WSOP 2019: Razavi goes close, an Australian bracelet, Mizrachi’s fifth and Chinese players going deep

This week’s action in Las Vegas has been interesting for several reasons, but crucially, it has also seen Asian players flying high on the chip count leaderboards and going deep in events. Former bracelet winners have also been adding to their tally, as the more illustrious names at the series begin to find some momentum. Here is our update of the latest happenings from the Rio.

Event 30: Sam Razavi goes close again as Luis Zedan wins the title

Last year, four-time Asia Poker Tour Player of the Year Sam Razavi came extremely close to his first WSOP bracelet, taking runner-up spot in the Millionaire Maker. The Asian fan favourite has been documenting his series with Vlogs and now has a lengthy video update to add, having come painfully close once more with a 3rd place finish in event 30, the $1,000 PLO.

The tournament involved 1,526 entries and a prize pool of $1,374,300. By the time the action had reached three-handed play, Razavi was facing Luis Zedan who was playing his fourth WSOP final table and female player Thida Lin who only had $31,000 in live cashes before this event. Despite facing opponents with limited experience, Razavi had been struggling with a short stack all day and could not improve past 3rd place. He picked up $104,888 for his efforts.

The final payouts are as follows:

1st – Luis Zedan – $236,673
2nd – Thida Lin – $146,196
3rd – Sam Razavi – $104,888
4th – Ryan Robinson – $76,101
5th – Ryan Goindoo – $55,845
6th – Gregory Donatelli – $41,453
7th – Christopher Conrad – $31,130
8th – Stanislav Parkhomenko – $23,654
9th – Erik Wilcke – $18,188

Event 26: Deep runs for the Asian contingent in the Marathon; Roman Korenev claims title

Event 26 was the $2,620 NLH Marathon. This deep structured event gathered together 1,083 hopefuls, all of whom contributed $2,620 to a prize pool which reached $2,553,714. China had more than one player deep in this event, with Dong Sheng Peng almost capturing the bracelet, but falling just short in 3rd for $208,726. Yake Wu picked up 35th place for $11,358, while Iori Yogo too 74th place for $5,444.

Thailand’s Phachara Wongwichit took 87th for $4,930, Hong Kong’s Sparrow Cheung managed 94th for $4,540, with Guoliang Wei and Chuanshu Chen also managing top 100 finishes, taking 96th and 98th respectively, each winning $4,540.

India’s Abhinav Iyer and Malaysia’s Natlie Teh also managed deep runs, taking 75th and 82nd place. Iyer picked up $5,444 for his result while Natalie took home $4,930.

The bracelet in event 26 eventually went to Russia’s Roman Korenev after he defeated day 5 chipleader Jared Koppel heads-up. Korenev was ecstatic to take the bracelet and $477,401 prize, stating that his next goal for the summer was to win his second bracelet.

This event was just the latest in a string of longer events, with many players feeling that almost a week is a little too long to be dedicating to one tournament. The event with the deepest structure this year has seen a fall in participation figures, and this trend could yet become a pattern for this series.

Event 33: Robert Campbell wins first Australian bracelet of the series

The $1,500 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw event was the 33rd event of this series, with 467 players choosing to get involved in the tournament. This saw the prize pool rise to $630,450 as mixed game players from across the world took their shot at the bracelet. One of those players – the man whose shot hit the mark was Robert Campbell from Australia. His win in this event marked Campbell’s third cash this summer, and third top-ten finish too. After almost five years of playing the WSOP and collecting numerous final table finishes, he claimed Australia’s first bracelet of the series after seeing off mixed game pro David Bach heads-up to collect the $144,027 1st prize. Compatriot James Obst also cashed the event in 44th place, while China’s Yueqi Zhu finished in 30th.

The final payouts are as follows:

1st – Robert Campbell – $144,027
2nd – David Bach – $88,995
3rd – Jared Bleznick – $58,343
4th – Kyle Miaso – $39,126
5th – Jesse Hampton – $26,855
6th – Aron Dermer – $18,875

Event 27: Michael Mizrachi wins 5th career bracelet in the $1,500 Stud

Michael Mizrachi has made a serious name for himself in recent years, becoming the only man in history to win the $50K Player’s Championship three times. With event 27 now in the books, Mizrachi extends his total career haul to five bracelets, having won the $1,500 Stud. The event saw 460 players take to the felt, generating a prize pool of $621,000. As the end drew near, the bracelet always seemed to be heading the way of Mizrachi, who always brings a relaxed smile and a raucous rail to every final table he reaches. Robert Gray did his best to prevent his opponent from getting his hands on a fifth career WSOP bracelet, but it was to no avail. Michael Mizrachi swept aside his final obstacle to claim the title and $142,801.

The final payouts are as follows:

1st – Michael Mizrachi – $142,801
2nd – Robert Gray – $88,254
3rd – Michael Sopko – $60,330
4th – Elias Hourani – $42,014
5th – Jan Stein – $29,818
6th – Jose Paz-Gutierrez – $21,575

Other Winners

Event 28 – $1,000 NLH
Prize Pool: $2,229,300
Entries: 2,479
Winner: Stephen Song – $341,854

Event 29 – $10,000 HORSE Championship
Prize Pool: $1,616,800
Entries: 172
Winner: Greg Mueller – $425,347

Event 31 – $3,000 NLH 6-Handed
Prize Pool: $2,035,800
Entries: 754
Winner: Thomas Cazayous – $414,766