The 2016 WSOP broke all previous attendance records. Overall attendace was up 5% with many tournaments breaking previous records. It seems more people are playing poker than ever! More players means it is harder to cash as well. So, all players who cashed should really congratulate themselves. There was $221 million in prize money on the table.
Michael Tureniec Wins WSOP Little One for One Drop Tournament
The final event of the summer WSOP series has finished. Michael Tureniec wins the Little One for One Drop Poker Tournament. The 31 year old professional poker player top a field of 4,360 entries. The total prize pool was $3,924,000. For the win, Tureniec collects $525,520. Previously, he’s had 9 other WSOP cashes, but this is his first bracelet and final table.
He rallied from a low chip stack to power over his fellow players and take first place.
The One Drop For Water Poker tournaments are the events one percent of all players’ winnings go to establishing water in areas where water isn’t common. Rural areas of third world countries are the beneficiaries of One Drop major support.
The top finishers in the Little One for One Drop poker tournament were: Michael Tureniec $525,520 Calvin Anderson $324,597 Ryan D’Angelo $177,695 Thai Tolly $133,028 Lucas Blanco $100,380 Samer Al-Shurieki $76,351 Shai Zurr $58,543 Guillame Diaz $45,254
As said before, this was the last of tournaments of the first part of the WSOP. The 2016 WSOP Main Event starts in October!! Player Highlights of the WSOP 2016
Player of the Year
Players of the Year goes to the top point earners. This year Jason Mercier topped the chart with the most points. Jason Mercier cashed alot. He had a total of 11 cashes ranging from $2000 to over $400,000. He got a total of five bracelets at this event!
Paul Volpe ranks second. His cashes ranged from $5000 to over $200,000. Ryan Laplante hit the jackpot with twelve cashes It was a record amount of cashes, though most were less than $10,000. One of his cashes was for nearly $200,000. He brought a moment of pride to the tournament declaring he’s gay and showing off his leading man. This was right after the Orlando killings.
The top players of the tournament were: Jason Mercier Paul Volpe Max Silver James Obst John Monnette Martin Kozlov Justin Bonomo Michael Gathy David Vamplew Benny Glaser
The Main Event at the 2016 is the most coveted event in the poker world. Millions of dollars are won. This year the structure is like last year’s. It’s a multiple day type tourney in two parts. The first part is in July and the final part in October. The July part of the tournament is spread out over several days:July 9 through July 18. The October part from October 30 to November 1, 2016. The days are broken down into sections. Day 1A, 1B, 1C, Day2 and so on. This is the largest prize pool in WSOP history with entries to the Main Event up 5% from 2015. Across the board there were more entries this year than last. Is it a sign of a great economy?
There were 6737 entries at $10000 a pop for a total prize pool of $63,327,800. 1st place will take home $8 million, 2nd place $4,658,349, 3rd place $3,451,175. The top 1011 finishers will be in the money.
As of this writing the top players are fluctuating in chip counts. One day Valentin Vornicu was in the lead, the next day Maria Ho has the tops in chip counts. It’s really too early to give even a potential winner. The chips counts of the leaders are not dramatically different.
Some top names in poker are still in and some are out. This article will be updated to keep a running tally of the changes.
Day 6 of the 2016 WSOP Main Event Brings Jerry Wong into the Chip Lead in the Beginning
Continuing from the previous post, this highlights the tournament on July 17th, 2016. As noted in the previous post, there are many ups and downs still happening at the WSOP Main Event. Former chip leader Maria Ho is out. There are no women left in tournament. Brooklyn New York’s Jerry Wong increased his chip lead the most. He got over 11 million chips and is chip leader as I write. Dan Colman, winner of the One Drop for $15 million, saw gains. He was chip leader on another day. But his gains were not as substantial as Jerry Wang’s. He’s now in 18th place. Valentin Vornicu is still in it at 11th place. He was previous chip leader.
All players still in it after tonight, Sunday July 18th will take home at least $80,000. The November Nine finalists will be determined Monday.
Day 6 Finishes with Czech Poker Pro Vojtech Ruzicka as Chip Leader
Continuing the post as noted, Vojtech Ruzicka, a Czech poker pro, has moved into the lead at the 2016 WSOP. He’s an experienced poker pro with 18 in the money cashes at previous WSOP events. He will be the chip leader going into the final day that decides the November Nine players.
Australian poker pro James Obst is in second place. He’s had eight previous cashes at this years’ WSOP not including the Main Event.
Michael Ruane is in third place and Cliff Josephy in fourth place. There is very little difference in chip stacks among these top three, around 25,000,000. Players who are still in it include Valentin Vornicu, and Jerry Wong.
Players who busted out include Paul Volpe, and Dan Colman, One Drop Tournament winner. Monday’s game will be the deciding game.
Chip Counts at the Conclusion of Day 6 Vojtech Ruzicka 25,290,000 James Obst 24,680,000 Cliff Josephy 24,020,000 Michael Ruane 21,690,000 Myung Mike Shin 19,340,000 Fernando Pons 18,920,000 Valentin Vornicu 18,830,000
2016 WSOP Main Event November Niners Decided
The first leg of the 2016 WSOP Main Event is complete. The players, called the November Nine, are set. As with previous updates, leaders changed hands at this part of the tournament as well. In first place is Cliff Josephy from Syosset, New York . He is one of two New Yorkers in the November Nine, the other is Jerry Wong, who is from Brooklyn.
The conclusion of the series starts October 30, 2016.
Valentin Vornicu didn’t reach the exclusive field as with some other players.
Here is the November Nine with their chip counts going into the next part of the tournament. All players at this point will collect at least $1,000,000 plus whatever they make if they move up in the final table. Cliff Josephy 74,600,000 Qui Nguyen 67,925,000 Gordon Vayo 43,325,000 Kenny Hallaert 43,325,000 Michael Ruane 31,600,000 Vojtech Ruzicka 27,300,000 Griffin Benger 26,175,000 Jerry Wong 10,175,000 Fernando Pons 6,150,000
Stay tuned for October!!
The One Drop $111,111 drew its largest field to date. 183 players put up $111,111 for a total prize pool of $19,316,565. Fedor Holz, the 22 year old poker phenom, took it down. He cashed to the tune of $4,981,775 and gold bracelet. This marks Holz’s third seven figure score in 2016 alone! Last year was the first year he was even eligible to play in the event!
Holz started the final day in sixth position in chips. He out maneuvered every one around to seize the title. It started with ace high flush against Joe McKeehen’s king high flush. Mckeehen was sent home in sixth place. Holz then won two all-in hands from Brian Green knocking him out to fifth place and Jack Salter to fourth.
Poker pro Dan Smith was working hard knocking out Koray Aldemir to 3rd place. This set up the heads match between Smith and Holz. Thought they battled it out, Holz managed to get a decisive lead. The final hand saw Holz holding eight and seven of clubs against Smith’s ace and nine of spades. The flop brought 10 spades, nine of clubs and two of hearts. The turn brought a six of clubs and river brought the ace of clubs giving Holz the flush win.
With an event of this much money, the high rollers were here in abundance. Antonio Esfandiari, Joe McKeehen, Andrea Mateos, and Kyle Julius were among those in the money.
The top finishers were: Fedor Holz $4,981,775 Dan Smith $3,078,974 Koray Aldemir $2,154,265 Brian Green $1,117,923 Joe McKeehen $829,792 Nick Petrangelo $628,679 Niall Farrell $486,383 Scott Seiver $384,425
Fedor Holz wins Event #67: $111,111 High Roller for One Drop NLH for $4,981,775. It follows up with an interview.
WSOP.COM Online No Limit Holdem Tournament Won by Clayton Maguire
A poker pro from Vegas, Clayton Maguire, has won the WSOP.COM Online No Limit Holdem Event at the 2016 WSOP. The tournament is played both online and at the Rio Hotel. The first stage is online. The final table is composed of the top six players online. All players had to be in Nevada for the final table to enter. For the win, Maguire takes home $210,279.
The top finishers in the event were: Clayton Maguire $210,279 Simeon Naydenov $150,569 Marc Carpentier-Perrault $110,172 Spencer Taylor $82,926 Richard Tuhrim $59,233 Park-Yu $46,201 Pot Limit Omaha High Low Split Won by Kyle Bowker at the 2016 WSOP
Professional poker player, Kyle Bowker, has won the $3000 Pot Limit Omaha High Low Split at the 2016 WSOP. He collects a gold bracelet and $294,960. He’s been grinding at the WSOP for 10 years but this is his first gold bracelet. He’s previously had 35 WSOP cashes, and 1 final table. With this win, his total WSOP earnings are $1,396,963.
The tournament had 473 entries for a total prize pool of $1,291,290. The top 71 finishers were in the money. Pot Limit Omaha High Low Split is primarily an online poker game rarely played except at larger poker tournament that attract a wide variety of players.
The top finishers were: Kyle Bowker $294,960 Kate Hoag $182,281 Jarred Graham $124,360 Richard Ashby $86,422 Christopher Ruby $61,196 Noah Bronstein $44,171 Daniel Lowe $32,510 Scott Clements $24,409 Paul Taylor $18,702
Notable players who cashed in the event include Jameson Painter, Andrey Zaichenko, and Marco Johnson.
Poker Commentator and Poker Pro Tony Dunst Wins $1000 No Limit Holdem Event at the 2016 WSOP
World Poker Tour TV series commentator, Tony Dunst, has won the $1000 No Limit Holdem event at the 2016. For the win, Dunst collects $339,254 and his first gold bracelet. This marks his 25th WSOP cash and 2nd final table. His total WSOP earnings are $718,268.
His work has contributed to the growth of poker as he comments in his business suit and tie. And true to form, rather than t shirt or hoodie and sunglasses, he played in a suit and tie. Though at the end of the tournament, the tie was a little loose and top button to his shirt undone. Also, all his work on the WPT, and poker writings contributed somewhat to his win.
The final day, Dunst started in fourth position. He worked his way up to the heads up match between him and Jason Rivkin. Dunst started with a 2:1 chip lead and continued to plow ahead. Rivkin went all-in with unsuited king and ten against Dunst’s unsuited queen and eight. The board showed queen, eight, seven, nine and ten, giving Dunst the two pair victory.
For his runner up position, Rivkin takes home $209,596. The tournament had 2,452 entries and total prize pool of $2,206,800.
The top finishers in the event were: Tony Dunst $339,254 Jason Rivkin $209,586 Joshua Field $153,015 Francisco Araujo $112,724 Matas Cimbolas $83,804 Sergio Cabrera $62,889 Levon Torosyn $47,622 Raffaele Castro $36,406 David Sciacqua $28,097
Ladies No Limit Holdem Event at 2016 WSOP Won by Courtney Kennedy
Courtney Kennedy, a poker dealer from Detroit, has won the Ladies No Limit Holdem event at the 2016 WSOP. For the win, she collects $149,108. Experience is a great teacher and she credits dealing lots of hands as giving lots of priceless experience.
She basically steamrolled the table. By the time the final table came around , she held most of the chips with 3.6 million out of 4.1 million. The heads up match didn’t last too long. Between Kennedy and Mandy Baker, the match was brief. Baker called with unsuited king, eight and was rolled over by the Kennedy’s ace king. Kennedy won with the king pair.
The tournament had 819 entries and total prize pool of $745,200. Like many of the tournaments at this year’s WSOP, there was an increase of players.
The top finishers in the event were: Courtney Kennedy $149,108 Amanda Baker $92,121 Michelle Deng $64,401 Natalia Breviglieri $45,683 Amanda Musumeci $32,889 Shelly Johnson-Ochoa $24,037 Wendy Freeman $17,837 Nicole Schwartz $13,443 Yaxi Zhu $10,292
Notable poker player, Vanessa Selbst, finished in 23rd place. One man played in the tournament, he lost a bet and had to pay ten times the entry fee.
Though he only started playing poker in October 2015, rooking poker player, David Prociak, has won the $1500 Stud Eight or Better event at the 2016 WSOP. He also won $330,000 at the Seminole Rock N’Roll Poker classic in December 2015. He’s won over $600,000 in less than a year.
At the $1500 Stud Eight or Better tournament, there were 521 entries with prize pool of $703,350. For his win, Prociak takes home $156,546 and gold bracelet.
His story is really an inspiration to aspiring poker professionals out there.
The top winners in the event were: David Prociak $156,546 Brandon Shack-Harris $96,750 John Monnette $66,601 Alexander Livingston $46,652 Louis Russo $33,263 Gaurev Kairo $24,148 Jameson Painter $17,855 Calvin Anderson $13,452 Phillip Penn $10,330
The event was loaded with who’s who in the poker world including Daniel Negreanu, Andy Bloch, Carol Fuchs, Joe McKeehen and more.
Doug Polk and Ryan Fee Win 2016 WSOP Tag Team No Limit Holdem Event
For the first time in over 30 years, the WSOP has its first tag team tournament. It was won by Doug Polk and Ryan Fee. Team poker is becoming more prevalent with the Global Poker League also having an ongoing team tournament. This event had 863 teams with between 2 to 4 members. The rules of the tournament are that each member must play one round of blinds to qualify for the bracelet. The total prize pool was $776,700.
Some notable teams include the Mizrachi brothers. All four managed to finish in 26th place. Ryan Laplante teamed with Leo Wolpert and finished in 22 place. This marks his 12th cash and new WSOP record. Another family affair at the tournament was the Little family who cashed in 9th place. It consisted of mother, father and son.
The atomosphere at the event was reportedly fun and jovial. It will likely become a staple at future WSOP events.
The top finishers were: Doug Polk and Ryan Fee $153,358 Adam Greenberg, Niel Mittelman, and Gabriel Paul $94,748 Moshin Charania and Marvin Rettenmaier $66,458 James Dempsey and Christopher Godffrey $47,278 John Gale and TJ Shulman $34,118 Owais Ahmed, Bart Lybaert, Adam Owne and Benny Glaser $24,982 Reuben Peters and Robert Altman $18,564 Michael Padula, Marco Caruso and Daniel Urban $14,003 Jonathan Little, Larry Little and Rita Little $10,724
$5000 No Limit Holdem Tournament Won by Yue Du at the WSOP 2016
In one of the larger prize pools of the 2016 WSOP, Yue Du has won the $5000 No Limit Holdem Event at the 2016 WSOP. There were 863 entries and total prize pool of $4,056,100. Du takes home $800,586 for his win. Du is an investor from China and the first Chinese to win a bracelet this year.
The heads up match was between Du and Michael Gentilli. Du had a 4:1 chip lead and managed to apply pressure to Gentilli throughout the match. The final hand Gentilli went all-in with unsuited ace and two. Du called with ace and seven. Du won with high card of seven.
The top finishers in the event were: Yue Du $800,586 Michael Gentilli $494,797 Natasha Barbour $348,374 Dominik Nitsche $248,640 Ismael Bojang $179,923 Marius Gierse $132,030 Matt O’Donnell $98,269 Sertac Turker $74,201 Anne Coulier $56,851
$25,000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha Won by Jens Kyllonen at the 2016 WSOP
PLO specialist Jens Kyllonen has won the High Roller $25000 Pot Limit Omaha event at the 2016 WSOP. He is an online phenom with nearly $5 million in winnings at PokerStars. The event had 184 entries and total prize pool of $4,370,000. For the win, Kyllonen collects $1,127,035 and a gold bracelet.
Though he’s won a million dollars in a single day, there’s nothing, he says, that compares to winning this event. He’s the first gold bracelet winner from Finland. The event ran for four days. Poker pro Dan Smith was bumped to third place. This set the stage for the heads up match with Tommy Le and Kyllonen.
Kyllonen had a 2:1 chip lead. It wasn’t an easy win. Both players see sawed in being the chip leader at various points during the event. Kyllonen eventually won with Le settling for 2nd place and $696,558.
The top finishers in the tournment were: Jens Kyllonen $1,127,035 Tommy Le $696,558 Dan Smith $487,361 Ryan D’Angelo $347,641 Veslin Karakitukov $252,909 Dmitry Savelyev $187,724 Ludovic Geillich $142,227 Sean Winter $110,035 Robert Mizrachi $86,969
Video: WSOP 2016 Event #62 $25,000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha
This is the final table with Jens Kyllonen at the $25000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha Event 2106 WSOP
29 year old poker pro, David Peters has won his gold bracelet in the $1500 No Limit Holdem event at the 2016 WSOP. To be sure, this is just the topping of an already lucrative poker career. His total career earnings are over $12,000,000 and this year has a been a bonanza with nearly $5 million in total earnings so far. But he’s never won a gold bracelet. The $412,557 prize is a nice payday as well. There were 1,860 entries with total prize pool of $2,511,000. The top 279 players were in the money.
The top finishers in the event were: David Peters $412,557 Cathal Shine $254,890 Matt Affleck $184,456 Muhammad Abdel Rahim $134,845 Zachary Okin $99,592 Brendan Sheehan $74,321 Takuya Suzuki $56,044 Killian Kramer $42,711 David Patterson $32,900
Ryan Laplante is a notable finisher. This marks his 11th cash at this years WSOP. He is on track to make a new record of cashes in the series.
David Nowakowski Wins 2016 WSOP $1500 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better Event
Taking home his first gold bracelet, David Nowakowski has won the 2016 WSOP $1500 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better tourney. There were 732 entries and total prize pool of $988,200.
The poker player took time off from live poker events, moving to Panama to play online. He plans to use the money to finish up school.
The top finishers in the event were: David Nowakowski $203,113 Timothy Vukson $125,507 Marco Johnson $87,192 James Alexander $61,519 Kenneth Po $44,094 Colin Gelker $32,114 Stephen Johnson $23,772 Martin Staszko $17,890 Matt Lefkowitz $13,691
Corey Thompson Wins $1000 Turbo No Limit Holdem Event
27 year old professional poker player from Florida, Corey Thompson, has won the $1000 Turbo No Limit Holdem event at the 2016 WSOP. For the win , he collects $221,663. There were 1,397 entries for a total prize pool of $1,257,300.
Turbo events at the WSOP feature 30 minute levels instead of 60.
For Thompson, the win was rather predictable. He took the chip lead early and held onto it throughout the tournament. The heads up event against Enrico Rudelitz had its moments, but Thompson pulled off the victory. Rudelitz went all-in with an ace, seven. Thompson called with queen jack, unsuited. The board ran 10, 8, 2, 9, 6 giving Thompson a straight and the win.
The top finishers in the event were: Corey Thompson $221,663 Enrico Rudelitz $136,651 William Lang $97,811 Darren Terazawa $70,821 Ankit Ahuja $51,878 Terry Fan $38,452 Matthew Chang $28,842 Ryan Pochedly $21,897 Benjamin Reinhart $16,827
Notable players who cashed in the event include Ryan Riess and Pierre Neuville.
Hung Le Wins Crazy Eights Event at 2016 WSOP
In one of the largest tournaments of the year, Hung Le, a first time WSOP player, has won the Crazy Eights Tournament at the 2016 WSOP. This is the type of win that movies are made of. He is an immigrant Vietnamese living in Dayton, Ohio. He owns a nail salon and with five kids lives a lower middle class lifestyle. Though he never has even entered a major poker event in the past, he pulls off the win at one of largest player fields at the 2016 WSOP. He takes home $888,888. There were 6,671 players with a total prize pool of $5,403,391. The entry fee for the event was $888.
The event had many professionals including Loni Harwood, Dimitar Danchev, and Chris Ferguson. Somehow, through luck, Le was able to come out on top. A major chip move came when Le won with a pair of threes at an all-in hand. The final hand though was in a heads up against Michael Lech. Lech went all-in with a bluff. Le went all-in with a pocket pair of deuces and hit the jackpot! Lech takes home $401,888 for second place.
It can be said poker is never really predictable. There is “more likely to win” but never really a guarantee. This tournament gives the best proof of that saying.
The top finishers were: Hung Le $888,888 Michael Lech $401,888 Dimitar Danchev $297,888 Rafael Yaraliyev $222,888 Henry Grunzweig $167,888 Loni Harwood $126,888 Aurelien Guiglini $96,888 Yang Zhang $74,888 Nils Bardsley $57,605
Professional poker player, Andrew Lichtenberger, wins the $3000 No Limit Holdem event at the WSOP. It’s an impressive win with one of the larger cashes. He collects $569,158. There were 1,125 entries for a total prize pool of $3,071,250. The tournament went an extra day.
Lichtenberger managed to accumulate a 3:1 chip advantage over his heads up opponent, Craig Blight. Though he managed a few comebacks, Lichtenberger roared on. The final hand was won with Lichtenberger getting a straight against Blight’s two pair. Blight pockets $351,721 for his runner up finish.
For Lichtenberger, this is his 34th WSOP cash, 6th final table but first gold bracelet. He says Chris Moneymaker is one of his idols. He also is part of the Ivey League team with Phil Ivey. He’s 28 years old. His total live earnings are over $8,000,000!
The top finishers were: Andrew Lichtenberger $569,158 Craig Blight $351,721 Christopher Johnson $249,336 Mac Sohrabi $179,015 Linglin Zeng $130,191 Erhan Iscan $95,925 Thomas Miller $71,617 Roger Teska $54,190 Daniel Wagner $41,563
Allan Le Win $1500 Omaha Eight or Better Mixed Event at the 2016 WSOP
In the first event of its kind, Allan Le has won the Omaha Eight or Better Mixed event at the World Series of Poker. The event has three types of split pot flop games:pot limit omaha, Omaha eight or better and Big O. There were 668 entries and prize pool of 901,800. Le takes home the gold bracelet and $189,223.
The variety of poker games in this tournament usually means all around players will play in this tournament more than the most popular no limit holdem tournaments.
The heads up was between Le and Germany’s Phillip Einisch . Le got a two pair hand against a single pair for Einisch. Runner up Einisch takes home $116,915.
The top finishers in the event were: Allan Le $189,223 Phillip Einisch $116,915 Cody Cround $79,403 Gavin Smith $54,089 Keith Ferrera $38,634 Yuval Bronshtein $27,696 David Bach $20,229 Gary Bolden $15,059 John Monnette $11,431
Notable finishers include Ofer Zvi Stern, Michael Mizrachi and Jason Somerville.
Eight Handed Pot Limit Omaha Tournament Won by Brandon Shack-Harris at the 2016 WSOP
The $10,000 buy-in Eight Handed Pot Limit Omaha tourney has been won by Brandon Shack-Harris. This marks the second gold bracelet for the professional poker player. He had 20 WSOP cashes and 9 final tables. His total WSOP earnings are $2,613,068. In 2014, he won the $1000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha Tournament.
The tournament had 400 entries and total prize pool of $3,760,000. The tournament went an extra day. The heads up was with Shack-Harris and Loren Klein, another professional poker player. The chip lead changed hands several times till Shack Harris was able to out maneuver Klein with a two pair ace and ten against Klein’s two pair ace and eight. Klein took home $552,713 for runner up .
The top finishers were: Brandon Shack-Harris $894,300 Loren Klein $552,713 Tommy Le $376,667 Melad Marji $261,652 Matthew Parry $185,337 Harley Stoffmaker $113,918 Junayed Khan $98,748 Dominique Mosley $74,339 Matt Sterling $57,160
Notable in the money players.
Jason Mercier cashed in 36th place. Erik Siedel cashed in 60th place.
Safiya Umerova Wins $1500 No Limit Holdem Shootout Tournament at the 2016 WSOP
Russian American, Safiya Umerova, has won the $1500 No Limit Holdem Shootout event at the 2016 WSOP. There were a total of 1,050 entries with a prize pool of $1,417,500. Umerova collects $264,046 for the win. For the 29 year old, this marks her 2nd WSOP cash and first final table. She has now over $400,000 in live poker winnings.
To win a shootout event, players must win three back to back sit-n-go tournaments.
The top finishers in the event were: Safiya Umerova $264,046 Niall Farrell $163,158 Michael Mixer $118,109 Yuliyan Kolev $86,513 Damian Salas $64,129 Raymond Ho $48,115 Daniel McAulay $36,543 Daniel Tang $28,101 Alexander Lakhov $21,881
Notable players who cashed in this event include Vanessa Selbst and Sam Greenwood.
Here is clip from the tournament with Umerova and Farrell:
Former pool shark turned poker pro, Johnny Hennigan has won the $10,000 Triple Draw Lowball Limit Tournament at the 2016 WSOP. This WSOP veteran has an amazing 29 cashes, 13 final tables, 4 gold bracelets and over $4 million in WSOP earnings.
He rarely plays tournaments these days preferring cash games instead but somehow managed to enter the event anyway. The tournament was full of bracelet winners including Michael Gathy. Somehow he triumphed.
The top finishers were: Johnny Hennigan $320,103 Michael Gathy $197,838 J.C. Tran $142,547 Chris Klodnicki $102,910 Viacheslav Zhukov $74,439 Abe Mosseri $53,951 Brant Hale $39,179 Scott Abrams $39,179 Andrey Zhigalov $28,507
Notable players who were in the money include Daniel Negreanu and Adam Spiegelberg.
Kristen Bicknell Wins $1500 No Limit Holdem Bounty Tournament
Dominating a field of over 2,000, Canadian poker player, Kristen Bicknell, has won the $1500 No Limit Holdem Bounty Tournament. The student and part time poker player collects $290,768 and is the first woman to get a gold bracelet at this year’s WSOP. The 29 year old has 3 WSOP cashes, 2 final tables and this is her second bracelet. Look for more this player in the road ahead.
The tournament was bounty style and rewarded players each time a player went bust. One player accumulated over 20 bounties at $500 a pop. That covers the entry fee! Bicknell counted up an extra $9000 at the end of the tournament from knockouts.
The final day saw Bicknell who had a sizable lead, extended it to the win.
Like many of the tournaments this summer, this one ran an extra day.
The top finishers in the event were: Kristen Bicknell $290,768 Norbert Szecsi $179,625 John Myung $130,588 Ryan Leng $95,857 Will Failla $71,049 Sebastien Comel $53,181 Steve Gee $40,203 Fadi Hamad $30,697 Jason Singleton $23,678
Notable in the money players were Chris Moorman, and Michael Mizrachi.
Shaun Deeb Wins $1500 Seven Card Stud Event at the 2016 WSOP
Professional poker player, Shaun Deeb has won the $1500 Seven Card Stud Event at the 2016 WSOP. For the WSOP veteran, this is his 35th cash, 8th final table and second bracelet. He also finished in first place in an event last year as well. His total WSOP earnings are now at $1,291,842. For his win in this event, he will get $111,101. 331 entries created a prize pool of $446,850.
Deeb dominated the tournament from start to finish. He won five straight hands in the heads up against Adam Friedman and got the final pot as well.
Deeb won the 2015 Pot Limit Omaha Event and has three World Championship Online Poker titles as well.
The top finishers were: Shaun Deeb $111,101 Adam Friedman $68,666 Max Pescatori $46,312 Katherine Fleck $31,899 Eugene Katchalov $22,448 Yaniv Birman $16,147 John Monnette $11,87 Corey Zeidman $8,941 Doug Lee $6,889
Steven Wolansky Wins 2016 WSOP $1000 No Limit Holdem Tournament
Professional poker player, Steven Wolansky, has triumphed over a field of 2,076 to win the 2016 WSOP $1000 No Limit Holdem Tournament. The total prize pool was $1,868,400 for his work, Wolansky takes home $298,849. At 28, he’s a WSOP veteran with 19 cashes, 3 final tables and with this win his second bracelet. His total WSOP earnings are $623,891. He’s been in the money at every WSOP since 2013.
The real action in this tournament was in the heads up. His opponent, Wenlon Jin, started the heads up with a 3:1 chip lead. Wolansky by putting Jin on the defense, ate away at the chip lead. It was a David Goliath type battle that required an additional day of play to finish.
The final day, they were equal in chip stack. As the hands were dealt, Wolansky won most giving him a solid lead by 2:1. The final hand was won by Wolansky with a quad of eights.
Tournaments like this show it’s never really over till it’s over and you can come from behind in poker and still win. Hence the motto “Never give up”.
The top winners in this tournament were: Steven Wolansky $298,849 Wenlong Jin $184,631 Bradley Myers $133,955 Young Eum $98,150 Justin Zaki $72,634 Dejan Boskovic $54,294 Walter Rodriguez $40,999 Zaher Sayegh $31,278 Danny Illingworth $24,111 Chris Ferguson also cashed in the tournament and it’s his seventh cash in this year’s WSOP.
In one of the larger prize pools at the 2016 WSOP, George Danzer has won the $10,000 Seven Card Stud High Low Split tournament. He takes home $338,646 for his work. The 33 year old has racked up an impressive 23 WSOP cashes, 15 final table appearance and this marks his fourth gold bracelet. His total WSOP earnings alone are $2,224,901. His previous best finish was $388,523 at the Poker Players Championship event in 2013.
George Danzer is also a Pokerstars team member with his own blog. On his blog he writes about his comings and goings on poker. He’ s previously won the WSOP Player of the Year in 2014. One interesting thing he writes in one post is thousands of hours put in grinding, training and studying to improve mean nothing. It’s the mohawk haircut that brings the luck! It’s been said before as well. It’s a matter of luck! His blog is featured with several of today’s top poker players including Jason Mercier and Vanessa Selbst. In Jason Mercier’s most recent post he writes about being stoked for the summer. But back to the $10,000 Seven Card Stud High Low Split event.
The final table was a collection of the top players including Todd Brunson and Justin Bonomo. Chip leaders changed several times till Danzer entered a major advantage. He went head to head against Randy Ohel and won. Though, a hand or two could have changed the outcome.
The top finishers in the event were: George Danzer $338,646 Randy Ohel $209,302 Justin Bonomo $148,601 Esther Taylor-Brady $107,551 Todd Brunson $79,381 Eli Elezra $59,773 Scott Clements $45,935 David Grey $36,044 Roland Israelashvili $28,890
See the video below:
Mitchell Towner Wins Million Dollar Monster Stack at the 2016 WSOP
In the most anticipated event of the summer for poker amateurs and professionals, Mitchell Towner has won the Million Dollar Monster Stack at the 2016 WSOP. The prize brings Towner a gold bracelet and $1,120,196 in cold hard cash. This is his first cash. If anything, his victory gives hope to the new poker players who want to win big. He was not even given a chance to win, this being his first big tournament, in the minds of the people around him. But miracles do happen. He is also a professor of finance at the University of Arizona.
The top finishers in the event were: Mitchell Towner $1,120,196 Dorian Rios $692,029 Stephen Nussrallah $513,902 David Pham $289,497 Andrew Moreno $219,632 David Valcourt $167,838 Marshall White $129,197 Cody Pack $100,185
Other notable players who cashed include Andy Bloch, former team manager for the MIT blackjack team.
Loren Klein Wins 2016 $1500 No Limit Holdem/Pot Limit Omaha Tournament at the WSOP
The $1500 No Limit Holdem/Pot Limit Omaha Mixed tournament was won by Loren Klein. This type of mixed tournament keeps players on their toes because every eight hands the games change between No Limit Holdem and Pot Limit Omaha. Different strategies must be changed each time. Mental agility is a total requirement for this type of tourney.
Poker Pro Loren Klein had what it takes and took home the $241,427. This marks his 23rd WSOP cash, 5th final table but first WSOP cash. For the 34 year old, he racked up an impressive chip lead that basically left fellow players to look for second place. The event drew 919 entries with a total prize pool of $1,240,650.
The top finishers were: Loren Klein $241,427 Dmitry Savelyev $149,177 Rick Alvarado $104,784 Michael Noori $74,634 Matthew Humphrey $53,915 Eric Penner $39,510 Alexandr Orlov $29,378 David Callaghan $22,168 Steven Gagliano $16,980
Ankush Mandavia Wins $5000 Turbo No Limit Holdem Tournament at the 2016 WSOP
Economics major who became a poker professional, Ankush Mandavia has won the $5000 Turbo No Limit Holdem tourney at the 2016 WSOP. For his win, he gets a gold bracelet and a whopping $548,139. This is 16th WSOP cash, and 2nd final table but first gold bracelet. There were 524 entries and total prize pool of $2,462,000. This was a turbo tournament with levels halved at 30 minutes instead of the standard 60 minute level tournament structure.
Mandavia also won at Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure for $787,640 earlier in the year. So, to say the least, this is pretty good year!
The top finishers were: Ankush Mandavia $548,139 Daniel Strelitz $338,774 Christian Niles $232,934 Pedro Oliveira $115,957 Sean Getzwiller $84,004 Sergey Lebedev $61,964 Phil Helmuth $46,553 Kyle Julius $35,636
In one of the largest tournaments in the WSOP this summer, Martin Kozlov has emerged the winner in the $10,000 Six Max No Limit Holdem tournament at the WSOP. For Kozlov, it’s his 14th WSOP cash, and 7th final table. The win brings him his first gold bracelet and $665,709. The tournament had 294 entries with a total prize pool of $2,763,600.
Kozlov dominated the final table with some incredible hands. The last hand was won when Justin Bonomo went all-in with a pair of nines, David Kitai reraised with pair of sixes, but Kozlov held queen pair and the flop revealed two additional queens giving Kozlov a quad of queens and a major victory.
Other highlights of the tournament include Chris Ferguson who placed fourth and Vanessa Selbst who finished in ninth place.
The top winners were: Martin Kozlov $665,709 Davidi Kitai $411,441 Justin Bonomo $217,856 Chris Ferguson $183,989 Nick Petrangelo $127,622 Jack Salter $90,783 Eric Worre $66,270 Mortiz Dietrich $66,270 Vanessa Selbst $49,677
Phillip McAllister Wins 2016 WSOP $3000 No Limit Holdem Shootout Tournament
Great Britain’s Phillip McAllister has won the $3000 No Limit Holdem Shootout Tournament at the 2016 World Series of Poker. The rule is simple but hard to do – win three straight sit-n-go tournaments in a row. Out of 400 players, only McAllister could actually deliver. The 22 year old gets his first gold bracelet and $267,720 first place prize.
The structure of the tournament is players have to win a 10 seat sit-n-go, then a 4 seat sit-n-go and a final table of 10.
The top finishers in the tournament were: Phillip McAllister $267,720 Kyle Montgomery $165,450 Christopher Kruk $119,686 Maria Ho $87,487 Andreas Freund $64,628 Marcos Antunes $48,252 Jesse Yaginuma $36,416 Rhys Jones $27,783 Faraz Jaka $21,431 Stephen Chidwick $16,717
Notable players who finished in the money include Antonio Esfandiari and Tom Cannuli.
$2500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball Tourney Won by Christopher Vitch at the WSOP
Former computer engineer turned poker pro, Christopher Vitch, has won the $2500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball tournament at this year’s World Series of Poker. He is a lowball specialist but this is his first bracelet. He has previously had 14 WSOP cashes, and five final tables.
This form of poker is less well known and is considered a niche type of poker. The tournament includes several types of poker: Deuce to Seven Triple Draw, Ace to Five Triple Draw and Badugi. The final table was a turning point for Vitch who took the lead and eliminated David Gee. Stockinger busted with a pair while Vitch held 7, 5, 3, 2.
There were 236 entries and total prize pool of $536,900. Vitch takes home $136,854. Runner up Siegfried Stockinger of Austria takes home $84,572.
The top winners were: Christopher Vitch $136,854 Siegfried Stockinger $84,572 David Gee $55,511 Damjan Radanov $37,375 Michael Schiffman $25,830 Gary Benson $18,336 Anthony Lazar $13,380 Christian Nolte $13,380
Jiaqu Xu Wins $1500 Pot Limit Omaha Tournament at the WSOP
A Maryland businessman, Jiaqu Xu has won the $1500 Pot Limit Omaha event at the 2016 World Series of Poker. He stated using music from Queen, “We Are the Champions” as one of his motivating factors. This is is eighth WSOP cash, 2nd final table but first gold bracelet. There were 776 entries and prize pool of $1,047,600. For the win, Xu collects a first prize of $212,128.
The final hand pitted Xu against Jeffrey Duvall. Holding a pair of queens, Xu moved all-in. Duvall called but the board revealed another queen giving Xu the victory. Duvall wins $131,073 for his efforts.
The top finishers were: Jiaqu Xu $212,128 Jeffrey Duvall $131,073 Pallas Aidinian $91,369 Joshua Pham $64,654 Tommy Le $46,452 Richard Austin $33,895 Jon Ho Christensen $25,123 Thibault Klinghammer $18,922 Bryce Eckhart $14,484
The next huge poker star, Adrian Mateos, has won the $1500 Summer Solstice tournament at the WSOP. At 21, his total earnings are nearly $5 million! The tournament had 1,840 entries with a total prize pool of $2,484,000. Mateos took home $409,171 for his work. Though originally scheduled for four days, due to the massive field and 90 minute structure, it took five days.
The final hand was a heads up between Mateos and Austrian Koray Aldemir. Though the Austrian native had a chip advantage at the start of the showdown, Mateos chipped away till he took it over and brought it down. Aldemir went all-in with unsuited ace and two, while Mateos held four pair. The board ran out with Mateos’ four pair winning.
The top finishers in the event were: Adrian Mateos Diaz $409,171 Koray Aldemir $252,805 Alessandro Borsa $182,835 Ralph Wong $133,588 Jon Turner $96,617 Jackson White $73,563 Ronald McGinnity $55,455 Stephen Ladowsky $42,252 David Tovar $32,540
Raph Lebron Wins $3000 Buy-in Six Max Limit Holdem Tournament
Professional poker player Ralph Lebron has won the $3000 Six Max Limt Holdem event at this year’s World Series of Poker. He pockets $169,337 for his efforts. This is his second WSOP final table and fourth cash and first gold bracelet. He won earlier in this series, 2nd, in the Six Handed Pot Limit Omaha event. For the week, his winnings are $380,000! Quite a nice week! The total entries were 245 and prize pool of $668,850. The competition was fierce with Joe McKeehen and other top WSOP winners.
His win was amazing since he started lowest in chipstack on the final day. He managed to outmanuever the field and was heads up against Georgios Zisimpoulos, who he beat. Zisimpoulos collects $104,646 for his work.
Top finishers in the event were: Rafael Lebron $169,337 Georgios Zisimpoulos $104,646 Brad Libson $68,896 Joe McKeehen $46,489 Matt Matros $32,172 Alex Queen $22,848 Andrey Zhigalov $16,663 Mikhail Semin $16,663 Rep Porter $12,489
Hani Awad Wins Half Omaha Stud Mix at the 2016 WSOP
65 year old Hani Awad has won the $2500 Half Omaha Half Stud Mix Tournament at the 2016 World Series of Poker. Amazingly, he finished second in the same tournament in 2015. A lifelong Las Vegas resident, he bought a taxi cab company and has been shuffling tourists around the city ever since. He considers himself to be a recreational poker player. The tournament had 394 entries and total prize pool of $896,350. Awad collects $213,186 for his work.
In the final hand between Awad and Soulier, Awad won with a three, nine pair in stud eight or better.
Top finishers in the tournament were: Hani Awad $213,186 Fabrice Soulier $131,762 Aditya Prasetyo $89,409 Denny Axel $61,888 Michael Chow $43,717 Gleb Kovtunov $31,527 Per Hildebrand $23,222 Timothy Burt $17,479 Benjamin Yogel $13,450
Denny Axel is the former owner of Card Player Magazine. Belgian Poker Pro Michael Gathy Wins $5000 Six Handed No Limit Holdem Tournament at the 2016 WSOP
Former med student turned poker pro, Michael Gathy wins the $5000 Six Handed Tournament at this year’s World Series of Poker. In one of the larger prize pools of the WSOP, Gathy takes home $560,843. This marks the poker pro’s fifteenth WSOP cashes, fifth WSOP final table, and third bracelet. His total WSOP earning are over the $1.8 million mark. The tourney had 541 entries with a total prize pool of $2,542,700. Those who were in the money were the top 82. His runner up opponent was Frenchman Adrien Allain who took home $346,632.
The top finishers were: Michael Gathy $560,843 Adrien Allain $346,632 Manuel Saavedra Nunez $229,990 Blake Eastman $155,762 Scott Margereson $107,723 Thi Nguyen $76,112 Thomas Boivin $54,966 Alexander Lynskey $54,966 Jason Koon $40,592
