2022 WSOP: Daniel Cates clinches back to back $50K PPC titles; David Jackson denies Hellmuth; Eli Elezra seizes gold #5; Shota Nakanishi wins one for Japan

The 53rd Annual World Series of Poker continued to see numbers increase as the premier festival completed a month of games at its new home in Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas Casino. Underway on May 31 and scheduled to run through July 20, a total of 65 bracelets out of the 88 have already been claimed. This review covers bracelet winners Event 55 to Event 65 and Online Event 6.

The biggest story of this batch was none other than Daniel “Jungleman” Cates who became the first player to clinch back to back wins at the prestigious $50K Poker Players Championship. Other headlines include David Jackson who denied Phil Hellmuth his 17th bracelet, Eli Elezra winning his career fifth, and Shota Nakanishi bringing one home for Japan. This was the third bracelet for Asia in this series. Also running deep were Hong Kong’s Kuenwai Lo “Jeffrey” and Japanese pro Naoya Kihara, both with 3rd place finishes.

Festival update

Event 1 – 65 prize pool: US$ 172,506,518
Entries: 123,535
Two time series champion: Daniel Zack (Event 15 & 40)
Asia winners: Tong Li (Event 19), Chan Lok Ming (Event 35), Shota Nakanishi (Event 60)
Most final tables:Phil Ivey (4), Daniel Zack (4), Sean Winter (4)
Online Event 1 – 6 prize pool: US$ 5,083,740
Online entries: 6,536

Multi bracelet winners

Career 6th bracelet: Brian Hastings
Career 5th bracelet: Adam Friedman, Eli Elezra
Career 4th bracelet: David Peters, Scott Seiver, Brad Ruben, Jeremy Ausmus
Career 3rd bracelet: Norbert Szecsi, Daniel Zack, Phillip Hui, Dash Dudley
Career 2nd bracelet: Manig Loeser, Daniel Zack, Robert Cowen, Steven Albini, Justin Pechie, Yuliyan Kolev, Aleksejs Ponakovs, Joao Simao Peres, Daniel Cates, David Jackson

Event 55: TAG TEAM NL Hold’em – PATRICK LEONARD & ESPEN JOERSTAD

UK’s Patrick Leonard and Norway’s Espen Joerstad emerged as the dynamic duo of the $1K TAG TEAM No Limit Hold’em to capture their first ever series bracelets. The pair outlasted 912 other teams, defeating Americans Jamie Kerstetter and Corey Paggeot at heads up. On a brief interview with onsite media PokerNews, Leonard said,

“A lot of people had played solo for the last few days. Some had played four days by themselves, whereas we’ve probably played about 50:50. We were fresh and taking hours in, hours out, and when I was out I was studying and I knew what to do coming in, so that was our biggest advantage.”

At the end of Day 3, the winners ranked third in chips with just 15 BB as compared to Team Paggeot-Kerstetter with 53 BB. With the help of the big stack, Team Leonard-Joerstad reached heads up after Team Ichikawa-Tsugaru was rivered by Paggeot. The leaders entered with a substantial 6:1 advantage and began to exert pressure on the underdogs in hopes of closing it out fast. However, it was not to be. The underdogs landed a few double ups then grinded further to erase the gap and go mano y mano for the lead. The tight race for control finally broke open on a five-bet jam by Joerstad with . From there, Team Leonard-Joerstad pulled away and took it all the way to the golden finish line.

Buy in: US$ 1,000
Entries: 913
Prize pool: US$ 406,285
ITM: 137 teams

Top 5 teams in USD

Event 56: $50K Player Players Championship 6-Handed – DANIEL CATES – US$ 1,449,103

Daniel Cates etched his name in the WSOP storybooks as the first player to ever crack the prestigious $50K Poker Player Championship in back to back years. Considered by the elite as the tournament defining the best poker player in the world, Cates certainly proved his worth and did so in playful fashion as he sported both the costume and voice of American pro wrestler Randy “macho man” Savage throughout the event. To capture the win, Cates overcame many swings and a very hungry Brazilian Yuri Dzivielevski at heads up. This was his second ever WSOP title and bracelet, which came with a personal series high payout of US$ 1,499,103.

The $50K PPC is a freezeout tournament that tests players’ skill in a nine-game mixed format with six maximum per table. Having completed its 16th run, only two players other than Cates have conquered this mighty event multiple times. Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi won it back in 2010, 2012, 2018, and Brian Rast in 2011 and 2016. Both champions were among this year’s 112 attendees, however both failed to reach the money round. Other mishaps were Erik Seidel, Phil Ivey, Adam Friedman, Anthony Zinno, Ben Yu, and Daniel Negreanu to mention a few. On the flip side, among the players in the money was 2021 Main Event champion Koray Aldemir (6th) who fell to Cates on a double knockout with Taylor Paur (7th) at Pot Limit Omaha. This gave Cates the lead entering the final day. Hot on his heels was UK’s Benny Glaser.

Day 5 was victory day with the final five players back on the hunt. It didn’t take long for Glaser to steal the lead from Cates then both players attacked the shorter stacks to remain fairly close in chips. As the lead changed between them, Johannes Becker lost steam and fell to Glaser in 5th place. With the added chips, Glaser staged a wider separation from the pack but was pulled back in by Japan’s Naoya Kihara who won a big pot against him at Seven Card Stud. This began Glaser’s downturn from which he wasn’t able to recover. He was eliminated in 4th place by Kihara at No Limit 2-7 Single Draw. Despite the boost in chips, Kihara still could not reach the heights of the leaders and bowed out in 3rd place. This was his third series third final table.

Heads up saw the entire nine-game rotation play out. Cates held the lead for a large majority of the bout, excelling exceptionally in Omaha Hi-Lo and Pot Limit Omaha. The crucial hand was at Limit 2-7 Triple Draw with Cates’ seven high crushing Dzivielevski’s eight high. Down and close to out, Dzivielevski landed two double ups but needed much more to be a threat. On the next shove, Cates shipped it at No Limit Hold’em.

Buy in: US$ 50,000
Entries: 112
Prize pool: US$ 5,362,000
ITM: 17 places

Final table payouts in USD

Event 57: NL Hold’em Deepstack Championship – TAMAS LENDVAI – US$ 299,464

A very emotional dream victory for Tamas Lendvai who captured his first ever WSOP win and bracelet at the No Limit Hold’em Deepstack Championship. Lendvai outlasted the massive 4,913 entry field, coming from behind on the final day with just 8 BB. His winning momentum began by railing Tsuf Saltsberg in 7th place which he then followed with a double up off Jon Van Fleet with Ace-Queen over Ace-Jack. The rush didn’t stop. Lendvai claimed two more heads, Abdullah Alshanti (6th) and Daniel Marcus (5th), before giving Van Fleet the boot in 3rd place with pocket Aces over Ace-Ten. To secure the coveted gold, Lendvai picked off Frank Reichel with trips outdrawing to achieve the dream and pocket the US$ 299,464 first prize. This was also the first series bracelet for Hungary. After his win, Lendvai said,

“Since I’ve been playing poker I’ve been dreaming about this moment so what can I say… It means the world. It means everything and more for me and for my family.”

Notables running deep were Japan’s Kohichi Manago in 10th place and four time bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus in 14th place.

Buy in: US$ 600
Entries: 4,913
Prize pool: US$ 2,505,630
ITM: 737 places

Final table payouts in USD

Event 58: Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better – LAWRENCE BRANDT – US$ 289,610

The $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better was claimed by another first time champion, with Lawrence Brandt outlasting the 1,303 field. Brandt had been cashing at the series since 2017 with just one prior PLO deep run before this victory. He said,

“It honestly was the best tournament I’ve ever played. I haven’t played too many PLO8 tournaments, and obviously luck plays a factor, but I was really happy with my performance.”

The three-day event kicked off its final day with 14 players remaining. Brandt was wedged in the middle with a very healthy 50 BB stack, though it was just half of what the leaders brought in. An early double up quickly sent him up the ranks and further up when he eliminated Jason Adams (12th). Entering the final table as one of the biggest stacks, Brandt nearly got the boot when his straight flush draw failed to materialize. It took some patient grinding and a few successful shoves to get back in contention and eliminate Jacob Ferro in 6th place. As the leaders polished off the others, Brandt enjoyed laddering up. At the fall of Robert Tanita in 3rd place, Brandt was just one step away from the coveted gold.

Like other PLO events in this series, heads up was a lengthy one. Corey Wade maintained a 2:1 advantage for some time until one hand switched them up, giving Brandt the lead for the first time all day. When the shove happened, Brandt was still up top and shipped it with straight over on a board .

Buy in: US$ 1,500
Entries: 1,303
Prize pool: US$ 1,739,505
ITM: 196 places

Final table payouts in USD

Event 59: NL Hold’em Super Seniors – MASSOUD ESKANDARI – US$ 330,609

Through the years, players 60 years of age and older always make sure to peg the No Limit Hold’em Super Seniors event on their list. This year’s event exceeded all expectations with 2,668 turning up for a prize pool of US$ 2,374,520. After four days of continuous action, the coveted title was claimed by Massoud Eskandari for his first ever gold bracelet and a career high US$ 330,609 payout. Entering the final table, Eskandari was already the most decorated in the round with five circuit rings under his belt. He now adds a new merchandise to the collection. The win sent Eskandari’s total live earnings on The Hendon Mob to over US$ 3 Million. To capture the win, Eskandari came from behind at heads up against hot running Jennifer Gianera and drained her out with the final hand top pair over a missed flush draw.

Buy in: US$ 1,000
Entries: 2,668
Prize pool: US$ 2,374,520
ITM: 401 places

Final table payouts in USD

Event 60: $10K NL Hold’em Short Deck 6-Handed – SHOTA NAKANISHI – US$ 277,212

Third bracelet for Asia in this series as Japan’s Shota Nakanishi takes down the $10K No Limit Hold’em Short Deck 6-Handed. On his series debut last year, Nakanishi failed to reach the money but it certainly did not deter the young gun as he put up this year’s hefty buy in and turned it into gold and a six figure US$ 277,212 payout. Nakanishi is a familiar name on the online circuit, seen most often on the GG Network attacking short deck events. This was his first ever live series cash.

The event drew 110 entries, among them the biggest names in the industry such as Phil Ivey, Dario Sammartino, Justin Bonomo, David Peters, and Chance Kornuth, however all failed to reach the money round. Earning a portion of the US$ 1,025,750 prize pool were Ryan Riess, Daniel Negreanu, and Elior Sion. On the final day, Nakanishi led the final five players and dominated throughout. He eliminated every player at the table to rein in a well deserved maiden WSOP title and bracelet.

Buy in: US$ 10,000
Entries: 110
Prize pool: US$ 1,025,750
ITM: 17 places

Final table payouts in USD

Event 61: $10K NL Hold’em Ladies Championship – JESSICA TEUSL – US$ 166,975

1,074 ladies came out for the $10K No Limit Hold’em Ladies Championship, and after four days on the felt, online tournament grinder Jessica Teusl from Austria clinched it for her first ever WSOP title. Teusl is having a spectacular series run having reached her first WSOP final table weeks prior at Event 21: Monster Stack NL Hold’em. To go the distance here, she climbed from just 9 BB at the start of the final day to knocking out a majority of her final table mates. At heads up, she faced a tough competitor in Julie Le, with the chip lead exchanging hands several times. For her incredible achievement, Teusl locked up a coveted gold bracelet and the largest payout of her career of US$ 166,975. After the win, she said to onsite media,

“I started the day with only nine big blinds and it was a crazy story for me. I kept winning pots and falling short again and then we were seven left, six, five, and it became so real. I start to think the chance of winning is now alive. I know everything could change really fast and I’m very grateful that luck was also on my side.”=

Buy in: US$ 1,000
Entries: 1,074
Prize pool: US$ 955,860
ITM: 163 places

Final table payouts in USD

Event 62: NL Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty Freezeout – DASH DUDLEY – US$ 310,396

American pro Dash Dudley became the fourth player to win his career third gold bracelet in this series. The first three were Norbert Szecsi, Daniel Zack, and Phillip Hui. Dudley cut through the 2,569 field of the No Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty Freezeout and overcame a drop to 3 BB for a clutch victory. You may say this was redemption for missing the gold by one spot at Event 28: $50K High Roller Pot Limit Omaha just weeks prior. He earned US$ 301,396 and his first No Limit Hold’em title. Dudley’s past two bracelet wins were in 2019 at the WSOP $10K PLO and WSOPE €550 PLO 8-Handed.

The event ran a fast two days with 386 players earning a share of the US$ 3,429,615 prize pool. Among the finalists was Japan’s Yuhei Sanada who finished in 6th place for a cool US$ 59,306. This was Sanada’s first ever WSOP cash. Down the rung was Taiwan’s Pete Chen in 54th place for a payout of US$ 5,290.

Buy in: US$ 1,500
Entries: 2,569
Prize pool: US$ 3,429,615
ITM: 386 places

Final table payouts in USD

Event 63 : $10K Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship – ELI ELEZRA – US$ 611,362

Israeli / American pro Eli Elezra joined Adam Friedman in locking up his career fifth gold bracelet at the ongoing series. Elezra topped the 284 entries of the $10K Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, defeating Chino Rheem at heads up. This was his first bracelet under this variant having previously snatched gold at three Seven Card Stud events and one at 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw. The win also gave Elezra a hefty US$ 611,362 cash prize for his largest WSOP payout to date. It sent his total series earnings to over US$ 3.28 Million.

Almost all of the players that reached the final table were either decorated with bracelets or have run deep at previous events in the past weeks. Only 9th placer Seungjin Lee earned his first ever WSOP cash. 2021 WSOP Player of the Year Josh Arieh was on his third final table while Charles Coultas, Robert Cowen, and Rheem were on their second. Cowen finished 3rd, just two spots away from clinching his second series gold having won Event 28: $50K High Roller Pot Limit Omaha two weeks prior. Rheem was hoping to finally capture his maiden bracelet with a 5th place finish at Event 30: $1K Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed then just missing it here to Elezra in 2nd place. For the champion Elezra, after winning he said,

“I love the competition, I love the adrenaline,” said Elezra. I know most of the players, I would say 90% of them I play with. I play 5-6 days a week in cash games. And I just keep competing. So this is my fourth $10k instead of like my 11th, and I’m so happy I can show them this Hall of Famer’s still got it!”

Buy in: US$ 10,000
Entries: 284
Prize pool: US$ 2,648,300
ITM: 43 places

Final table payouts in USD

Event 64: Deepstack Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed – KONSTANTIN PETRUSHEV – US$ 199,466

With the Deepstack Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed extending one of the cheapest buy ins of the series, at just US$ 600 for a possible bracelet, it was no surprise to see 2,858 take on the challenge for another jam packed house. After two quick days of play, Konstantin Angelov Petrushev emerged from the heap to lock up the coveted gold bracelet on his maiden series cash.

According to media reports, Petrushev was fairly new to the Omaha variant, having just learned it several months back. His lack of experience didn’t show though as he ruled the felt starting at four handed. After sending France’s Guillaume Soumier to the exit in 4th place, and after Gregg Merkow eliminated Igor Ioffe in 3rd place, he went heads up against Merkow who was backed by more series experience. Unlike Petrushev, Merkow was on his 52nd WSOP career cash. With momentum on Petrushev’s side, the underdog persevered winning with a set of threes to deny Merkow the glory. This was Merkow’s closest gold reach. Along with the shine, the newly minted Petrushev walked away with a large payout of US$ 199,466.

Buy in: US$ 600
Entries: 2,858
Prize pool: US$ 1,457,580
ITM: 429 places

Final table payouts in USD

Event 65: $3K No Limit Hold’em Freezeout – DAVID JACKSON – US$ 598,173

Thrilling finish at the $3K No Limit Hold’em Freezeout with bracelet champions David Jackson and 16x Phil Hellmuth battling for the title. Unlike last year where Hellmuth reached an incredible seven final tables, this was just his first at the ongoing series. Entering heads up behind the hot running Jackson, Hellmuth exerted patience as we’ve seen in his PokerGo High Stakes Heads Up Duels, and managed to tighten the gap to nearly nil. However, every time Hellmuth got close, Jackson surged, winning pots at the right moment to keep his lead intact. The final hand was a disappointment for Hellmuth with his outdrawn by Jackson’s that improved to a straight. This was Jackson’s career second bracelet with the first won at the 2021 WSOP Online International $777 Lucky Sevens NL Hold’em on GGPoker.

The event drew 1,359 players for a prize pool of US$ 3,628,530. 204 players earned a cut, among them was Hong Kong’s Kuenwai Lo aka “Jeffrey” who reached the final table and out in 3rd place. On his series debut, this was Lo’s fifth series cash and deepest run. He also collected a career high score of US$ 266,559. Other Asians making their presence felt were Japan’s Keiji Ito (10th) and India’s Neel Joshi (12th).

Buy in: US$ 3,000
Entries: 1,359
Prize pool: US$ 3,628,530
ITM: 204 places

Final table payouts in USD

Online Event 6: NL Hold’em Turbo Deepstack – MARTIN STOYANOV – US$ 132,783

Bulgaria scored a third bracelet with Martin Stoyanov following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen champions Yuliyan Kolev and Simeon Spasov. Stoyanov beat the 1,746 field of Online Event 6: No Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack to seize the bracelet and earn US$ 132,783.

Buy in: US$ 500
Entries: 1,746
Prize pool: US$ 785,700
ITM: 248 places

Final table payouts in USD

More 2022 WSOP recaps to follow here at Somuchpoker.

2022 WSOP underway: first four bracelet winners
2022 WSOP: Bracelet winners Event 5 – 9
2022 WSOP: Bracelet winners Event 10 – 14
2022 WSOP: Bracelet winners Event 15 – 25
2022 WSOP: Bracelet winners Event 26 – 36
2022 WSOP: Bracelet winners Event 37 – 44
2022 WSOP: Bracelet winners Event 45 – 54