Michael Wang Wins Second Bracelet After Heads-Up Comeback in Event #87: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Michael Wang won his second WSOP bracelet Event #87: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em, denying Farid Jattin a maiden title in the process.
Seven years since defeating Bryn Kenney heads-up to win his first, Wang grabbed his second thanks in part to a stunning heads-up against the Colombian.
He takes home $541,604 after defeating a field of 573 players. Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel was looking for a tenth WSOP bracelet but would have to settle for third place.
Event #87: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Wang | United States | $541,604 |
| 2 | Farid Jattin | Colombia | $334,747 |
| 3 | Erik Seidel | United States | $238,321 |
| 4 | Kartik Ved | India | $172,103 |
| 5 | Yuval Bronshtein | Israel | $126,089 |
| 6 | Billy O'Neil | United States | $83,740 |
| 7 | Fred Goldberg | United States | $70,734 |
| 8 | Will Nguyen | United States | $54,185 |
Winner's Reaction
"Two is better than one," Wang told PokerNews moments after securing victory. "I didn't have super strong expectations coming into today after all the craziness of last night. I just kept getting deeper and deeper, and I just didn't take the prospect of going all the way that seriously.
"It'll take some time to process, but I'm feeling great right now."
Wang said that he escaped uninjured from last night's stampede having been in the room when it happened.
"I turned to my left and just saw a sea of people fleeing and sprinting. Everyone around me was either running or under the table. It was scary. I legitimately thought there was a shooter in the casino, it didn't even cross my mind that it was fake."
Back to the poker, and Wang only had compliments for eventual heads-up opponent Farid Jattin.
"I think Farid's a total monster. He's a really strong player and he's not afraid to pull the trigger. I think that's why it's difficult to play with him. He just has no fear and for that I really respect his play. Against a player like that I'm not entirely surprised he found some hands to bluff with, and luckily I just had the hands to call."
Final Day Recap
With extra levels played on the final day due to the unscheduled halt of play on Day 1, a total of 192 players returned at the start of play. Just 86 of them would make the money and the money bubble burst with the elimination of Darren Elias, guaranteeing the remaining players $8,085.
Notable eliminations in the money included Justin Bonomo (83rd - $8,085), Scott Seiver (78th - $8,085), Yuri Dzivielevski (63rd - $8,843), Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov in back-to-back eliminations (60th and 59th - $8,843), 2021 WSOP Main Event champion Koray Aldemir (47th - $11,388), Phil Hellmuth (38th - $13,059), Mike Matusow (31st - $15,233) and Maria Ho (30th - $15,233).
By the time the tournament reached three tables, it was Kartik Ved who held the chip lead before Farid Jattin started to stamp his authority on proceedings. Daniel Negreanu exited in 13th place before 2014 Main Event champion Martin Jacobson was also eliminated.
The chip leaders remained consistent, and it was Jattin ahead of Ved when the players combined for a final table of nine after the elimination of Vanessa Kade in 10th.
Three doubles for Will Nguyen would see him ladder, at the expense of Erfan Geula, as Ved and Jattin continued to trade blows at the top of the leaderboard.
Billy O'Neil and Yuval Bronshtein hit the rail, before Ved lost a flip to Jattin who opened up the largest chip lead of the tournament.
Erik Seidel was on the hunt for his tenth WSOP bracelet, and would double three-handed, but it wasn't enough as he bust in third.
Heads-Up Play
Wang came into heads-up play with a 6:1 chip deficit and would double quickly to reduce the arrears. Another double came with Jattin jamming with bottom pair only for Wang to have rivered a flush.
With the stacks level, another double where Wang called river with trip eights against just seven-high of Jattin would see him move to the verge of victory, and he would seal it in style — rivering quads to secure his second WSOP title.