place finish in 2021 for $305,000. So he has plenty of experience in what it takes to make a deep run in this event. As a regular on the high-roller scene, he’s able to switch gears between battling the small-field elite studio pros versus the shot-takers and dreamers in the Main Event.
“This tournament is considerably different than all the others. Just like when you are playing in the high rollers if you get too out of line in different spots, they are highly capable of punishing you for where you’re too wide.
“And in this tournament, people don’t necessarily do that as much so you get to get away with a lot more and construct your ranges in different ways. You know, this tournament is more about exploit…high rollers are as well but just not to the same degree.”
But whether Kornuth turns his current Main Event stack into a headline on his career year or, well…poker happens…he’s resolute that this is indeed his sickest summer ever.
“Oh yea, for sure, not even close,” he said. “This has been surreal…it’s been fantastic.”