Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Day 3 Completed
2021 World Series of Poker
Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2021 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$25,000
Prize Pool
$1,842,750
Entries
78
Level
27
Limits
0 / 0
Ante
0
Players Left
1
Level 27
It’s not often an unknown player ventures to Las Vegas, enters a five-figure buy-in mixed-game tournament against the world’s best players, and comes out on top to win more than half a million dollars. But that’s exactly what happened in just the second event of the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. attracted 78 runners and offered up a $1,842,750 prize pool, including a $552,182 top prize. After three days of play, 44-year-old Jesse Klein emerged victorious over a stacked final table – one representing a combined 22 gold bracelets – to etch his name in poker history.
Klein, who hails from the Philadelphia area, flew out on Thursday with the sole intention of playing the first big buy-in tournament of the series. The owner of a recruiting business, the father of two hasn’t cashed a tournament since 2010 due to one reason, he prefers to play high-stakes mixed cash games.
Despite not having played a lot lately due to the pandemic, the allure of the $25K H.O.R.S.E. was too much to resist.
“I just came out here to play this event and go home Sunday,” said Klein, who according to The Hendon Mob had just $23,100 in lifetime earnings before the win. “I have a wife and two kids – a six-year-old girl and a three-year-old son. I came out here to play this event and that’s it. Maybe I’ll come back out here since I won this.”
2021 WSOP Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. Final Table Results
| Position | Winner | Country | Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Klein | United States | $552,182 |
| 2 | Benny Glaser | United Kingdom | $341,274 |
| 3 | David Benyamine | France | $236,626 |
| 4 | Chad Eveslage | United States | $169,218 |
| 5 | Philip Sternheimer | United Kingdom | $124,935 |
| 6 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | $95,329 |
| 7 | Ben Yu | United States | $75,260 |
| 8 | DJ Buckley | United States | $61,549 |
| 9 | Matt Glantz | United States | $52,211 |
Klein continued: “I’m feeling great. It was a lot of fun. The players were awesome, it was an awesome structure. I’m feeling good. I play poker to win, but I don’t play poker professionally. The H.O.R.S.E. event is what I wanted to play. I love all the different games. It’s just fun.”
Not only did Klein check off “winning a WSOP gold bracelet” off his bucket list, but he also checked off “Tilting the Poker Brat.”
“That was great, that was phenomenal. I’ve never played with him before,” Klein said in regards to Phil Hellmuth, who was seeking his record-extending 16th bracelet. “In a Razz hand he limped and I completed. I made a nine and I think he made a ten, he just went off and I loved it. It made me laugh, all that kind of stuff cracks me up. It’s part of the entertainment I guess.”
Hellmuth wasn’t the only bracelet winner Klein contended with on his way to claiming his own. He also outlasted three-time winners Ben Yu and Benny Glaser, as well as bracelet winner and World Poker Tour (WPT) champ David Benyamine.
“I’m not intimidated ever playing poker,” Klein said confidently. “When you’re comfortable playing different games you just play your game. You try not to get too high or too low, just stay steady.”
After the final hand, Klein called his wife, who shed some tears of joy.
“I’ve got a gold bracelet. I’m fired up. I love playing poker,” Klein said with a smile. “This event was about as competitive as can be. A perfect little couple of days.”
The Road to Victory for Klein
Klein entered the final table second in chips trailing only Glaser and was always near the top of the leaderboard except for a brief spell during which he dropped into the middle of the pack. The momentum started to shift towards Klein when he won a Razz pot against Hellmuth, who needed a while to calm down again.
By then, the field was already down to the final six players with the departures of Matt Glantz, DJ Buckley, and Yu. Hellmuth never recovered from the fatal blow to his stack and bowed out in sixth place. Right after, Philip Sternheimer became the next casualty in a seven-card Stud hand and Chad Eveslage followed shortly thereafter as Glaser notched up his second knockout in a row.
Three-handed play saw Glaser move into a solid lead but the tides turned in favor of Klein when he claimed back-to-back Razz pots against the Brit. From there on, Klein pulled further ahead and as the limits moved up, both Benyamine and Glaser succumbed to their short stacks.
Congratulations to Jesse Klein, winner of the 2021 WSOP Event #2: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E.!
Level 27
Seven Card Stud
Benny Glaser: 
/ 
/ 
Jesse Klein: 
/ 
/ 
Benny Glaser as the bring in called following the completion by Jesse Klein. Another bet by Klein followed on fourth which Glaser called with 275,000 behind. Klein then picked up the low suited draw and bet once more. Glaser could all but smile and eventually called it off.
Klein had an ace in the hole and spiked a gutshot straight flush draw on sixth while Glaser found some equity with a pair of kings. Klein peeled the four for two pair, reducing Glaser's outs to the two last kings. He only found a nine and had to settle for second place and a payday of $341,274.
The Brit was denied a fourth bracelet while Klein earned his maiden one and was almost immediately on a video call with the family. He earns the top prize of $552,182 and joins the WSOP winner's circle in one of the most challenging tournament formats.
A recap of today's action is to follow.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
11,700,000 | |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level: 27
Limit Flop: 100,000/200,000 (Limits 200,000/400,000)
Stud Games 50,000 ante - bring-in 50,000 completion 200,000 (Limits 200,000/400,000)
Level 26
Seven Card Stud
Benny Glaser was down to his last two bets when Jesse Klein raised. Glaser got the two bets in.
Benny Glaser: 
/ 
/ 
Jesse Klein: 
/ 
/
Glaser turned over on seventh street and it was just the card he needed to grab a small double to stay alive.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,875,000
-45,000
|
-45,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
825,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
Level 26
Razz
Benny Glaser: / 
/
Jesse Klein: / 
/
Benny Glaser completed twice to chip up and then made it three completions with Jesse Klein calling the third. Glaser bet his ace-six on fourth to earn a call and Klein then bet all further streets. Glaser was deep in the tank after the final bet on seventh.
"You were supposed to check," the Brit said and then followed it up with more table chat. "You paired your eight?" Glaser inquired. No answer came and Glaser then tank-called. Klein had paired the eight but won it anyways with the 
for a nine-eight.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,920,000
750,000
|
750,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
775,000
-750,000
|
-750,000 |
|
|
||
Level 26
The players are back in their seats and will be playing plenty of Stud variants for the remainder of the level.
Level 26
The two remaining players agreed to a short 12-minute break and as many minutes are still to be played in the current level.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,170,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
1,525,000 | |
|
|
||
Level 26
Jesse Klein completed and David Benyamine raised. Klein made it three bets and Benyamine called. Benyamine was short and got the rest in on fourth street.
Jesse Klein: 
/ / 
David Benyamine: 
/ 
/
Seventh street was a brick for Benyamine and Klein won the pot to eliminate the former Omaha Hi-Lo champion in third place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,170,000
1,770,000
|
1,770,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,525,000
-75,000
|
-75,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 26
Omaha Hi-Lo
On a flop of 
, Benny Glaser check-called a bet by Jesse Klein and did so again on the 
turn. The river was checked and Klein announced jacks up, revealing the 
. Glaser mucked and Klein scooped the pot.
David Benyamine then lost two bets to Klein when he could not beat the 
of his opponent on a 
board as he fell behind Glaser in the counts. Both short stacks have very few big bets at their disposal.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,400,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,600,000
-700,000
|
-700,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,150,000
-500,000
|
-500,000 |
|
|
||