2021 WSOP Asia deep runs: Motoyoshi Okamura wins Japan’s second gold; Runner up finish for Aditya Agarwal and Sejin Park, fifth for Mike Takayama

With the 52nd World Series of Poker down to its final days at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino, Asian players have been more visible on the felt with several going deep and reaching final tables. The latest to join the crew of newly minted Asian winners was Japan’s Motoyoshi Okamura for his victory at the Event #72: $1,500 Mixed No Limit Hold’em/ Pot Limit Omaha. At that same event, bracelet winner Mike Takayama placed fifth, which was the deepest run by a Philippine player in this series. At Event #70: $888 Crazy Eights No Limit Hold’em 8-Handed, Korean bracelet winner Sejin Park finished in 2nd place to chip gobbler David Moses, and at Event #76: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout), India’s Aditya Agarwal was defeated by Romain Lewis at heads up to miss his first gold bracelet. We’ve got those stories for you. 

The ongoing series is entering its final week with games running through November 23. Only 14 bracelet events have yet to be captured at the Rio and two left at online platform WSOP.com. At the $10,000 Main Event NL Hold’em World Championship, it is down to the final three players, Germany’s Koray Aldemir, UK’s Jack Oliver, and USA’s George Holmes. All three are guaranteed a minimum payout of US$ 3,000,000. Runner up will earn US$ 4,300,000 and the champion’s purse is a jaw dropping US$ 8,000,000. Aldemir continues to command with a massive two-thirds of the chips at his disposal. 

Event #72: $1,500 Mixed NLH/PLO – MOTOYOSHI OKAMURA – US$ 209,716

Motoyoshi Okamura has been having a grand time on his first trip to Las Vegas. On November 8, the Japanese newcomer finished runner up for US$ 122,000 at the PokerGO Aria High Roller Series then six days later, he clinched WSOP Event #72: $1,500 Mixed NL Hold’em/ PL Omaha 8-Handed to capture the dream gold bracelet and a career high score of US$ 209,716. Okamura was the first player from Japan to clasp the gold at the Rio this year, however weeks prior fellow countryman Kazuki Ikeuchi won one at the WSOP.com online platform. Japan’s overall bracelet tally has now increased to five. 

Recapping Okamura’s victory, the three day event drew a field of 846 entries for a prize pool of US$ 1,129,410. Among the 126 places paid were Asian players Kosei Ichinose (21st), Karan Mehta (32nd), Youcef Zalagh (46th), and Takashi Ogura (126th). Also reaching the money was WSOP Player of the Year frontrunner Josh Arieh in 40th place. By the start of Day 3, only 8 players remained with nearly every player flying a different flag. In chips, Okamura was running second, Brazil’s Rafael Mota was far ahead, and the only decorated bracelet winner was Philippines’ Mike Takayama in fifth position. Back for their second final table were Nicolas Yunis and Jordan Spurlin who placed 2nd at the 10K PLO Championships. 

After the fall of Spurlin in 6th place, Okamura took down several big pots to tighten the gap between him and the leader Mota. Takayama could not catch a break and exited 5th for US$ 48,248, Mota cleaned out Leonid Yanoski in 4th place, and at three handed, Okamura picked up momentum again to take the lead. From there it was a battle for control until Okamura eliminated Yunis in 3rd place with pocket Kings over pocket Threes to bring in a 1.5:1 chip advantage at heads up. The lengthy bout for the title saw the chip lead switch with Mota climbing to a near 4:1 lead however Okamura denied the Brazilian the win as he clawed back up to overtake and eventually ship it under the Pot Limit Omaha variant. The final hand saw both players all in on a flop , Mota ahead with , Okamura top pair, the turn and river improved Mota to a full house to score his first gold bracelet. 

Date: November 12 to 14
Buy in: US$ 1,500
Entries: 846
Prize pool: US$ 1,129,410
ITM: 126 places

Final table payouts 

1st Motoyoshi Okamura – Japan – US$ 209,716
2nd Rafael Mota – Brazil – US$ 129,621
3rd Nicolas Yunis – Chile – US$ 91,989
4th Leonid Yanovski – Israel – US$ 66,249
5th Mike Takayama – Philippines – US$ 48,248
6th Jordan Spurlin – USA – US$ 35,942
7th Marc Lange – Germany – US$ 27,088
8th Tim Grau – Germany – US$ 20,737
9th Nohad Teliani – Canada – US$ 16,128

Asia bracelet winners

Pete Chen – Taiwan – Online Event #3: $400 NL Hold’em Ultra Deepstack
Carlos Chang – Taiwan – Event #41: $2,500 Freezeout NL Hold’em
Kazuki Ikeuchi – Japan – Online Event #5: $1,000 No Limit Hold’em Championship
Motoyoshi Okamura – Japan – Event #72: $1,500 Mixed NL Hold’em – PL Omaha 

Event #70: $888 Crazy Eights NLH 8-Handed – DAVID MOSES – US$ 888,888

A couple of earlier events have seen Asian players come agonizingly close to the gold, falling just one spot short. For Korean bracelet winner Sejin Park, he met the same fate at the recently concluded Event #70: $888 Crazy Eights NLH 8-Handed, as he was unable to get past the chip chomping David Moses. Despite the miss, Park pocketed US$ 400,888 to send his career live earnings to over the million mark. For the champion Moses, it was a dream victory as he bested a massive field of 5,252 entries to capture his first gold bracelet and a mighty score of US$ 888,888. Like Park, this sent his career earnings well past one million. While this was his first bracelet win, Moses also has a WSOPC ring which he won in 2019. Interviewed by PokerNews, Moses said, 

“Everybody wants a bracelet. They asked me if I wanted a picture of it when we got heads-up and I said I’ll get a picture when I win. Just being honest, the money mattered a lot more. It’s a huge amount of money for an eight-hundred dollar tournament, it’s life-changing money. I’ve got two amazing backers. The series has been kind of rough, but it’s definitely not rough anymore.”

The five day event kicked off with three starting days and on Day 2, the final table was formed with Greek pro Georgios Sotiropoulos chip-leading. This was Sotiropoulos’ second final table having won the Mini Main Event for his third career bracelet. Also on the round were two time ring winner Farhad Davoudzadeh and Israel’s Leonid Yanovski who reached the final table of Event #72: $1,500 Mixed NL Hold’em/ PL Omaha 8-Handed (recap above). Moses closed out the day winning two big pots that gave him the chip lead and sent Joseph Liberta out in 7th place. 

On the final day, Sejin Park saw his stack seesaw while Moses cruised along. Moses bad beat Yanovski in 5th place with pairing the queen to dust . This gave him half the chips in play. After Park finished off Paul Fehlig in 4th place, the three handed round was fully dominated by Moses who drained his opponents that even when Park eliminated Timo Kamphues, he was ahead nearly 3:1 at heads up. Despite Park’s attempts, Moses kept his lead intact and scored his first ever bracelet with dominating . 

Asian players in the top 250 were Sumit Sapra (52nd) for his first series cash, Yiming Li (95th), Kazuhiko Yotsushika (98th), Phachara Wongwichit (124th), Shashank Jain (145th), Yin Wu (168th), Hiroki Yokoyama (194th), Siddarth Karia (219th), and Lester Edoc (250th). 

Date: November 12 to 16
Buy in: US$ 888
Entries: 5,252
Prize pool: US$ 4,150,761
ITM: 735 places

Final table payouts 

1st David Moses – USA – US$ 888,888
2nd Sejin Park – Korea – US$ 400,888
3rd Timo Kamphues – Germany – US$ 200,888
4th Paul Fehlig – USA – US$ 134,888
5th Leonid Yanovski – Israel – US$ 102,888
6th Georgios Sotiropoulos – Greece – US$ 79,888
7th Joseph Liberta – USA – US$ 61,888
8th Farhad Davoudzadeh – USA – US$ 49,664
9th Lich Bui – USA – US$ 37,891

Event #76: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty NLH (Freezeout) – ROMAIN LEWIS – US$ 463,885

Rumor has it that India’s Aditya Agarwal was absent from most of the online games this past summer to get ready for the WSOP. If so, his training has proven fruitful with a near win at Event #76: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty NLH (Freezeout) and a career high score of US$ 286,705. Agarwal entered the final day as chip leader and reached heads up against France’s Romain Lewis but fell short to settle for runner up. This was Agarwal’s 46th cash at the annual WSOP and his deepest run. As for the champion Lewis, he finally snatched up his first gold bracelet after being denied in 2018 with two runner ups and two 3rd place finishes. Along with the coveted merchandise, Lewis pocketed US$ 463,885 for his largest ever WSOP payout. He became the fourth player from France to win in this series. Interviewed by PokerNews, the champ shared, 

“All the different deep runs I made a couple of years ago, I was so happy with those results, but when I looked back a few years later, I was like wow bracelets are not that easy. These spots don’t come that often. It’s been a ten-year dream and I put a five or six-year objective to win one and for it to happen now…it makes me ecstatic it really does.

Based on Lewis’ stats on The Hendon Mob, with this win he has nearly US$ 3 Million in live earnings. His biggest prize money was € 428,000 (~US$ 479K) for 3rd place at the partypoker MILLIONS Europe €10,300 NL Hold’em event.

The two day event saw the 307 player field downsize to just 7 players on Day 2. Among the contenders were bracelet winner Stephen Chidwick who was on his third final table, and Italian pro Dario Sammartino and Israel’s Uri Reichenstein who were on their second final table. The all international lineup kicked off with Ukraine’s Yevgeniy Timoshenko booted in 7th place by Sammartino who then plunged after doubling up Chidwick on the classic cooler outdrawing . Chip leader Agarwal maintained his high status by eliminating David Melius in 5th place and Reichenstein in 4th place. By this point, Agarwal was clearly the man in charge and further increased after booting Chidwick in 3rd place. With over two-thirds of the chips at his disposal, Agarwal seemed to be cruising to victory however Lewis was too tough to crack. The Frenchman doubled up then exchanged blows with Agarwal until he built up a sizable lead that could not be toppled. The final hand was Agarwal , Lewis , the board ran for a golden victory pair. 

Other Asians in the money were Abhinav Iyer (14th), Kosei Ichinose (28th), Jaeyoung Choi (32nd), Steve Yea (33rd), and Hayato Kitajima (38th).

Date: November 15 to 16
Buy in: US$ 10,000
Entries: 307
Prize pool: US$ 2,862,775
ITM: 47 places

Final table payouts 

1st Romain Lewis – France – US$ 463,885
2nd Aditya Agarwal – India – US$ 286,705
3rd Stephen Chidwick – UK – US$ 200,598
4th Uri Reichenstein – Israel – US$ 142,840
5th David Melius – USA – US$ 103,547
6th Dario Sammartino – Italy – US$ 76,442
7th Yevgeniy Timoshenko – Ukraine – US$ 57,489
8th Haribhai Gopaul – USA – US$ 44,060
9th Rainer Kempe – Germany – US$ 34,424
10th John Hemme – USA – US$ 27,429

Current Leaderboard standings

Apart from bracelets are two leaderboards to fight for with only the top three players per board winning a piece of the US$ 50,000 cash prize. At the WSOP Player of the Year race, two time series winner Josh Arieh holds the top spot, however Dylan Linde has overtaken Scott Ball for second rank. At the No Limits Velo race, there was no change in the top three spots. 

Breakdown of prizes is the same per board. 

1st US$ 15,000
2nd US$ 7,500
3rd US$ 2,500

2021 WSOP tally

Listed below are select series numbers, player achievements, bracelet winners, and players that have reached multiple final tables.

Event #1 – #76 prize pool: US$ 188,987,235
Online Event #1 – #9 prize pool: US$ 7,353,140
Entries: 110,059
Online entries: 6,443
Main Event prize pool: US$ 62,011,250
Main Event players: 6,650
First time bracelet winners: 46 (live) / 7 (online)
Multiple final tables: 65 players
Most final tables: Phil Hellmuth and Jake Schwartz – 5 

Millionaire winners

Shaun Deeb – US$ 1,251,860 – Event #53: $25,000 High Roller PLO 8-Handed
Michael Addamo – US$ 1,132,968 – Event #38: $50,000 High Roller NLH 8-Handed
Daniel Lazrus – US$ 1,000,000 – Event #17: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER

Two series wins

Anthony Zinno
Event #19: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.

Kevin Gerhart 
Event #40: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship
Event #62: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better 8-Handed

Josh Arieh 
Event #39: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed
Event #66: #10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship

Scott Ball 
Event #25: $5,000 6-Handed NL Hold’em
Event #68: $1,111 Little One for One Drop NL Hold’em

Most Final Tables

Phil Hellmuth
6th – Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E
5th – Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
4th – Event #19: #10,000 Seven Card Stud
1st – Event #31: $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
2nd – Event #36: $10K Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed Championship

Jake Schwartz
3rd – Event #20: $1,000 Flip & Go NL Hold’em
2nd – Event #31: $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
3rd – Event #36: $10K Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed Championship
7th – Event #40: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E Championship
5th – Event #49: $10,000 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship 

Sixteenth career bracelet won

Phil Hellmuth – Event #31: $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw

Fifth career bracelet won

Brian Rast – Event #51: $3,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em
Shaun Deeb – Event #53: $25,000 High Roller PLO 8-Handed

Fourth career bracelet won

John Monnette – Event #16: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship
Anthony Zinno – Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
Adam Friedman – Event #36: $10,000 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed Championship
Farzad “Freddy” Bonyadi – Event #49: $10,000 NL 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship
Ben Yu – Event #56: $10,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em Championship
Brian Yoon – Event #57: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship
Kevin Gerhart – Event #62: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better 8-Handed
Josh Arieh – Event #66: #10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship

Third career bracelet won

Anthony Zinno – Event #19: $10K Seven Card Stud Championship
Ryan Leng – Event #23: $1,500 Eight Game Mix 6-Handed
Chance Kornuth – Event #29: $10,000 Short Deck No Limit Hold’em
David “Bakes” Baker – Event 34: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Lowball Draw
Michael Addamo –  Event #38: $50,000 High Roller NLH 8-Handed
Josh Arieh – Event #39: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed
Kevin Gerhart – Event #40 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship
Bradley Ruben – Event #42: $1,500 Razz 
Georgios Sotiropoulos – Event #65: $1,000 MINI Main Event NL Hold’em Freezeout

Second career bracelet won

Jeremy Ausmus – Event #3: $1,000 Covid-19 Charity Relief
Connor Drinan – Event #5: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Ari Engel – Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
Yuval Bronshtein – Event #12: $1,500 Limit Hold’em
Rafael Lebron – Event #14: $1,500 Seven Card Stud
Daniel Lazrus – Event #17: $1,500 Millionaire Maker NL Hold’em
Jim Collopy – Event #32: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Tommy Le – Event #45: $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship
Anatolii Zyrin – Event #55: $400 COLOSSUS NL Hold’em
Scott Ball – Event #68: $1,111 Little One for One Drop NL Hold’em
Martin “BathroomLine” Zamani – Online #1: $5,300 NLH Freezeout
Mark “NJ_AcesmarkA” Herm – Online #2: $500 NL Hold’em BIG 500

2021 WSOP Winners

Event #1: James Barnett – USA – Casino Employees – US$ 39,013
Event #2: Jesse Klein – USA – $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. – US$ 552,182
Event #3: Jeremy Ausmus – USA – $1,000 Covid-19 Charity Relief – US$ 48,687
Event #4: Long Ma – USA – $500 The Reunion 5M GTD – US$ 514,604
Event #5: Connor Drinan – USA – $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better – US$ 163,252
Event #6: Tyler Cornell – USA – $25,000 HR NL Hold’em 8-Handed – US$ 833,289
Event #7: Jaswinder “Jesse” Lally – Canada – $1,500 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed – US$ 97,915
Event #8: Zhi Wu – USA – $600 NL Hold’em Deepstack – US$ 281,406
Event #9: Ari Engel – Canada – $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship – US$ 317,076
Event #10: Michael Perrone – USA – $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty NLH Freezeout – US$ 152,173
Event #11: Jason Koon – USA – $25,000 Heads-Up NL Hold’em Championship – US$ 243,981
Event #12: Yuval Bronshtein – Israel – $1,500 Limit Hold’em – US$ 124,374
Event #13: Harvey Mathews – USA – $3,000 Freezeout NL Hold’em – US$ 371,914
Event #14: Rafael Lebron – USA – $1,500 Seven Card Stud – US$ 82,262
Event #15: Bradley Jansen – USA – $1,500 6-Handed NL Hold’em – US$ 313,403
Event #16: John Monnette – USA – $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship – US$ 245,680
Event #17: Daniel Larzrus – USA – $1,500 Millionaire Maker NL Hold’em – US$ 1,000,000
Event #18: Vladimir Peck – USA – $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball – US$ 134,390
Event #19: Anthony Zinno – USA – US$ 10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship – US$ 182,872
Event #20: Dejuante Alexander – USA – $1,000 Flip & Go NL Hold’em – US$ 180,665
Event #21: Dylan Linde – USA – $1,500 Mixed PLO / Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better; Big O – US$
170,269
Event #22: Lara Eisenberg – USA – $1,000 Ladies NLH Championship – US$ 115,694
Event #23: Ryan Leng – USA – $1,500 Eight Game Mix 6-Handed – US$ 137,969
Event #24: Michael Prendergast – USA – $600 Pot Limit Omaha Deepstack 8-Handed – US$ 127,348
Event #25: Scott Ball – USA – $5,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em – US$ 562,667
Event #26: Dalibor Dula – Czech Republic – $1,000 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em – US$ 199,227
Event #27: Anthony Zinno – USA – $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. – US$ 160,636
Event #28: Dylan Weisman – USA – $1,000 Pot Limit Omaha – US$ 166,461
Event #29: Chance Kornuth – USA – $10,000 Short Deck NL Hold’em – US$ 194,670
Event #30: Michael Noori – USA – $1,500 MONSTER STACK  No Limit Hold’em – US$ 610,347
Event #31: Phil Hellmuth – USA – $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw – US$ 84,951
Event #32: Jim Collopy – USA – $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. – US$ 173,823
Event #33: Ran Koller – Israel – $800 8-Handed NL Hold’em Deepstack – US$ 269,478
Event #34: David “Bakes” Baker – USA – $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw – US$ 87,837
Event #35: Anthony Koutsos – USA – $500 Freezeout NL Hold’em – US$ 167,272
Event #36: Adam Friedman – USA – $10K Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed Championship
Event #37: Karolis Sereika – Lithuania – $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty NL Hold’em – US$ 195,310
Event #38: Michael Addamo – Australia – $50,000 High Roller NLH 8-Handed – US$ 1,132,968
Event #39: Josh Arieh – USA – $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed – US$ 204,7666
Event #40: Kevin Gerhart – USA – $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship – US$ 361,124
Event #41: Carlos Chang – Taiwan – $2,500 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em – US$ 364,589
Event #42: Bradley Ruben – USA – $1,500 Razz – US$ 99,188
Event #43: Anthony Denove – USA – $1,000 DOUBLE STACK No Limit Hold’em – US$ 446,983
Event #44: Ryan Hansen – USA – $3,000 6-Handed Limit Hold’em – US$ 109,692
Event #45:  Tommy Le – USA – $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship – US$ 746,477
Event #46: Chad Norton – USA – $800 NL Hold’em Deepstack – US$ 214,830
Event #47: Alexandre Reard – France – $5,000 Freezeout NLH 8-Handed – US$ 428,694
Event #48: Gershon Distenfeld – USA – $1,500 SHOOTOUT No Limit Hold’em – US$ 204,063
Event #49: Farzad Bonyadi – USA – $10,000 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship – US$ 297,051
Event #50: Darrin Wright – USA – $600 Mixed NLH / PLO Deepstack Deepstack 8-Handed – US$ 127,219
Event #51: Brian Rast – USA – $3,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em – US$ 474,102
Event #52: Robert McMillan – USA – $1,000 SENIORS NL Hold’em Championship – US$ 561,060
Event #53: Shaun Deeb – USA – $25,000 High Roller PLO 8-Handed – US$ 1,251,860
Event #54: Nicholas Julia – USA – $2,500 Nine Game Mix 6-Handed – US$ 168,608
Event #55: Anatolii Zyrin – Russia – $400 COLOSSUS NL Hold’em – US$ 314,705
Event #56: Ben Yu – USA – $10,000 6-Handed NL Hold’em Championship – US$ 721,453
Event #57: Brian Yoon – USA – $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship – US$ 240,341
Event #58: Jean-Luc Adam – France – US$ 1,000 SUPER SENIORS NL Hold’em – US$ 255,623
Event #59: Mike Ruter – Samy Dighlawi – USA – $1,000 TAG TEAM NL Hold’em – US$ 113,366
Event #60: Dan Cates – USA – $50,000 Poker Players Championship – US$ 954,020
Event #61: Cole Ferraro – USA – $600 Deepstack Championship NL Hold’em – US$ 252,491
Event #62: Kevin Gerhart – USA – $1,500 PLO Hi-Lo 8 or better 8-Handed – US$ 186,789
Event #63: Eric Zhang – USA – $500 SALUTE to Warriors NL Hold’em – US$ 102,465
Event #64: Eelis Parsinen – Finland – $5,000 Mixed NLH – PLO 8-Handed – US$ 545,616
Event #65: Georgios Sotiropoulos – Greece – $1,000 Mini Main Event – US$ 432,575
Event #66: Josh Arieh – USA – $10,000 PLO Hi-Lo 8 or Better – US$ 484,791
Event #68: Scott Ball – USA – $1,111 Little One for One Drop NL Hold’em – US$ 396,445
Event #69: Jermaine Reid – USA – $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better – US$ 113,459
Event #70: David Moses – USA – $888 Crazy EIGHTS NLH 8-Handed – US$ 888,888
Event #71: Mourad Amokrane – France – $1,500 BOUNTY Pot Limit Omaha – US$ 132,844
Event #72: Motoyoshi Okamura – Japan – $1,500 Mixed NL Hold’em – PL Omaha – US$ 209,716
Event #76: Romain Lewis – France – $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty NLH Freezeout – US$ 463,885

Online #1: Martin “BathroomLine” Zamani – USA – $5,300 NLH Freezeout – US$ 210,600
Online #2: Mark “NJ_AcesmarkA” Herm – USA – $500 NL Hold’em BIG 500 – US$ 89,356
Online #3: Pete Chen – Taiwan – $400 NL Hold’em Ultra Deepstack – US$ 82,560
Online #4: Ryan “Santasbzack2” Stoker – USA – $888 PLO Crazy 8’s 8-Handed – US$ 95,338
Online #5: Kazuki “hyahhoo3” Ikeuchi – Japan – $1,000 NL Hold’em Championship – US$ 152,797
Online #6: John “Relevancy” Ripnick – USA – $666 No Limit Hold’em 6-Max – US$ 114,898
Online #7: Jacob “incel4life” Neff – USA – $3,200 NLH High Roller 8-Max – US$ 318,889
Online #8: Aleksejs “APonakov” Ponakovs – Estonia – $7,777 Lucky 7’s NLH High Roller – US$ 432,491
Online #9: Yuliyan “DrFeelg00da” Kolev – Bulgaria – $777 Lucky 7’s NL Hold’em – US$ 146,162

Four final tables

Josh Arieh
1st – Event #39: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed
6th – Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship 6-Handed
1st – Event #66: $10,000 Pot Limit OmahaHi-Lo 8 or Better Championship 8-Handed
4th – Online Event #7: $3,200 NLH Hold’em High Roller 8-Max

Tommy Le 
2nd – Event #39: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed
1st – Event #45: $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship
9th – Event #53: $25,000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed
3rd – Online Event #6: $666 No Limit Hold’em 6-Max

Three final tables

Kevin Gerhart 
8th – Event #31: $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
1st – Event #40: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E Championship
1st – Event #62: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better 8-Handed

Ryan Leng
1st – Event #23: $1,500 Eight Game Mix 6-Handed
2nd – Event #30: $1,500 MONSTER STACK  No Limit Hold’em
2nd – Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship 6-Handed

Jason Koon
9th – Event #6: $10,000 High Roller NL Hold’em 8-Handed
6th – Online Event #1: $5,300 NLH Freezeout
1st – Event #11: $10,000 Heads Up NL Hold’em Championship

Andrew Kelsall 
2nd – Event #7: $1,500 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed
6th – Online Event #4: $888 Pot Limit Omaha Crazy 8’s
6th – Event #36: $10,000 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed Championship

Benny Glaser 
2nd – Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.
9th – Event #40: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E Championship
3rd – Event #49: $10,000 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship

Joao Vieira
3rd – Event #18: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)
5th – Event #29: $10,000 Short Deck No Limit Hold’em
5th – Event #57: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship

Robert Mizrachi
3rd – Event #5: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
7th – Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
6th – Event #54: Nine Game Mix 6-Handed 

David Benyamine 
3rd – Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E
8th – Event #40: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E Championship
6th – Event #53: $25,000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed

Stephen Chidwick
6th – Event #19: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
8th – Event #29: $10,000 Short Deck No Limit Hold’em
3rd – Event #76: Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold’em Freezeout

Christopher Vitch
10th – Event #9: Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
3rd – Event #31: $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
6th – Event #40: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E Championship

Eli Elezra
4th – Event #32: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
6th – Event #45: $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship
4th – Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship 6-Handed

John Racener
6th – Event #16: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship
6th – Event $25: $5,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em
8th – Event #69: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better 

Matt Glantz 
9th – Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.
7th – Event #36: $10,000 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed Championship
7ht – Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship 6-Handed

Two final tables

Anthony Zinno
1st – Event #19: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
1st – Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.

Scott Ball 
1st – Event #25: $5,000 6-Handed NL Hold’em
1st – Event #68: $1,111 Little One for One Drop NL Hold’em

Connor Drinan
1st – Event #5: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
2nd – Event #23: $1,500 Eight Game Mix 6-Handed

Cole Ferraro
2nd – Event #26: $1,000 Freezeout NL Hold’em
1st – Event #61: $600 Deepstack Championship NL Hold’em 

Antatolii Zyrin
1st – Event #55: 400 COLOSSUS No Limit Hold’em
3rd – Event #66: $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship 8-Handed

Dylan Linde 
1st – Event #21: $1,500 Mixed PLO / Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better; Big O
3rd – Online Event #7: $3,200 NLH Hold’em High Roller 8-Max

John Monnette 
1st – Event #16: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship
4th – Event #69: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better

Shaun Deeb
5th – Event #14: $1,500 Seven Card Stud
1st – Event #53: $25,000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed

Jeremy Ausmus 
5th – Event #45: $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship
1st – Event #3: $1,000 Covid-19 Relief NL Hold’em Charity Fund 

Brian Yoon 
5th – Event #18: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)
1st – Event #57: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship

Georgios Sotiropoulos
1st – Event #65: $1,000 MINI Main Event NL Hold’em Freezeout
6th – Event #70: $888 CRAZY EIGHTS NL Hold’em 8-Handed

Alan “Ari” Engel
7th – Event #48: $1,500 SHOOTOUT No Limit Hold’em
1st – Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship 

Ben Yu
7th – Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.
1st – Event #56: $10,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em Championship

Kevin Erickson
2nd – Event #12: $1,500 Limit Hold’em
3rd – Event #44: $3,000 6-Handed Limit Hold’em

Danny Chang
3rd – Event #1: $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em
2nd – Event #66: $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship 8-Handed

Pierre Calamusa
2nd – Event #10: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty NL Hold’em Freezeout
4th – Event #37: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty NL Hold’em Freezeout

Dustin Dirksen
4th – Event #49: $10,000 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship
2nd – Event #62: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better 8-Handed

Chad Eveslage
4th – Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.
2nd – Online Event #7: $3,200 NLH High Roller 8-Max

Gabriel Andrade 
2nd – Event #13: $3,000 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em
5th – Event 339: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed

Jordan Spurlin 
2nd – Event #45: $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship
6th – Event #72: $1,500 Mixed NL Hold’em / PL Omaha 8-Handed

Charles Sinn
2nd – Event #42: $1,500 Razz
8th – Event #53: $25,000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed

Johan Schumacher 
8th – Event #30: $1,500 MONSTER STACK No Limit Hold’em Freezeout
2nd – Event #48: $1,500 SHOOTOUT No Limit Hold’em 

Michael Gathy
3rd – Event #13: $3,000 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em
4th – Event #17: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER No Limit Hold’em

Jonathan Jaffe
4th – Event #6: $25K HR NL Hold’em 8-Handed
3rd – Event $25: $5,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em

Quang Ngo 
3rd – Online Event #3: $888 Pot Limit Omaha Crazy 8’s
8th – Event #41: $2,500 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em 

Eddie Blumenthal
4th – Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
3rd – Event #40: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E Championship

Nicolas Yunis 
4th – Event #51: $3,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em
3rd – Event #72: $1,500 Mixed NL Hold’em / PL Omaha 8-Handed

Jose Paz-Gutierrez 
3rd – Event #19: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
9th – Event #42: $1,500 Razz

Maxx Coleman
5th – Event #26: $1,000 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em
4th – Event #53: $25,000 High Roller Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed

Carol Fuchs
4th – Event #36: $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed Championship
6th – Event #69: – $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better

John Bunch
4th – Event #12: $1,500 Limit Hold’em
8th – Event #24: $600 Pot Limit Omaha Deepstack 8-Handed

Kao Chieng Saechao 
4th – Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
8th – Event #71: $1,500 BOUNTY Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed

Uri Reichenstein
10th – Event #41: $2,500 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em
4th – Event #76: Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold’em Freezeout

Bin Weng 
5th – Event #25: $5,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em
6th – Event #38: $50,000 High Roller NL Hold’em 8-Handed

Brandon Shack-Harris 
5th – Event #40: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship
6th – Event #57: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship

Kenny Hsiung
5th – Event #44: $3,000 6-Handed Limit Hold’em
7th – Event #54: $2,500 Nine Game Mix 6-Handed

Jeff Gross
5th – Event #66: $10,000 PLO Hi-Lo 8 or Better
7th – Event #71: $1,500 BOUNTY Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed

Mustapha Kanit 
5th – Event #6: $25,000 High Roller NL Hold’em 8-Handed
8th – Event #38: $50,000 High Roller NL Hold’em 8-Handed

Jesse Yaginuma
6th – Online Event #2: $500 WSOP.com NLHold’em BIG 500
6th – Event 15: $1,500 6-Handed NL Hold’em

Paul Richardson
6th – Online Event #6: $666 No Limit Hold’em 6-Max
6th – Online Event #7: $3,200 NLH High Roller 8-Max

Dario Sammartino 
6th – Event #47: $5,000 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em 8-Handed
6th – Event #76: Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold’em Freezeout

Michael Trivett
6th – Event #32: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
7th – Event #62: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better 8-Handed

Craig Mason
7th – Event #13: $3,000 Freezeout NL Hold’em
7th – Event #25: $5,000 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em

Hal Rotholz
8th – Event #14: $1,500 Seven Card Stud
6th – Event #18: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)

Rainer Kempe
6th – Online Event #8: $7,777 Lucky 7’s NL Hold’em High Roller
9th –  Event #76: Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold’em Freezeout

Curtis Phelps
8th – Event #5: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
7th – Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.

Daniel Negreanu 
8th – Event #32: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
8th – Event #49: $10,000 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship

Gabe Ramos
9th – Event #10: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty NL Hold’em Freezeout
10th – Event #71: BOUNTY Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed

Stay tuned to Somuchpoker as we bring you updates and recaps throughout the series.

*Information is based on WSOP.com, PokerNews live updates, and The Hendon Mob