Another brief round-up from the 48th Annual World Series of Poker including bracelets wins for Adrian Mateos, John Racener, and David Singer.
US media types write a lot about the virtues of Fedor Holz, and rightly so, but that means less space for Adrian Mateos, and the young Spaniard is doing something about that.
At 22-years of age, Mateos has earned $9.1m playing live tournaments, and recently became the youngest player to win three World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelets after beating seven players en route to the top prize of $335,656 in Event #15: $10,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship.
It’s quite a remarkable feat when you factor in the age regulations in Nevada meaning Mateos had to watch from the sidelines for many years until he turned 21. It seems titles and money stick to Mateos like crude oil on the wings of a seagull.
The Spaniard had a bye in the first round before beating an in-form Daniel Negreanu in the Round of 128. Ian O’Hara hit the rail in the Round of 64, and Mateos made money for the second year when he defeated Eric Wasserson in the Round of 32.
The next player to feel the mosquito-like stinger of the Spaniard was Taylor Paur, and then Mateos faced his toughest challenge of the event when he found himself on the end of a 10:1 chip deficit against Ryan Hughes. But Mateos is a human ice pick, calmly hacking away until his opponent, in this case, Hughes, ends up in pieces.
The semi-final was the battle of the youngsters, as Mateos took on another youngster with steam coming out of his ass in the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Main Event winner, Charlie Carrel, but Mateos made light work of him ending the match early.
Standing between Mateos and a record third bracelet was 70-year John Smith, a Vietnam War Veteran, and recipient of the Purple Heart. You couldn’t have chosen a better ending to what turned out to be such a great story.
Smith was making money in this event for the third time in four years, including a runner-up finish to Alan Percal last year, but Mateos proved too hot to handle, and Smith settled for the role of bridesmaid for the second successive year.
“I run good, and I think I play good.” Said Mateos after his win.
The only downside was the attendance.
The event attracted 129 players, a 16% decrease year-on-year, as 2017 event attendances continue to drop in almost every event.
ITM Results
1. Adrian Mateos – $335,656
2. John Smith – $208,154
3. Ryan Riess – $112,379
3. Charlie Carrel – $112,379
6. Ryan Fee – $54,986
6. Jack Duong – $54,986
6. Olivier Busquet – $54,986
6. Ryan Hughes – $54,986
12. Moritz Dietrich – $26,711
12. Dario Sammartino – $26,711
12. Russell Thomas – $26,711
12. Taylor Paur – $26,711
12. Jason Les – $26,711
12. Joseph McKeehen – $26,711
12. Chris Moore – $26,711
12. Dan Smith – $26,711
Apart from Mateos and Smith, the only other player cashing for the second successive year was Busquet who made the semi-final last year.
David Singer Wins Event #14: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E
David Singer earned his second career bracelet by winning Event #14: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. The Las Vegas veteran defeated a field of 736 entrants (-5.4% YoY), but it was far from easy after beating Kevin LaMonica in a six-hour slugfest that left Singer down to just 1.5 big bets at one point.
Singer’s first bracelet came in 2008 when he beat 713 entrants to win a $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em event, and his most recent win, his 40th WSOP cash, means he now has career earnings exceeding $4.4m.
Final Table Results
1. David Singer – $203,709
2. Kevin LaMonica – $125,904
3. Andrew Kelsall – $88,221
4. Max Pescatori – $62,733
5. Mike Coombs – $45,281
6. David “Bakes” Baker – $33,184
7. Kyle Loman – $24,696
8. Esther Taylor – $18,669
Other players sent to the rail with that crazed deep run feral look in their eye were Brandon Shack-Harris (9th), last year’s winner Ian Johns, and Richard Ashby (13th).
Anthony Marquez Wins Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed
Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed bucked two trends.
We saw an increase in attendance when 1,748 people ensured an 18.35% year-on-year increase, and Anthony Marquez became one of the few members of the 2017 WSOP bracelet fraternity to win his first gold bracelet.
Marquez is a cash game pro who decided to give tournaments a shot after his local action started to feel like a basketball with the air being squeezed out of it. He began the heads-up phase against Demosthenes Kiriopoulos with a 5:1 chip lead and never looked like he would need to break into a sweat.
It was only Marquez’s second WSOP cash.
Final Table Results
1. Anthony Marquez – $393,273
2. Demosthenes Kiriopoulos – $249,978
3. Daniel Weinman – $170,477
4. Steven Buckner – $121,114
5. Matt Berkey – $87,141
6. Ilkin Amirov – $63,506
John Racener Wins Event #17: $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed
“I have been wanting this forever.”
Those were the words of John Racener as he finally earned a bracelet after over a decade of trying.
The event attracted 102 entrants, and Racener defeated a tough final table that included Chris Klodnicki, and Mike Matusow to win the $273,962 first prize.
If any event needed some astute marketing, it’s this one. Last year, the field was also teeny-tiny with only 118 entrants ponying the ten-large, and this one barely eked over the century.
This was Racener’s 12th WSOP Final Table, including a runner-up appearance in the 2010 WSOP Main Event for $5.5m and his career earnings exceed $9m, so it was a long time coming.
Racener defeated Viacheslav Zhukov in heads-up action. Zhukov finished sixth in this event last year. James Obst finished eighth to add to his seventh place finish last year, Shawn Buchanan was tenth, and Tommy Hang was eleventh.
Final Table Results
1. John Racener – $273,962
2. Viacheslav Zhukov – $169,323
3. Chris Klodnicki – $117,786
4. Dennis Eichhorn – $83,263
5. Mike Matusow – $59,827
6. Schuyler Thornton – $43,707
