2021 WSOP: Long Ma crushes The Reunion final day; Jaswinder Lally and Michael Perrone lock up bracelets; Naoya Kihara and Sejin Park run deep

If there was any uncertainty over this year’s World Series of Poker turnout, that doubt has now been put to rest. The first week has seen buzzing halls and long queues at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino as players flood in for a chance at the coveted gold bracelets. The first phased event, aptly called “The Reunion”, clearly demonstrated the institution’s tremendous popularity with a towering 12,973 entries and a smashing prize pool of over US$ 5.4 Million. California player Long Ma shipped it for his first ever WSOP victory and a life changing half a million dollars. Joining Ma in the winner’s club were Jaswinder Lally and Michael Perrone, both players also locking up their first gold bracelets. Another player running well was 15x bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth with two very deep cashes and a seat at the final 18 of Event #9: $10K Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. 

In addition to the champions, Somuchpoker has been tracking the progress of Asian players. Bracelet holders Naoya Kihara (Japan) and Sejin Park (Korea) are off to a swell start. Kihara placed 8th at Event #7: Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed and Park finished 21st at Event #10: Super Turbo Bounty NLH Freezeout. Other Asians cashing in were Kosei Ichinose, Pete Chen, Yik Yin “Ray” Chiu, Jinho Hong, Yohwan Lim, and bracelet winner Mike Takayama (Philippines). 

2021 WSOP Tally

Event #1 – #10 prize pool: US$ 17,226,850
Online Event #1 – #2 prize pool: US$ 1,260,150
Entries: 21,086
Online entries: 898
Largest prize pool: Event #7: $500 The Reunion $5M GTD – US$ 5,449,500
Largest payout: Tyler Cornell – US$ 833,289
First time bracelet winners: 6 (live) 

Second career bracelet won

Jeremy Ausmus – Event #3: $1K Covid-19 Charity Relief
Connor Drinan – Event #5: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Martin “BathroomLine” Zamani – Online #1: $5,300 NLH Freezeout
Mark “NJ_AcesmarkA” Herm – Online #2: $500 NL Hold’em BIG 500

*Information collected from WSOP.com, PokerNews live updates, and The Hendon Mob.  

Event #4: $500 The Reunion NL Hold’em – LONG MA – US$ 514,604

The Reunion No Limit Hold’em drew a massive field of 12,973 entries across three starting days to crush the $5M guarantee for a richer US$ 5,448,660 prize pool. Emerging victorious was Long Ma who ploughed through the final table to capture the dream gold bracelet and turn his $500 buy in into a very handsome US$ 514,604 payout. Based on his tracked stats, Ma has only had one prior WSOP cash of US$ 1,751. 

Recapping the event and Ma’s road to the gold, each succeeding entry day brought in more attendees. Day 1A attracted 2,649, Day 1B drew 4,455, and the biggest turnout was at Day 1C with 5,871 entries. Ma bagged up a healthy stack at Day 1C while bracelet winner/ Philippine pro Mike Takayama topped the heat to carry the second largest stack into Day 2. 

Takayama went on to bust in 299th place for US$ 2,590. Day 1A chip leader Dave Alfa fared better in 46th place for US$ 10,196. Overall starting day chip leader Robert Brobyn ran the furthest of 28th place for US$ 14,861. Asian players in the money were Hong Kong’s Yik Yin “Ray” Chiu (279th), Jinho Hong (675th), and Pete Chen (713th) for his second series cash. 

The final table got underway with one bracelet holder, Adrian Buckley, who fell in 9th place. Ma was wedged in the middle then proceeded to rail Faisal Siddiqui (10th), Derrick Stoebe (8th), and Anthony Cass (6th) to close out Day 2 as the overwhelming chip leader. Returning on the final day, Ma’s heaping stack could not be toppled. Instead, he bulldozed past his final four opponents to seize the glorious gold and a massive payout. For runner up Giuliano Lentini, although he had to settle for nearly $200K less, it was still a substantial score of US$ 317,352. 

Date: October 1 to 5
Buy in: US$ 500
Guarantee: US$ 5,000,000
Entries: 12,973
Prize pool: US$ 5,448,660
ITM: 1,820 places

Final table payouts

1st Long Ma – USA – US$ 514,604
2nd Giuliano Lentini – USA – US$ 317,352
3rd Max Tavepholijalern – USA – US$ 241,766
4th Alex Vazquez – USA – US$ 185,281
5th Michael Eddy – USA – US$ 142,847
6th Anthony Cass – USA – US$ 110,794
7th Jugal Daterao – USA – US$ 86,462
8th Derrick Stoebe – USA – US$ 67,886
9th Adrian Buckley – USA – US$ 53,625
10th Faisal Siddiqui – USA – US$ 42,624

Event #7: $1,500 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed – JASWINDER LALLY – US$ 97,915

First win for Canada in this series as Jaswinder “Jesse” Lally was crowned champion at Event #7: $1,500 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed. Lally rose above the 307 entry field to claim his first ever WSOP gold bracelet and US$ 97,915. According to the reports, Lally outshined at Seven Card Stud then defeated Andrew Keisall in Pot Limit Omaha for the title. 5x ring winner Raymond Henson finished 3rd and ring winner Adam Kipnis placed 5th. Prior to the win, Lally only had two small WSOP cashes. 

Other notable players in the money were double bracelet winner Nathan Gamble in 7th place, bracelet winner Naoya Kihara in 8th place, 15x bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth in 18th place – this was Hellmuth’s second deep run with a 6th place finish at Event #2: H.O.R.S.E -, and Japanese pro Kosei Ichinose in 19th place. 

Date: October 3 to 5
Buy in: US$ 1,500
Entries: 307
Prize pool: US$ 409,845
ITM: 47 places

Final table payouts

1st Jaswinder “Jesse” Lally – Canada – US$ 97,915
2nd Andrew Kelsall – USA – US$ 60,514
3rd Raymond Henson – USA – US$ 40,062
4th Ian O’Hara – USA – US$ 27,147
5th Adam Kipnis – USA – US$ 18,839
6th Christopher Lindner – USA – US$ 13,396

Event #10: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty NLH Freezeout – MICHAEL PERRONE – US$ 152,713

1,640 players enjoyed the thrill of a very fast Super Turbo Bounty NLH Freezeout. In the aftermath, Michael Perrone was the last man standing for his first gold bracelet and US$ 152,173. He adds the new WSOP merch to the two circuit rings he won in 2019 under variant Pot Limit Omaha. Interviewed by PokerNews, Perrone said, 

“It feels incredible, I wasn’t even going to play this event, I was going to go to the Wynn today to play the $1,600 Day 1A.”

At the final table, Perrone railed four players which included a double knockout to Paul Jain (7th) and John Moss (6th). Also cashing in were ring winners Paul Dhaliwal (5th), Brock Wilson (10th), 4x bracelet winner Shaun Deeb (59th), and double bracelet winner Nipun Java (120th). Flying under Asian flags were bracelet winner/ Korean pro Sejin Park in 21st place, Indonesian player Yessieca Widjojo (175th), and Korean pro Yohwan Lim (237th). 

Date: October 5
Buy in: US$ 1,000
Entries: 1,640
Prize pool: US$ 1,459,600
ITM: 246 places 

Final table payouts 

1st Michael Perrone – USA – US$ 152,173
2nd Pierre Calamusa – France – US$ 94,060
3rd Jeremiah Fitzpatrick – USA – US$ 69,454
4th Scott Podolsky – USA – US$ 51,787
5th Paul Dhaliwal – Canada – US$ 38,996
6th John Moss – USA – US$ 29,657 
7th Paul Jain – USA – US$ 22,783
8th Badr Imejjane – USA – US$ 17,680
9th Gabriel Ramos – USA – US$ 13,861

2021 WSOP Winners

Event #1: James Barnett – Casino Employees – US$ 39,013
Event #2: Jesse Klein – $25K H.O.R.S.E. US$ 552,182
Event #3: Jeremy Ausmus – $1K Covid-19 Charity Relief – US$ 48,687
Event #4: Long Ma – $500 The Reunion 5M GTD – US$ 514,604
Event #5: Connor Drinan – $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better – US$ 163,252
Event #6: Tyler Cornell – $25K HR NL Hold’em 8-Handed – US$ 833,289
Event #7: Jaswinder “Jesse” Lally – $1,500 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed – US$ 97,915
Event #10: Michael Perrone – $1K Super Turbo Bounty NLH Freezeout – US$ 152,173

Online #1`: Martin “BathroomLine” Zamani – $5,300 NLH Freezeout – US$ 210,600
Online #2: Mark “NJ_AcesmarkA” Herm – $500 NL Hold’em BIG 500 – US$ 89,356

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