Diego Does It! Ventura Earns First Live Bracelet for Peru in $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty
Diego Ventura has a long list of accomplishments in his poker career, but a major series title had always eluded the Peruvian all-time money list leader. It took an extra day, but that drought finally came to an end in Event #86: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold��em at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Ventura outlasted a record-breaking field of 1,417 entries at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, including 15 Poker Hall of Fame members, to score the largest piece of the $2,465,590 prize pool and earn the first live WSOP bracelet for his native country of Peru.
Ventura told PokerNews that he envisioned being the first from his country to step into the winner��s circle in Las Vegas. ��I think I always wanted to kind of open that door for other Peruvians to get inspired by that, and hopefully, everyone feels worthy of achieving big things in life��.
The victory over Thomas Kysar earned Ventura the $402,054 top prize along with his first piece of WSOP hardware. ��Sometimes I used to doubt myself, because you know, how can I be playing for so long and I haven��t won many live tournaments,�� Ventura said after his winner photos, ��but then I was like God��s timing is the perfect timing��.
2023 WSOP Event #86 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diego Ventura | Peru | $402,054 |
| 2 | Thomas Kysar | United States | $248,502 |
| 3 | Jason James | Canada | $179,593 |
| 4 | Francis Anderson | United States | $131,324 |
| 5 | Jose Nadal | Mexico | $97,174 |
| 6 | Louie Torres | United States | $72,773 |
| 7 | Martin Jacobson | Sweden | $55,165 |
| 8 | Leonid Yanovski | Israel | $42,336 |
| 9 | Jimmy Setna | Canada | $32,897 |
Hall of Fame Field
The field was full of Poker Hall of Famers, with each holding a bounty on their head equalling the year that they were inducted. That list included the newest member Brian Rast, who was the first to be eliminated on Day 1.
Three Hall of Fame members made their way into the money, with Phil Hellmuth and Eli Elezra advancing to Day 2 before hitting the rail. Barbara Enright beat the bubble before exiting with a min-cash on Day 1.
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Final Table Action
The final nine returned for action on an unscheduled Day 3, with the slow pace of play from the previous night a thing of the past. Jimmy Setna was the first to hit the rail after running into aces. Israel's Leonid Yanovski finished eighth after moving in against 2014 Main Event winner Martin Jacobson, though those chips didn't last long as Jacobson would fall next when his pocket kings were cracked.
A similar fate awaited Louie Torres, who also his kings come second best to finish in sixth. Ventura and Kysar then took turns eliminating the next three players, with Jose Nadal calling for his tournament life in the big blind before Francis Anderson ran into pocket jacks. Jason James followed by raising into pocket queens to finish in third place.
Kyser took a sizeable chip lead into heads-up play, with both players trading the advantage several times. A break in the action let Ventura shift his focus, taking the lead for good and turning up the pressure. ��After the last break I felt like I had a better idea of his strategy,�� said Ventura, who let the emotion pour out after winning the final hand.
The Peruvian reflected on the moment after getting his hands on the bracelet. ��I was actually getting emotional way before, like when I got to the final table I already wanted to cry. I was like, wait it��s not the moment yet, so I was trying to calm myself down. So when the moment arrived I was like so calm that I couldn��t let my emotions out until, I just started to look back at my life and in that moment I got emotional.��
That concludes PokerNews coverage of this exciting event. Stick with the live reporting team for the rest of the action as the WSOP winds down in Las Vegas. Click here to see what other live updates are happening now.
In this Series
- 1 Peter Thai Wins First Bracelet of the 2023 WSOP: Event #1: $500 Casino Employees ($75,535)
- 2 Alexandre Vuilleumier Captures 2023 WSOP Event #2: $25K High Roller Title
- 3 Cody "1eggadaymike" Bell Wins WSOP Bracelet and $87,665 in the Triple Treys Summer Tip Off
- 4 Michael Moncek Wins Event #6: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha for $534,499
- 5 Chad Eveslage Steamrolls to Second WSOP Bracelet in Event #5: $1,500 Dealer's Choice (6-Handed) ($131,879)
- 6 Ronnie Day Reigns Supreme in Event #4: Tournament of Champions ($200,000)
- 7 Vadim Shlez Takes Down Event #7: $1,500 Limit Hold��em For $146,835
- 8 Chanracy Khun Wins Event #8: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship
- 9 Nick Schulman Wins Event #9: Seven Card Stud For Fourth WSOP Bracelet ($110,800)
- 10 Ian "IanMa" Matakis Wins Online Event #2: $500 No-Limit Hold'em Bankroll Builder for $120,686
- 11 Ryan "dna2rna" Hughes Wins Third Bracelet, Defeats Shaun "fortnite" Deeb in Online Battle
- 12 Tyler Brown Crowned Champion of Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions ($1,000,000)
- 13 Kenneth O��Donnell Wins Event #11: $600 No-Limit Hold��em Deepstack For $351,098
- 14 The Chosen One: Chad Eveslage Wins Third Bracelet in the $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship
- 15 Estes Nabs Second WSOP MI Online Bracelet; Kershaw Victorious in First PA Event
- 16 Joseph Altomonte Returns to Poker With a Bang; Rakes in $217,102 and a WSOP Bracelet
- 17 Jeremy Eyer Defeats Felipe Ramos in Gruelling Heads Up Duel for $5K Freezeout Title ($649,550)
- 18 Danny "jackdaniels1" Wong Finally Bags WSOP Bracelet After 13 Hour Day
- 19 Isaac Haxton Removes Name from "Best Without a Bracelet" List w/ $25K High Roller Win
- 20 Brian Yoon Wins 5th WSOP Bracelet in $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
- 21 Brazil Out in Force for Reis' First Bracelet in $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em
- 22 Three Isn't a Crowd for Jim Collopy Who Wins His Third WSOP Bracelet
- 23 Valentino Konakchiev Denies Andres Korn a Second Bracelet in $2.5K NLHE Freezeout
- 24 Michael Rodrigues Becomes First Badugi Champion in Event #20: $1,500 Badugi
- 25 Stephen Nahm Toasts To His Victory in Event #21: $1k Pot-Limit Omaha
- 26 Fifth Bracelet for Josh Arieh in Event #22: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship for $316,226
- 27 Leon Sturm Bests Bill Klein in Event #23: $50,000 High Roller ($1,546,024)
- 28 Two Big Bets and a Chair - David ��ODB�� Baker Fights Back from the Felt to Win His Third Bracelet
- 29 Jason Simon Becomes WSOP's First Gladiator of Poker for $499,852
- 30 Renji Mao��s Deepstack Aggression Earns Him First WSOP Bracelet ($402,588)
- 31 Belyalovsky Defeats 2020 WSOP Online Domestic Main Event Champion Hebert
- 32 12 Year Drought Ends: Ben Lamb Runs "Hotter Than the Sun" to Win 2nd WSOP Gold Bracelet
- 33 Six is Sweet For Shaun Deeb in Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix
- 34 Jans Arends Tops Star-Studded Final Table to Win $100K High Roller for $2,576,729
- 35 Benjamin Ector Busts Seven Straight to Win Event #28: $1,500 NLH Freezeout ($406,403)
- 36 Houston Firefighter Scott Dulaney Extinguishes the Opposition in Event #31 of 2023 WSOP
- 37 Cash Game Specialist Mark Ioli Wins First WSOP Bracelet for $558,266
- 38 John Monnette Joins Five-Timers Club With $1,500 Triple Draw WSOP Title
- 39 Sean Troha Wins 2nd WSOP Bracelet; Takes Down Event #34: $1,500 PLO for $298,192
- 40 ��It��s Gonna Be Tough for You�� Says Jerry Wong on Way to Winning 1st WSOP Bracelet
- 41 Chris Klodnicki Returns to WSOP, Wins $10,000 NLH Secret Bounty for 2nd Career Bracelet
- 42 Ryutaro Suzuki Becomes Japan's Mixed-Game Master in Event #36: $3,000 Nine Game Mix
- 43 Yuan Li Adds Name to List of 2023 WSOP Bracelet Winners after $2K NLHE Triumph ($524,777)
- 44 Benny Glaser Joins Five-Timers Club with Win in Event #38: $10K 2-7 Triple Draw Championship
- 45 Morgan Magee & Josh Dempsey Lay Claim to WSOP Online Bracelets in MI & PA
- 46 "suited_h13" Last One Standing in WSOP Online Event #6: $500 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo ($134,527)
- 47 Chris Brewer Wins $250k Super High Roller and First Bracelet ($5,293,556)
- 48 Joe "jimjam01" Serock Wins 2023 WSOP Online Event #7: $500 PLO 6-Max ($93,911)
- 49 "I've Got It!" Qiang Xu Wins First Bracelet in $800 Deepstack ($339,033)
- 50 Scott Abrams Becomes Inaugural Big O Champion for $315,203
- 51 Braxton Dunaway Wins Monster Stack for $1,162,681; Now Headed to Son��s College World Series
- 52 Jeremy ��ChipChecka�� Ausmus Claims Sixth Bracelet in Online Event #8: $3,200 No-Limit Hold��em
- 53 Jay Lockett Turns $500 into $262,526 and a Bracelet at the 2023 WSOP
- 54 Braxton Dunaway Wins Monster Stack for $1,162,681; Now Headed to Son��s College World Series
- 55 William Leffingwell Brings A Bracelet Home to Houston a Week After His Friend Did the Same!
- 56 Pengfei Wang Plays First Tournament Ever; Wins $270,700 in Event #49: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty
- 57 Brian Rast Wins $50,000 Poker Players Championship For the Third Time ($1,324,747)
- 58 Yang Zhang Captures 2023 WSOP $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Title ($717,879)
- 59 Yuri Dzivielevski Wins Third Bracelet and $207,678 in Event #47: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
- 60 Poker Player Proposes to Girlfriend After Winning WSOP Bracelet & $1,309,232
- 61 Team Savakinas Reign Supreme in WSOP Tag Team Event ($190,662)
- 62 Nick Pupillo Wins First Bracelet In $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw for $181,978
- 63 Justin Vaysman & Rudy Gavaldon Win WSOP Online Bracelets in Pennsylvania & Michigan
- 64 Ryan "GoFeltaFish2" Eriquezzo Multitasks His Way to His Third WSOP Bracelet
- 65 Lonnie Hallett Defeats Billy Baxter Heads-Up to Win 2023 WSOP Seniors Championship ($765,731)
- 66 Mike Gorodinsky Blazes Down the Home Stretch to Win $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship ($422,747)
- 67 Marcin Horecki Denies Mike Matusow as he Captures Poland's First-Ever Live WSOP Bracelet
- 68 Retired Fireman Steven Genovese Climbs a Different Type of Ladder to Take Home a WSOP Bracelet!
- 69 Jason Daly Steamrolls Final Table of Event #58: $3,000 Limit Hold'em to Win First WSOP Bracelet
- 70 Millionaire Maker Winner Pavel Plesuv Becomes Moldova's First WSOP Champion ($1,201,564)
- 71 Ka Kwan Lau Finds Redemption in $25K PLO High Roller ($2,294,756)
- 72 WSOP Online Pennsylvania & Michigan: Christopher Nunez & David Ferus Find Mystery Bounty Success
- 73 Calm, Collected, and Deadly: Robert Schulz Becomes a WSOP Champion
- 74 Jason Mercier Defeats Mike Watson to Capture Sixth WSOP Bracelet
- 75 Brazil��s Gabriel Schroeder Bad Beats Andy Black on Way to Super Turbo Bounty Bracelet ($228,632)
- 76 Austria's Klaus Ilk Wins 2023 WSOP Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors for $371,603
- 77 "Can't Stop Kopp!" William Kopp Wins Event #66: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better ($259,549)
- 78 David Simon Emerges Victorious in Battle of Davids to Win Maiden Bracelet in $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha ($410,659)
- 79 Ryan Miller Wins Maiden Bracelet in Event #63: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship ($344,677)
- 80 David Guay Celebrates on Canada Day with WSOP Gold ($271,032)
- 81 Weiran Pu Captures His First Bracelet in Event #65: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em ($938,244)
- 82 Phil Hellmuth Wins Record-Extending 17th World Series of Poker Bracelet
- 83 Brewer Beats Baker and Livingston in 2-7 Single Draw Championship for Second Bracelet of the Summer
- 84 Jesse Lonis Steamrolls to Victory for Second Bracelet in Event #71: $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller
- 85 An Unstoppable Tamar Abraham Wins Record-Breaking Ladies Event for $192,167
- 86 Tom ��lultaxpayers�� Hall Emerges Victorious to Claim Maiden WSOP Bracelet ($176,920)
- 87 Moshe Refaelowitz Fulfils a Promise to His Wife; Wins Event #70: $400 Colossus
- 88 Bradley Gafford Rallies Back to Win the Mini Main Event ($549,555)
- 89 Hassan Kamel Speeds to Victory in Event #75: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship ($598,613)
- 90 Sam Soverel Wins World Series of Poker Bracelet in Live/Online Hybrid Tournament
- 91 Zachary Grech & Blaze Gaspari Pick Up NV/NJ WSOP Online Bracelets
- 92 Thomas Skaggs Adds a WSOP Bracelet to His Circuit Ring in Event #76: $1,500 Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha
- 93 Shawn Daniels Wins Event #77: $777 Lucky 7's for $777,777
- 94 Josh Arieh Steam Rolls Final Table For Sixth Bracelet in Event #80: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. High Roller
- 95 VAMOS!! Samuel Bernabeu Wins First Bracelet in Event #79:$2,500 No-Limit Holdem
- 96 Thai Ha Wins First Bracelet in 2023 WSOP Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck ($111,170)
- 97 Brazilian Vitor Dzivielevski Wins NV/NJ WSOP Online Event #16 Bracelet ($185,316)
- 98 Alex Kulev Wins $50K High Roller for $2,087,073; Moves Atop Bulgarian All-Time Money List
- 99 Tom Marchese Wins First Gold Bracelet in WSOP Online Event #17: $1,000 Online Championship
- 100 Matthew Parry Wins 2023 WSOP Event #82: $3,000 PLO 6-Handed ($480,122)
- 101 Prominent Poker Coach Faraz Jaka Leads By Example and Wins First Bracelet in Event #85: $1,500 Shootout
- 102 Diego Does It! Ventura Earns First Live Bracelet for Peru in $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty
- 103 Oh Canada! Bradley Smith Wins Maiden Bracelet and $221,733 in Mixed Omaha/Stud Hi-Lo
- 104 Beginner's Luck? Pierre Shum Wins a WSOP Bracelet in His First Ever Tournament
- 105 Dong Meng Holds Off "Westside" Wesley to Win 2023 WSOP Event #89: $1,000 Flip & Go
- 106 Alexandre Reard Wins Second Bracelet in Prestigious $10K 6-Handed Championship ($1,057,663)
- 107 Kang Hyun Lee Takes the Event #92: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout Bracelet Home to Canada!
- 108 Two Bracelets in Five Events; Ryan Miller Victorious in Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
- 109 Summer Saved! Nielsen Takes Home Short Deck Bracelet and $270,160 in Second Cash of 2023 WSOP!
- 110 14 Years in the Making: Alex Keating Wins His Maiden Bracelet at the 2023 WSOP
- 111 Paul Berger Didn't Plan to Play Event #95: Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em But He is Now Its Champion
