Event #48: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em MONSTER STACK
Day 4 Completed
2018 World Series of Poker
Event #48: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em MONSTER STACK
Day: 4
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$8,451,000
Entries
6,260
Level
41
Blinds
500,000 / 1,000,000
Ante
150,000
Level 41
: 500,000/1,000,000, 150,000 ante
Tommy Nguyen has become the ninth millionaire crowned at the 2018 World Series of Poker, after taking down Event #48: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em MONSTER STACK for $1,037,451.
After a rollercoaster ride of emotions at the final table, Nguyen was nearly at a loss for words when asked what it felt like to win $1,000,000. "I dreamed of this and I always believed I could make it. I never doubted that I was going to win. I was just focusing on winning a bracelet. That was my goal when I came here."
That's a pretty lofty goal for someone who is making their first appearance at the World Series of Poker at the age of 28, but Nguyen has just been riding a hot streak. Nguyen won over $100,000 at a major poker tournament in Canada just two months ago and has used the money to enter events at the WSOP this year.
The final table featured a staggering nine all-ins featuring ace-king, with big slick emerging victorious seven times. Eventual winner Nguyen sent two players to the rail, and shortly before midnight here in Vegas, Nguyen's ace-king sent eventual runner-up James Carroll to the rail as the Canadian clinched victory.
Official Final Table Results:
| Seat | Name | Country | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tommy Nguyen | Canada | $1,037,451 |
| 2 | James Carroll | United States | $640,916 |
| 3 | Francis Rusnak | United States | $475,212 |
| 4 | Chris Chong | Singapore | $354,903 |
| 5 | Daniel Corbett | United Kingdom | $266,987 |
| 6 | Michael Benko | Canada | $202,327 |
| 7 | Shyam Srinivasan | United States | $154,463 |
| 8 | Harald Sammer | Austria | $118,802 |
| 9 | Rittie Chuaprasert | United States | $92,061 |
Final Day Recap
The day began with 29 players, and David Cabrera Polop was the first casualty; failing to spin up the one ante he returned with. A steady stream of eliminations over the course of the first two levels brought play down to two tables just after the first break of the day, with James Carroll in the lead.
Carroll, along with Chris Chong and Daniel Corbett would tussle for the chip lead as the players headed off on dinner break ten-handed on the unofficial final table.
Once they returned it didn't take long to get down first to a final table and then to a final eight. First Jimmy Chen lost a flip with pocket fours to bust in tenth, and then in the very first hand of the final table Rittie Chuaprasert got his remaining chips blind-on-blind, only to be dominated and bust in ninth.
The final table had a number of major coolers, and Harald Sammer would fall victim to one. He moved in with ace-king only for Shyam Srinivasan to wake up in the big blind with queens. Queens held, and the Austrian would be eliminated.
Michael Benko would scoop a miracle four-card flush to double, despite shaking his opponent's hand and saying "Nice hand," before the river was even dealt, and there was a lull in proceedings until Srinivasan's exit in seventh. Once again, ace-king was involved, and Srinivasan's nines fell to Nguyen's big slick who flopped both an ace and a king.
At this point, it was Chris Chong who held the chip lead, but Nguyen was pushing him close. Benko was next to go at the hands of Carroll, as the latter started to work his way back into contention short-handed. Benko ran ace-ten into Carroll's ace-king and failed to improve.
Daniel Corbett would bust in the very next hand, as three players were eliminated in under half an hour. In the same all-in as earlier with Srinivasan, pocket nines against ace-king, it was a king on the river for Chong that ended Corbett's run in fifth.
Carroll and Nguyen continued to push, and, despite eliminating Corbett, Chong was pushed down the chip counts. Eventually, he fell at the hands of Nguyen with ace-five against, indeed, ace-king, and play was three-handed.
Nguyen was obviously here to play; bluffing eventual third-place finisher Francis Rusnak with eight-high before Rusnak lost a flip to bust in third. He then proceeded to grind down James Carroll, allowing him to double up once, before finishing it with none other than ace-king to end the tournament in style.
"I was actually supposed to graduate this year but I dropped a course in accounting to take poker more seriously," Nguyen said after his victory. Although he has been playing poker for around ten years, he admits he wasn't always a winning player. "I knew I wasn't a winning player but I was stubborn. Just in the last two years, I started winning more. I tried to fix my game and started learning more."
And learning more has subsequently meant he's started winning more, starting with his first ever WSOP gold bracelet.
Level 41
: 500,000/1,000,000, 150,000 ante
Hand #127: Tommy Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 and James Carroll raised all in for 14,625,000. Nguyen snap-called.
Tommy Nguyen: 
James Carroll: 
With both rails screaming for cards the flop came 
. Carroll's rail were content for a sweat, calling for the deuce of diamonds, which would give Nguyen a flush draw.
The turn was the 
and the river was the 
with Carroll eliminated in second place for $640,916
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
93,900,000
17,100,000
|
17,100,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 41
: 500,000/1,000,000, 150,000 ante
Hand #124: Tommy Nguyen received a walk.
Hand #125: Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 and James Carroll folded.
Hand #126: Carroll folded and gave Nguyen another walk.
Level 41
: 500,000/1,000,000, 150,000 ante
Hand #118: James Carroll raised to 2,000,000 and Tommy Nguyen called. The flop came 
and both players checked to the 
on the turn. Nguyen check-called a bet of 2,500,000 from Carroll and the 
completed the board. Nguyen checked again and Carroll fired another 9,200,000 which Nguyen folded to.
Hand #119: Nguyen opened to 2,500,000 and Carroll shoved all in. Nguyen instantly mucked his hand.
Hand #120: Carroll limped in on the button and Nguyen checked his option. The flop came 
and Nguyen check-folded to a bet of 1,500,000 from Carroll.
Hand #121: Nguyen just called on the button and Carroll jammed all in which got a fold from Nguyen.
Hand #122: Carroll limped in on the button and Nguyen checked. The flop came 
and Nguyen folded to a bet of 1,500,000 from Carroll.
Hand #123: Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 on the button and Carroll called. The flop fell 
and Carroll check-called a bet of 2,000,000 from Nguyen. The turn was the 
and both players checked to the 
on the river. Carroll led out for 5,500,000 and Nguyen snap-called. Carroll tabled 
and Nguyen held 
for two pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
76,800,000
-1,200,000
|
-1,200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
17,200,000
1,200,000
|
1,200,000 |
Level 41
: 500,000/1,000,000, 150,000 ante
Hand #113: Tommy Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 and took down the pot.
Hand #114: James Carroll raised to 2,000,000 and Nguyen three-bet to 6,500,000. Carroll folded.
Hand #115: Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 and Carroll called. Carroll check-folded to a bet of 2,700,000 on the 
flop.
Hand #116: Nguyen received a walk.
Hand #117: Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 and Carroll folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
78,000,000
9,000,000
|
9,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
16,000,000
-9,000,000
|
-9,000,000 |
Level 41
: 500,000/1,000,000, 150,000 ante
Hand #112: James Carroll moved all in for 12,075,000 and Tommy Nguyen called.
James Carroll: 
Tommy Nguyen: 
Nguyen's rail were screaming for paint but the flop came 
. The turn 
gave Nguyen a gutshot, but the turn ensured that Carroll would double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
69,000,000
-14,500,000
|
-14,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
25,000,000
14,500,000
|
14,500,000 |
Level 41
: 500,000/1,000,000, 150,000 ante
Hand #104: James Carroll shoved all in and Tommy Nguyen folded.
Hand #105: Nguyen pushed all in this time but Carroll folded.
Hand #106: Carroll moved all in again and Nguyen couldn't find a hand to call with.
Hand #107: Nguyen folded his button.
Hand #108: Carroll laid down his big blind.
Hand #109: Nguyen shipped all in and Carroll mucked his cards.
Hand #110: It was Carroll's turn to move all in on the button and Nguyen laid his hand down.
Hand #111: Nguyen folded his button again.
Level: 41
Blinds: 500,000/1,000,000
Ante: 150,000
Level 40
: 400,000/800,000, 100,000 ante
Hand #99: Tommy Nguyen raised to 1,700,000 and James Carroll called. Carroll check-called a bet of 2,000,000 on a . The turn was the 
and both players checked. The river was the . Carroll bet 1,500,000 and Nguyen raised to 6,000,000. After some thought Carroll called.
"Flush is good," said Nguyen, tabling 
. Carroll rechecked his cards and mucked.
Hand #100: Carroll raised to 1,800,000 and Nguyen called. Nguyen check-called a bet of 1,500,000 on 
and the two checked down an board. Carroll showed 
and won the pot.
Hand #101: Nguyen raised to 1,700,000 and Carroll called. Carroll check-called a bet of 2,000,000 on 
but check-folded to a bet of 8,000,000 on the turn.
Hand #102: Carroll raised to 1,600,000 and Nguyen called. Nguyen check-folded to a bet of 1,600,000 on .
Hand #103: Nguyen raised to 1,700,000. Carroll called. The flop came 
and Carroll check-called a bet of 1,500,000. The turn was the and Carroll check-called 5,000,000.
The river was the . Carroll check-called a final bet of 7,000,000 and Nguyen showed 
and that was good enough to take down the pot and open a commanding chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
83,500,000
25,000,000
|
25,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
10,500,000
-25,000,000
|
-25,000,000 |