2023 WSOP Week 4 Roundup: Asian Players Represent
The 2023 World Series of Poker already completed four weeks of its summer series in Las Vegas. It started with a bang named Chad Eveslage, who won two bracelets within a few days. As more tournaments ran to completion, players from the poker boom like Nick Schulman, Isaac Haxton, Josh Arieh, David Baker, Shaun Deeb, and John Monnette claimed WSOP gold as well.
To recap, check out the Week 1 recap, Week 2 recap, and Week 3 recap.
As we look at Week 4, we start with Event 33 and see the results of each of the live WSOP bracelet events that ran to completion.
Event 33: Wong Wins
Jerry Wong has been a longtime fixture in poker tournaments and became more notable after his 2016 WSOP Main Event final table. He has titles and a WSOP Circuit ring, but he wasn’t able to close out a WSOP bracelet event until this one.
While he appeared confident throughout his Razz Championship final table, he noted that he was speechless after the long-awaited win. Wong told his heads-up opponent that it was going to be tough to beat him (Wong). “I wasn’t trying to insult him or anything,” Wong said after the tournament. “I was just trying to gain an edge and get this monkey off my back.”
The wait is over for Jerry Wong, as he wins his first bracelet in the $10,000 Razz Championship for $296,682.
Jerry has a history of success at the WSOP with two second-place finishes, and an 8th-place finish in the 2016 Main Event, among other final table appearances. pic.twitter.com/eqcvbQLZMd
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 17, 2023
Event 33 | $10K buy-in | Razz Championship |
Total entries: | 123 | (139 in 2022, 116 in 2019, 109 in 2021) |
Total prize pool: | $1,143,900 | |
Players paid: | 19 | |
Minimum payout: | $16,264 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Jerry Wong (USA) $298,682 |
2nd place: | Carlos Chadha (USA) $184,599 | |
3rd place: | Michael Moncek (USA) $133,177 | |
4th place: | Elior Sion (UK) $97,960 | |
5th place: | Talal Shakerchi (UK) $73,495 | |
6th place: | John Hennigan (USA) $56,265 | |
7th place: | Bryce Yockey (USA) $43,970 | |
8th place: | Yuval Bronshtein (USA) $35,092 |
Event 34: Troha Triumphs
Sean Troha knows his Pot Limit Omaha. He won this $1,500 buy-in event for his second career WSOP gold bracelet, his first having come in the $10K PLO Championship just last year.
“I guess I’m as confident as I’ve been,” Troha told PokerNews. “There are still better players out there, but I’ve done a little bit of work, and I guess I’m just trying to do my best.” His best was good enough.
Event 34 | $1,500 buy-in | PLO 8-Handed (2 RE) |
Total entries: | 1,355 | (1438 in 2022, 821 in 2021) |
Total prize pool: | $1,808,925 | |
Players paid: | 204 | |
Minimum payout: | $2,402 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Sean Troha (USA) $298,192 |
2nd place: | Ryan Coon (USA) $184,305 | |
3rd place: | Matthew Parry (USA) $134,156 | |
4th place: | Benjamin Voreland (Norway) $98,575 | |
5th place: | Matthew Beinner (USA) $73,530 | |
6th place: | Naor Slobodskoy (Israel) $55,381 | |
7th place: | Robert Mizrachi (USA) $42,200 | |
8th place: | Jason Bullock (USA) $32,537 |
Event 35: Klodnicki Claims Gold
To continue with last week’s theme of poker boom players showing their continued relevance in poker, Chris Klodnicki won his second NLHE bracelet. This one was the $10K NLHE Secret Bounty tournament, and it was no easy feat to blast past names like Jeremy Ausmus and Angel Guillen, as he also went from the shortest stack at the final table to the winner.
Klodnicki notes that he has grown fond of bounty tournaments, mostly focusing online. But he was glad to get this bracelet in a live event. “It was nice to get back to live poker,” he told PokerNews. “I’ve always felt comfortable in live poker. I’ve worked on my fundamentals a little bit more by playing online.”
Chris Klodnicki was the last man standing in the $10,000 Secret Bounty winning $733,317 and his second gold bracelet.
Check out the full tournament recap, including an interview with Chris at https://t.co/Sr28NbN3K7 pic.twitter.com/gnNmBUpo5E
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 17, 2023
Event 35 | $10K buy-in | NLHE Secret Bounty 8-Handed (2 RE) |
Total entries: | 568 | |
Total prize pool: | $3,578,400 | |
Players paid: | 86 | |
Minimum payout: | $10,858 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Chris Klodnicki (USA) $733,317 |
2nd place: | Aram Oganyan (Mexico) $453,226 | |
3rd place: | Barak Wisbrod (Israel) $323,181 | |
4th place: | Jeremy Ausmus (USA) $233,690 | |
5th place: | Tracy Nguyen (USA) $171,389 | |
6th place: | Angel Guillen (Mexico) $127,515 | |
7th place: | Daniel Rezaei (Austria) $96,265 | |
8th place: | Eric Yanovsky (USA) $73,756 |
Event 36: Suzuki Dominates Nine Games
AT just 22 years old, poker player Ryutaro Suzuki traveled from Japan to play in the 2023 World Series of Poker, and he showed what he is made of. He took down the Nine-Game Mix event for his first bracelet. Complete with a rail of fellow countrymen and members of the Japanese poker media, Suzuki won amongst friends.
“The Japanese poker community is really growing up,” he said. “There were a few bracelet holders, especially in mixed games. So, it’s really so special for me and the poker community.”
Event 36 | $3K buy-in | Nine-Game Mix 7-Handed (1 RE) |
Total entries: | 361 | |
Total prize pool: | $963,870 | |
Players paid: | 55 | |
Minimum payout: | $4,800 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Ryutaro Suzuki (Japan) $221,124 |
2nd place: | Walter Chambers (USA) $136,667 | |
3rd place: | Jason Pedigo (USA) $92,860 | |
4th place: | Tamon Nakamura (Japan) $64,320 | |
5th place: | Ian Steinman (USA) $45,434 | |
6th place: | Renan Bruschi (Brazil) $32,741 | |
7th place: | Per Hildebrand (Sweden) $24,081 |
Event 37: Li Represents China
Chinese poker players have been making a statement about their love of the game this year, as they came out in solid numbers and proceeded to final table and win bracelet events. This NLHE event bracelet went to Yuan Li of China.
A clearly emotional Li celebrated with friends on the rail and let himself feel all of the poker achievement.
This is what it's all about!
Yuan Li takes down Event #37: $2,000 NLHE for $524,777! pic.twitter.com/yW6XIgJmPX
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 18, 2023
Event 37 | $2K buy-in | NLHE (1 RE) |
Total entries: | 1,962 | (1977 in 2022) |
Total prize pool: | $3,492,360 | |
Players paid: | 295 | |
Minimum payout: | $3,202 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Yuan Li (China) $524,777 |
2nd place: | Jonathan Camara (Canada) $324,355 | |
3rd place: | Pavels Spirins (Latvia) $238,129 | |
4th place: | Jeremy Joseph (USA) $176,529 | |
5th place: | Patrick Truong (USA) $132,153 | |
6th place: | Mark Seif (USA) $99,916 | |
7th place: | James Kraetz (USA) $76,302 | |
8th place: | Yuriy Boyko (Ireland) $58,860 | |
9th place: | Frank Weigel (USA) $45,871 |
Event 38: Glaser Glows in Triple Draw
Benny Glaser is no stranger to poker tournament cash or even bracelets. He is an accomplished mixed game player and won the $10K Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship by defeating an elite field of opponents.
This win is the fifth bracelet for Glaser, who has shown himself to be a prolific player and well-respected opponent, no matter the stakes. And he was ready for this win. “I felt good coming into heads-up today,” he said. “I was pretty confident in my game there.”
Event 38 | $10K buy-in | Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship |
Total entries: | 130 | (118 in 2022, 90 in 2021, 100 in 2019) |
Total prize pool: | $1,209,000 | |
Players paid: | 20 | |
Minimum payout: | $16,378 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Benny Glaser (UK) $311,428 |
2nd place: | Oscar Johansson (Sweden) $192,690 | |
3rd place: | Michael Rodrigues (Portugal) $139,048 | |
4th place: | Sampo Ryynanen (Finland) $101,708 | |
5th place: | Julien Martini (France) $75,341 | |
6th place: | David Baker (USA) $56,528 | |
7th place: | Joao Vieira (Portugal) $42,965 |
Event 39: Dunaway Runs Away with Win
The Monster Stack tournament is a fan favorite each year, and this was no different. More than 8K entries pushed the prize pool past $11.1M. And while former WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada was the most recognized person at the final table, Braxton Dunaway represented Texas and took it down.
“I want to say that all the people who were at the final table were really nice,” Dunaway told PokerNews, “good opponents, good players. I got extremely lucky a few times, but you have to to win one of these things. It was just my turn. It’s just awesome.”
Event 39 | $1,500 buy-in | NLHE Monster Stack (1 RE) |
Total entries: | 8,317 | (6501 in 2022, 3520 in 2021, 6035 in 2019) |
Total prize pool: | $11,103,195 | |
Players paid: | 1,248 | |
Minimum payout: | $2,401 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Braxton Dunaway (USA) $1,162,681 |
2nd place: | Colin Robinson (USA) $718,649 | |
3rd place: | Jesse Rockowitz (USA) $541,376 | |
4th place: | Loic Dobrigna (France) $410,493 | |
5th place: | Nicholas Gerrity (USA) $313,297 | |
6th place: | Joshua Adcock (USA) $240,695 | |
7th place: | Joe Cada (USA) $186,149 | |
8th place: | Julien Loire (France) $144,928 | |
9th place: | Yulian Bogdanov (Bulgaria) $113,597 |
Event 40: Big Win for Brewer
Chris Brewer plays poker mostly at the highest stakes, competing in tournaments with buy-ins larger than most people can fathom. And he is so often at the bad end of big draws, flips, and assorted bad beats. Despite hard work on his game through the years, he was missing something like a WSOP gold bracelet to show for it.
Brewer misses it no more. He won the $250K Super High Roller, his first bracelet, and a moment on a big stage. It was where he expressed his appreciation and showed the emotion that had been building up. “I’m sorry,” he told his interviewer on camera while wiping away tears. “I’ve had some really tough ones. It just feels good.”
THE RUN BAD FINALLY ENDS FOR CHRIS BREWER!!!!!@Chris_D_Brewer captures the @WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller title and his first gold bracelet in spectacular fashion.
Along with that, Brewer earns $5,293,556 for the win! pic.twitter.com/tmHuwMmoPa
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) June 19, 2023
"I've had so many tough ones…. It feels really good."
Don't miss @Chris_D_Brewer's emotional winner's interview with @nataliedbode after his @WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller victory. pic.twitter.com/hTwMXVIekS
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) June 19, 2023
Event 40 | $250K buy-in | NLHE Super High Roller (1 RE) |
Total entries: | 69 | (56 in 2022, 33 in 2021) |
Total prize pool: | $13,944,000 | |
Players paid: | 11 | |
Minimum payout: | $411,940 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Chris Brewer (US) $5,293,556 |
2nd place: | Artur Martirosian (Russia) $3,271,666 | |
3rd place: | Martin Kabrhel (Czechia) $2,279,038 | |
4th place: | Alex Kulev (Bulgaria) $1,632,005 | |
5th place: | Chance Kornuth (USA) $1,202,318 | |
6th place: | Dan Smith (USA) $912,022 | |
7th place: | David Peters (USA) $712,953 | |
8th place: | Brandon Steven (USA) $574,899 | |
9th place: | Steven Veneziano (USA) $478,663 |
Event 41: Abrams Aces Omaha
Big O is five-card PLO hi-lo 8-or-better. Affectionately known as Big O, it brings a special group of Omaha experience to the tables, which explains the presence of people like Owais Ahmed and Victor Ramdin at the final table. But it was longtime player Robert Williamson III who went heads-up against young pro Scott Abrams, and the latter won.
“This is a really complex game,” he told PokerNews, “with so many draws and so many cards. It’s one of the most complex forms of poker that I play, which I think is good for me.”
Event 41 | $1,500 buy-in | Big O (2 RE) |
Total entries: | 1,458 | |
Total prize pool: | $1,946,430 | |
Players paid: | 219 | |
Minimum payout: | $2,407 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Scott Abrams (USA) $315,203 |
2nd place: | Robert Williamson III (USA) $194,814 | |
3rd place: | Bjorn Verbakel (Netherlands) $142,526 | |
4th place: | Victor Ramdin (USA) $105,383 | |
5th place: | David Mize (USA) $78.758 | |
6th place: | Owais Ahmed (USA) $59,501 | |
7th place: | William Haffner (USA) $45,447 | |
8th place: | Patrice Biton (France) $35,098 |
Event 42: Xu Shakes Up NLHE
The $800 NLHE Deepstack event was a massive tournament, with its $3,773 entries and $2.6M prize pool. And in the end, Qiang Xu won it.
After the victory, he noted, “It’s a dream coming true. My goal in coming from China was to win a bracelet, and now, I’ve got it!”
Event 42 | $800 buy-in | NLHE Deepstack 8-Handed (1 RE) |
Total entries: | 3,778 | (2812 in 2022, 1921 in 2021) |
Total prize pool: | $2,659,712 | |
Players paid: | 238 | |
Minimum payout: | $1,977 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Qiang Xu (China) $339,033 |
2nd place: | Jason Johnson (USA) $209,547 | |
3rd place: | John Ciccarelli (USA) $157,776 | |
4th place: | Christian Cheng (Taiwan) $119,629 | |
5th place: | Richard Smith (USA) $91,347 | |
6th place: | Charles Johnson (USA) $70,247 | |
7th place: | Dorian Melchers (France) $54,408 | |
8th place: | Oren Rosen (Israel) $42,445 |
Event 45: Rast Takes Third
The Poker Players Championship and its $50K buy-in was the high roller option for years at the World Series of Poker until the demand grew for more high-stakes action. Even so, the PPC has become a staple for many poker pros, a tournament that they want to win for its prestige and place in poker history. This year, a familiar name took the title. Brian Rast did it…for the third time. It was his sixth overall bracelet and his third in the PPC.
While Rast claimed that his first PPC victory was the most emotional for him, he was clearly elated with this one. He explained, “Maybe as I’ve gotten a little bit older, I’ve kind of learned, like you really have to enjoy it when things work out because it doesn’t happen all the time.”
Hall of Fame finalist Brian Rast wins historic 3rd Poker Players Championship title for $1,324,747!
With the win, @tsarrast captures his sixth bracelet and joins a small, elite group of players with at least six bracelets.
He seems like a strong candidate for the 2023 HOF! 👀 pic.twitter.com/jjoE8KBa96
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 23, 2023
Event 43 | $50K buy-in | Poker Players Championship 7-Handed |
Total entries: | 99 | (112 in 2022, 74 in 2019, 63 in 2021) |
Total prize pool: | $4,727,250 | |
Players paid: | 15 | |
Minimum payout: | $84,255 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Brian Rast (USA) $1,324,747 |
2nd place: | Talal Shakerchi (UK) $818,756 | |
3rd place: | Matthew Ashton (UK) $573,679 | |
4th place: | James Obst (Australia) $411,824 | |
5th place: | Kristopher Tong (USA) $303,071 | |
6th place: | Phil Ivey (USA) $228,793 | |
7th place: | Ray Dehkharghani (USA) $177,294 |
Event 44: Zhang Takes Another for China
Chinese poker players have been out in force at this year’s WSOP, and Yang Zhang is one of them. He is no stranger to the World Series, but he was out of the game for years due to the pandemic. His comeback is one for the books, though, because he won this No Limit Hold’em Event for nearly $718K.
His response to the interviewer’s question about what it means to him was simple. Zhang said, “I think it’s a milestone of my poker life. It’s kind of a great achievement for me.”
Event 44 | $3K buy-in | NLHE (1 RE) |
Total entries: | 1,735 | (1240 in 2022, 0 in 2021, 671 in 2019) |
Total prize pool: | $4,632,450 | |
Players paid: | 261 | |
Minimum payout: | $4,803 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Yang Zhang (China) $717,879 |
2nd place: | Aram Oganyan (USA) $443,680 | |
3rd place: | Alex Lynskey (Australia) $323,610 | |
4th place: | Jon Van Fleet (USA) $238,546 | |
5th place: | Frederic Normand (Canada) $177,732 | |
6th place: | Aleks Dimitrov (Bulgaria) $133,862 | |
7th place: | Shannon Shorr (USA) $101,928 | |
8th place: | John Marino (USA) $78,475 | |
9th place: | Levente Szabo (Hungary) $61,098 |
Event 45: Leffingwell Does Well
The Mixed Omaha tournament featured a mix of PLO-8, O-8, and 5-Card PLO-8, the latter also known as Big O. The unique event for Omaha lovers came down a tough final table that included the formidable Shaun Deeb. But it was William Leffingwell representing Houston who won it in the end.
“I love these people, and I love Houston,” he said about his rail that cheered him to victory. “We’ve been through a lot these last couple of years, and poker down there is the best in the world.”
William Leffingwell called his shot in Event #45: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Event, and he delivered claiming $253,561 and his first bracelet!
Check out the full story behind William's shot calling and post tournament interview on https://t.co/lYINWE1jUY! pic.twitter.com/V3ihbeCskG
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 22, 2023
Event 45 | $1,500 buy-in | Mixed PLO-8/O-8/Big O (2 RE) |
Total entries: | 1,091 | (771 in 2022, 717 in 2019, 640 in 2021) |
Total prize pool: | $1,456,485 | |
Players paid: | 164 | |
Minimum payout: | $2,409 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | William Leffingwell (USA) $253,651 |
2nd place: | Zhen Cai (USA) $156,773 | |
3rd place: | Carlos Guerrero (USA) $109,474 | |
4th place: | Joey Couden (USA) $77,620 | |
5th place: | Shaun Deeb (USA) $55,894 | |
6th place: | Raj Vohra (USA) $40,887 | |
7th place: | Benjamin Miner (USA) $30,392 |
Event 46: Lockett Locks It Up
Quite a lot of people lined up to play this $500 buy-in NLHE freezeout event. And out of the 5,342 players, it was Jay Lockett who won it for $262K.
With a great amount of emotion and gratitude, he called himself dead money at the table. “This is amazing,” he said. “You have to run so hot.”
Event 46 | $500 buy-in | NLHE Freezeout |
Total entries: | 5,342 | (4786 in 2022, 2930 in 2021) |
Total prize pool: | $2,243,640 | |
Players paid: | 802 | |
Minimum payout: | $800 | |
Final table results: | 1st place: | Jay Lockett (USA) $262,526 |
2nd place: | Benson Tang (USA) $162,207 | |
3rd place: | Diego Acquila (Argentina) $121,085 | |
4th place: | Matthew Thom (USA) $91,066 | |
5th place: | Muaaz Gani (South Africa) $69,007 | |
6th place: | Byambajav Bandi (USA) $52,690 | |
7th place: | Shannon Boone (USA) $40,540 | |
8th place: | David Hirst (Australia) $31,433 | |
9th place: | Ibrahim Tarim (Turkey) $24,562 |