Event #32: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Day 4 Completed
2018 World Series of Poker
Event #32: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Day: 4
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$5,327,100
Entries
5,919
Level
37
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
50,000
Level 37
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
After a final table that featured the excitement of monster suckouts, quads, former bracelet winners and final tablists, Matthew Davis has been crowned the winner of the largest Seniors Event in WSOP history.
Davis topped a field of 5,919 players to take home the gold WSOP bracelet after defeating 2012 Senior Event final tablist Bill Stabler heads-up.
Davis, who teaches statistics at Chabot College in Haywood, California has two previous WSOP cashes in 2007 and 2009 worth $7,459, but today takes home a whopping $662,983 in prize money.
Official Final Table Results:
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Davis | United States | $662,983 |
| 2 | Bill Stabler | United States | $409,456 |
| 3 | Scott Hamilton-Hill | New Zealand | $303,859 |
| 4 | Gary Friedlander | United States | $227,111 |
| 5 | Bill Bennett | United States | $170,973 |
| 6 | Rachel Delatorre | United States | $129,648 |
| 7 | Frank Berry | United States | $99,032 |
| 8 | Joseph Schulman | United States | $76,204 |
Speaking moments after securing the victory, Davis said that he was "elated beyond belief." Having come back from dinner break behind in the chip counts, it took him just 15 hands to turn the tables and close out the victory shortly before 7:30pm local time.
"Honestly, during the dinner break, I just went and enjoyed time with my family and friends. We talked about other things, and when they asked me about poker I just said not now.
"I came and played my first WSOP event in 2007, and I managed to secure a little over a min-cash. And I was talking to my daughter afterward - she was in first or second grade - and she asked me how much I had to spend to enter the tournament, so I told her that it was a $1,500 event.
"So she said 'Wow, Dad that's kind of a big risk!' And I was curious by what she meant by that, I mean she was only six or seven. So I asked her. And she said 'Well Dad, you're not that good at poker!'
"And now I have a bracelet!"
Final Day Recap
Coming into the final day, it was Gary Friedlander who held the chip lead. There were no major moves among the players until a gin-flop caused the first all-in and call. On a 
flop Bill Bennett had flopped a set of eights while Joseph Schulman had flopped a set of fives. The two got their stacks in, with Schulman emerging second best and becoming the first elimination of the final day.
It was Bennett who would send the second player to the rail. Frank Berry shoved pre-flop with ace-seven, and after Bennett had gotten rid of another caller, he denied Berry the triple up by flopping a pair with ace-deuce and it held to send Berry to the rail.
Bennett was looking to set a new record for time between winning two bracelets, having taken down a $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event at the 1984 World Series of Poker, and he showed he still had some moves, pulling an audacious bluff with four-high to clip then chip leader Friedlander.
By the time players had recovered from the set over set that eliminated Schulman in the first level of the day, Rachel Delatorre fell to one of the most brutal beats at this WSOP, or indeed any WSOP.
Getting her remaining chips in with pocket tens on a nine-high flop, she feared a set when called by Matthew Davis. In fact, Davis turned over the exact same hand - pocket tens. However, the turn and river were both hearts and Delatorre was eliminated in gut-wrenching fashion.
This elimination pushed Davis to the top of the counts by the time the remaining five players went on their first break of the day. When they returned Bennett would move up the counts, using well-timed shoves to put pressure on Davis. But one mistimed shove would see Bennett eliminated in fifth place.
After betting a queen-high all-club flop, Davis called Bennett's bet and saw a ten roll off on the turn. Bennett shoved and got snap-called. Davis had flopped the nut flush, while Bennett had turned a set. The board failed to pair on the river and Davis moved to almost half the chips in play four-handed.
The next elimination was start-of-day chip leader Friedlander who got his remaining seventeen big blinds in with ace-five against Stabler's ace-jack. A jack on the turn sent Friedlander to the rail.
Scott Hamilton-Hill was the sole non-American at the final table, and the New Zealander narrowly missed out on the heads-up section of the competition after a poor run of cards saw him eliminated holding ace-deuce against Stabler's king-nine after Stabler flopped a pair.
Coming into heads-up play both Davis and Stabler were fairly level in chips and through over 100 hands of heads-up play, there were some show-stopping moments (including quads for Davis!). But most importantly the players were still very deep, meaning there wasn't a single all-in and call until the final moment in the tournament.
Even then the drama wasn't over. Getting it in with a flush draw against the flopped pair of Stabler, Davis didn't even realize that the river had given him a pair to secure the victory.
"Once I realized I was behind, all I was thinking was 'Diamond, diamond, diamond,'" said Davis, "So when it was black it didn't register. And then when I saw people react, I realized."
Realized that he had a pair. Realized that he had won. And realized a dream of becoming a WSOP gold bracelet winner.
Level 37
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
Hand #232:
Bill Stabler raised to 950,000 and Matthew Davis called. The flop came 
. Davis checked and Stabler bet 1,500,000. Davis then check-raised all in.
"I almost snapped," said Stabler, considering his options. He thought a little while longer. "I call."
"I want to see diamonds, and then I am going to buy my wife some," said Davis, tabling 
for king high and a flush draw.
"I want to see no diamonds," came the retort from Stabler, tabling 
for a pair of threes.
The turn was the 
pairing the board.
The river was the 
. Stabler clapped both of his hands together, and wheeled around in celebration. It was only until the dealer pointed in the direction of Davis' hand that the two players realised that Davis had in fact rivered a pair, which was enough to send his opponent to the rail.
Stabler, who finished fifth in this event in 2012 for $147,605, and cashed in it last year in 157th place for $4,030, adds a third cash and second-place prize money worth $409,456.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Level 37
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
Hand #230: Bill Stabler raised to 950,000 and Matthew Davis called. The pair checked the 
flop and the turn brought the 
. Davis checked and Stabler bet 1,000,000. Davis check-raised to 3,000,000 and Stabler folded.
Hand #231: Davis raised to 1,000,000 and Stabler called. Stabler check-folded to another bet of 1,000,000 on a 
flop.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
18,720,000
6,220,000
|
6,220,000 |
|
10,875,000
-6,220,000
|
-6,220,000 |
|
||
![[user339870]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 37
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
Hand #224: Bill Stabler raised the button to 850,000 and Matthew Davis called. The flop came 
and both players checked. The 
hit the turn, Davis checked, Stabler bet 1.25 million, and Davis folded.
Hand #225: Davis raised the button to 1 million and Stabler called. The flop came 
and both players checked. The 
fell on the turn, Stabler bet 900,000, and Davis called. The river was the 
, both players checked, Stabler showed 
, and his hand was good enough to win the pot.
Hand #226: Davis got a walk in the big blind.
Hand #227: Stabler got a walk in the big blind.
Hand #228: Davis got a walk again.
Hand #229: Davis raised to 1 million from the button and Stabler called. The flop came 
and Stabler check-called a bet of 1 million from Davis. The turn brought the , Stabler checked, Davis bet 2 million, Stabler folded, and Davis took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
17,095,000
-1,005,000
|
-1,005,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
12,500,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
Level 37
: 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante
Hand #217: Matthew Davis raised and took down the pot.
Hand #218: Bill Stabler raised to 950,000 and Davis called. Davis check-folded to a bet of 950,000 on the 
flop.
Hand #219: Davis raised and took down the pot.
Hand #220: Davis received a walk.
Hand #221: Davis raised to 1,000,000 and Stabler three-bet to 2,500,000. The flop came 
and Stabler bet 2,500,000. Davis quickly called.
The pair checked the turn and river. Stabler had to show, but elected to muck and Davis took down the pot uncontested.
Hand #222: Davis received a walk.
Hand #223: Davis limped and Stabler raised to 1,500,000. Davis folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
18,100,000
5,325,000
|
5,325,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
11,500,000
-5,325,000
|
-5,325,000 |
Level: 37
Blinds: 200,000/400,000
Ante: 50,000
Level 36
: 150,000/300,000, 50,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
16,825,000
-4,620,000
|
-4,620,000 |
|
|
12,775,000
4,625,000
|
4,625,000 |
|
|
||
Level 36
: 150,000/300,000, 50,000 ante
Hand #213: Bill Stabler received a walk.
Hand #214: Matthew Davis received a walk.
Hand #215: Davis raised to 750,000 and Stabler called. Stabler bet 850,000 on the 
flop and Davis folded.
Hand #216: Stabler raised to 750,000 and Davis called. Davis checked and Stabler bet 850,000 on the 
flop.
"Let's go eat dinner," said Davis before folding, as the players headed off on a 60-minute dinner break.
Play will resume at approximately 18:50 local time.
Level 36
: 150,000/300,000, 50,000 ante
Hand #208: Bill Stabler raised the button to 750,000 and Matthew Davis called from the big blind. The flop came and Davis checked. Stabler bet 750,000, Davis folded, and Stabler took the pot.
Hand #209: Davis raised to 750,000 form the button and Stabler called. The flop came 
and Stabler check-called a bet of 700,000 from Davis. The turn brought the and both players checked. The 
fell on the river and Stabler bet 1 million. Davis called, Stabler showed , and Davis tabled to take the pot.
Hand #210: Davis got a walk in the big blind.
Hand #211: Davis raised the button to 750,000 and Stabler called. The flop came 
and Stabler checked. Davis bet 800,000 and Stabler folded.
Hand #212: Stabler raised to 750,000 and won the pot uncontested.