WSOP

WSOP

Jared Hamby, a professional player from Elkhart, Indiana, just collected a cool $525,272 for his victory in WSOP Event #40. This win marks Hamby’s first career WSOP bracelet. The tournament featured a buyin of $1,500 and attracted a large field of 2,161 entrants, generating a prize pool just short of $3 million.

Twenty-one of those 2,161 made it to Day 3 of play, including Kara Scott and Allen Cunningham. At the beginning of play on Monday, Hamby was a longshot to make the final table, with the third-shortest stack. But he was able to double through Cunningham and win an all-in confrontation against Jorge Breda to keep his stack alive going into the final nine. Kara Scott and Allen Cunningham were not so fortunate, both being eliminated before the final table started, with Allen going out as the final-table bubble boy. As the players took their seats at the table to play down to a winner, here’s how the chip counts looked:

1. Peter Hengsakul – 2,622,000
2. Allan Vrooman – 1,973,000
3. Nicolas Fierro – 1,046,000
4. Richard Dubini – 937,000
5. Fred Berger – 843,000
6. Matt Berkey – 788,000
7. Joao Dorneles Neto – 635,000
8. Jared Hamby – 616,000
9. David Nicholson – 259,000

Jared Hamby, Winner of WSOP Event #40

Jared Hamby, Winner of WSOP Event #40

David Nicholson, the short stack, was the first one to leave the final table, as his AQ failed to win a flip against Matt Berkey’s JJ. He left in 9th place with $38,625. After Nicholson’s elimination, Jared Hamby became the short stack, so the pressure was on him. Fred Berger was the next to have to go home, as he flopped top pair in a three-bet pot against Richard Dubini, only to find out that Dubini had an overpair. Dubini’s AA held up, and Fred Berger hit the rail in 8th place, collecting $50,382.

Dubini’s triumph was short-lived, though. He got his stack in against Joao Dorneles Neto preflop with KK. Neto had AK, so Dubin was in great shape. The flop dashed Dubini’s hopes, however, as it came down
A4T, giving Neto top pair and the best hand. The turn and river were inconsequential, and Dubini was down to less than one big blind in his stack. He got it in against Hamby in the next hand and was eliminated. Richard Dubini went out in 7th place, with winnings of $66,544.

Hamby, still the shortstack, was able to quickly double up two times within 15 minutes. Shipping his stack in from under the gun with AT, Hamby was looked up by Neto with QQ. It seemed to be a day for flopped aces, however, as the A79 flop gave Hamby the lead. Gathering steam, Jared then got it in with KJ against Matt Berkey, who was dominated, holding K4. Matt’s hand did not improve and he was sent packing in 6th place, taking home $89,008.

About half an hour later, Peter Hengsakul and Joao Dorneles Neto played out a large pot. Hengsakul opened from early position, and Neto three-bet him on the button. Hengsakul called, and the two competitors saw a flop of 7A3. Neto made a cbet, which Hengsakul called. On the turn, Hengsakul donk-bet into the aggressor, and Neto moved all in. Hengsakul couldn’t wait to put the chips in the middle, as he revealed the
77 for a flopped set. Neto had A8 for a mere top pair and was drawing dead. Neto’s 5th place prize was $120,574.

Nicolas Fierro was the next player knocked out. After his KQ lost a flip to Jared Hamby’s 88, Fierro got his few remaining chips in against Allan Vrooman and Hengsakul, and was speedily eliminated. His 4th place showing was good for $165,501.

Vrooman and Hengsakul got involved against each other again as they played a preflop all-in pot. Hengsakul showed the KQ, while Vrooman had the 88. The flop again had an ace: 9AT. The turn was the 9, and the river came down the J, making a straight for Hengsakul. Vrooman was out of chips, and thus was sent away in 3rd place with $230,178.

The two remaining contenders, Jared Hamby and Peter Hengsakul, then entered heads-up play with the following stacks:

Peter Hengsakul – 7,125,000
Jared Hamby – 2,600,000

The initial action saw Hamby reduced to only one million chips, but he was able to double through Hengsakul with KT against his opponent’s 65. Hengsakul against reduced Hamby’s chips, but Hamby again doubled up, this time with 88 versus Hengsakul’s A6.

A few hands later, the two players saw a flop of QT9, and got their chips in. Unfortunately for Hamby, his Q3 for top pair was behind Hengsakul’s T9 two pair. The turn was the 2, and the river was the 2, counterfeiting Hengsakul’s two-pair. With this hand, Jared Hamby took over the chip lead.

The climactic hand played out soon thereafter. Peter Hengsakul raised it up, and Jared Hamby moved all his chips in. Hengsakul called. The players showed their cards:

Hamby: KT
Hengsakul: 55

It was another flip, in a final table filled with flips. The 46Q flop looked good for Hengsakul, but the K on the turn put Hamby in a very solid lead. The 7 river changed nothing, and Hengsakul was defeated, receiving the $325,780 runner-up prize.

Jared Hamby became the recipient of his very first WSOP gold bracelet as well as $525,272. Griffin Benger, who had been eliminated in 12th place when Peter Hengsakul’s kings cracked his aces, congratulated Hamby, shouting out, “You avenged me! You avenged me!” This was a bit melodramatic, but it is easy to understand that emotions can run high when the stakes are so large.

Hamby, who had had 18 WSOP cashes without a bracelet prior to this event, was ecstatic to have finally chalked up a win. The winner posted the following tweet shortly after his victory:

The final table payouts were as follows:

1. Jared Hamby – $525,272
2. Peter Hengsakul – $325,780
3. Allan Vrooman – $230,178
4. Nicolas Fierro – $165,501
5. Joao Dorneles Neto – $120,574
6. Matt Berkey – $89,008
7. Richard Dubini – $66,544
8. Fred Berger – $50,382
9. David Nicholson – $38,625