Lee Davy gets you up to speed on five bracelet wins that took place this weekend, including a first gold bracelet for Shaun Deeb, and strong performances from the Israelis.
When the World Series of Poker (WSOP) rolls into town, poker outlets bust out the “Top 10 Best Players to Never Win a Bracelet,” articles. Shaun Deeb is always on that list.
He’s not on that list anymore.
Deeb couldn’t have timed his first cash of the summer any better, after achieving victory in Event #15: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em (PLH) Championship for $318,857.
The 29-year old was making his second $10k PLH final table, after coming sixth in 2012. It was his 23rd WSOP cash, his third final table, and his first sweet victory.
In terms of star names, I didn’t think the final table of Event #2 could be beaten, but beaten it was. Take a look at the final table results below this write up and you’ll know exactly what I mean. Three players were making their second final table appearance of the summer (Greg Merson, Jason les, and Paul Volpe), and it was the last person in that list who suffered the heartbreak of a runner-up spot for the second time in a matter of days.
Volpe finished second to Keith Lehr in that highly contentious $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championships, and he would be left standing on the same rung of the ladder after a bluff gone wrong left him with chip dust at the final table against Deeb.
Another player who deserves mention is Ismael Bojang, who has cashed 22 times since the 2013 WSOP, more than any other man or woman alive.
Final Table Results
1st. Shaun Deeb – $318,857
2nd. Paul Volpe – $197,048
3rd. Jason Les – $142,747
4th. Sam Stein – $105,364
5th. Greg Merson – $79,182
6th. Dario Sammartino – $60,545
7th. Kristijonas Andrulis – $47,081
8th. Ismael Bojang – $37,227
9th. Jason Koon – $29,911
William Kakon Wins Event #11: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em
660 entrants created a total prize pool of $891,000 in Event #$1,500 No-Limit Hold’em, and Moroccan born William Kakon took the first prize of $196,055 after beating Daniel Needleman in heads-up action.
It’s believed that Kakon is the first Moroccan to win a WSOP bracelet, and the Miami Real Estate Broker did so after defeating a final table that contained the likes of Shannon Shorr, Kevin Song and Brandon Cantu.
“This is my vacation every year,” Kakon told the WSOP after his win, “I am very competitive. If it’s business or poker, I just want to win every single time.”
Cantu was searching for his third bracelet, and Shorr was searching for his first after seven final table appearances.
Final Table Results
1st. William Kakon – $196,055
2nd. Daniel Needleman – $121,051
3rd. Mike Lancaster – $78,693
4th. Bryan Pimlott – $57,799
5th. Shannon Shorr – $43,053
6th. Kevin Song – $32,485
7th. Brandon Cantu – $24,796
8th. Hector Contreras – $19,138
9th. Alexander Kostritsyn – $14,924
Idan Raviv Wins Event #12 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed
Idan Raviv became the first Israeli to win WSOP gold at the 46th Annual WSOP after beating the British pro Iaron Lightbourne in heads-up action. This was one of the toughest tournaments to take down. And it was a particularly tough final table.
Lightbourne was joined by fellow Brit, and former WSOP bracelet winner, Craig McCorkell, and Mike Watson extended upon his amazing SCOOP form with a sixth place finish.
Raviv beat 1,651 players to take the title, a 4% increase on last year’s event.
Final Table Results
1st. Idan Raviv – $457,007
2nd. Iaron Lightbourne – $283,063
3rd. Manoel Filho – $182,108
4th. Markus Gonsalves – $122,586
5th. Craig McCorkell – $82,467
6th. Mike Watson – $56,835
Konstantin Maslak Wins Event #13: $2,500 Omaha / Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Russia has their first WSOP bracelet of the series and it’s a Chess Grandmaster who is wearing it.
Konstantin Maslak defeated a field of 474 players to take the first prize of $269,612. He prevented Israel from winning successive bracelets after he defeated Hani Awad in heads-up action.
Maslak wasn’t the only Russian to reach the final table, in an event that spilled over into an unexpected fourth day of action. Viacheslav Zhukov was also in the mix, and had he been successful, would have been the first Russian player to win three bracelets. His run ended in fourth.
Final Table Results
1st. Konstantin Maslak – $269,612
2nd. Hani Awad – $166,583
3rd. Ben Dobson – $105,893
4th. Viacheslav Zhukov – $76,357
5th. Tuan Vo – $55,923
6th. Brandon Paster – $41,581
7th. Chris Birchby – $31,379
8th. Jose Paz-Gutierrez – $24,036
Barry Hutter Wins Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout
Barry Hutter is one of the most underrated players in the business, and after 14 WSOP cashes he has notched up his first bracelet victory.
Hutter defeated Benjamin Zamani in heads-up action to take the first prize of $283,546.
“I think [a bracelet] is what most people play poker for,” Hutter told the WSOP following the victory. “I’m speechless, really […] I’ve had a lot of chances to close out some big tournaments and have failed. I finally got one. [This victory] will kind of be a landmark of my poker career.”
There was a hint of nostalgia in the air as Dennis Phillips rolled back the years to finish third. Only 30 of the 1,000-player field were female, and two of them made the final table. Kitty Kuo (4th) and Elizabeth Montizanti (5th), both pushing this one very hard indeed.
Final Table Results
1st. Barry Hutter – $283,546
2nd. Benjamin Zamani – $174,771
3rd. Dennis Philips – $113,265
4th. Kitty Kuo – $82,890
5th. Elizabeth Montizanti – $61,560
6th. Orson Young – $46,332
7th. Anton Smirnov – $35,302
8th. Daniel Strelitz – $27,216
9th. Grayson Ramage – $21,208
10th. Randy Pfeifer – $16,740
