Online Event #13: $5,300 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Championship
Day 2 Completed
2023 World Series of Poker
Online Event #13: $5,300 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Championship
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
2023 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$5,300
Prize Pool
$2,040,000
Entries
408
Level
35
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
12,000
Entries
6
Players Left
1
Level 35
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 12,000 ante
Sam Soverel spent Monday night playing in one of the live high-stakes cash games to which he is accustomed. At the same time, he was taking to the virtual felt under the name “ApesSonIMHO,” again competing against some of poker’s elite on WSOP.com.
Two days later, it ended in a second World Series of Poker bracelet for the Florida native. Soverel prevailed over a field of 408 total entries and defeated Hungary’s Gergely Kulcsar heads up at the live final table of Online Event #13: $5,300 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Championship to capture the $393,516 top prize and another piece of coveted gold jewelry in the first-ever Online/Live Hybrid WSOP bracelet event.
The win was a long-time coming for Soverel. He earned his first bracelet in a $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event in 2016. In the seven years since, Soverel has had near-miss followed by near-miss. He had made eight final tables, finishing in the top five spots five different times. Four of them came in events with a buy-in of $50,000 or greater. Soverel was establishing himself as one of the best high-rollers in the poker world, but further WSOP glory eluded him until today.
Soverel was in his element today when the six-handed final table began at noon local time. He isn’t an online player and admits he hadn’t played online in nearly three years before this tournament. He likes the live aspect of poker, of being able to look at his opponents in person.
“I much prefer live. I hadn’t played online since late-2020,” the new WSOP champion said following his win. “Honestly, I don’t really trust the online environment. Live’s fun. It’s more social. It’s way better to me.”
Soverel’s win today pushes his career earnings past $22,000,000 and moves him up to 31st in the all-time ranking. Despite his unquestioned success against the elites of the game, Soverel admits there isn’t one thing that sets him apart in these tournaments. “I just play a lot of them,” he said.
Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam "ApesSonIMHO" Soverel | United States | $393,516 |
| 2 | Gergely "wildace_hun" Kulcsar | Hungary | $284,784 |
| 3 | Yuval "Larrybird84" Bronshtein | Israel | $207,264 |
| 4 | Aleksejs "APonakov" Ponakovs | Latvia | $150,144 |
| 5 | Lingkun "CN_23" Lu | United States | $109,344 |
| 6 | Ethan "Rampunts" Yau | United States | $80,784 |
Final Table Action
Soverel came into the final table with a chip-leading stack of 2,875,000 and was facing a star-studded lineup that included two-time bracelet winners Yuval Bronshtein and Aleksejs Ponakovs, as well as popular vlogger and high-stakes cash game player Ethan “Rampage” Yau.
But it was Kulcsar, who began the final table with just 525,000, good for 11 big blinds, who made an early move up the leaderboard. He doubled up with aces against the tens of Lingkun Lu, then picked up jacks and eliminated Yau in sixth place.
Kulcsar cracked kings with a turned straight to send Lu out in fifth place as he moved up to second on the leaderboard behind Soverel. Ponakovs soon followed to the payout desk, calling off his last 555,000 with pocket threes against the tens of Soverel.
Kulcsar busted his third opponent at the final table when he moved all in from the small blind and Bronshtein called for his last 1,280,000 with king-six. Kulcsar flopped a set of sevens and dodged Bronshtein’s straight draw to send Bronshtein out in third and set up a heads-up duel against Soverel.
Kulcsar led 5,690,000 to 4,510,000 at the start of heads-up, but it was Soverel who struck the first, and ultimately decisive, blow. Kulcsar flopped top pair with ace-king and bet 710,000 on the turn. Soverel, who turned treys and deuces, called before improving to a full house on the river. Kulcsar bet another 1,950,000 and Soverel moved all in for 3,825,000. Kulcsar spent a few minutes in the tank before mucking as Soverel opened a wide lead.
It wouldn’t take much longer before he got the rest of Kulcsar’s chips. On the final hand, Kulcsar shoved for 1,680,000 with ten-nine of diamonds and Soverel called with ace-eight. Kulcsar picked up straight and flush draws on the turn, but bricked the river as Soverel finally had his long-awaited second bracelet.
For Kulcsar, it was a bittersweet ending to a spectacular performance at the final table. He had 11 WSOP cashes dating back to 2018, but today was his first appearance under the bright lights of a final table. The $284,784 he earned for his runner-up finish is more than triple his previous best cash. Kulcsar has had more success on the virtual felt, with more than $4,000,000 in career earnings.
It was no surprise that he thrived in an online tournament, but today he was in Soverel’s element of a live final table. Soverel had the experience and the cards to come out on top. The tough field was no problem for him; this is what Soverel does every day.
That concludes PokerNews coverage of Online Event #13: $5,300 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Championed. Stay tuned for more coverage of the Main Event and other bracelet events as the 2023 WSOP soon draws to a close.
Level 35
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 12,000 ante
Gergely Kulcsar moved all in on the button for 1,680,000 and Sam Soverel quickly called in the big blind to put Kulcsar at risk.
Gergely Kulcsar: 10?9?
Sam Soverel: A?8?
When the flop came J?4?3?, the ace-high for Soverel was still well in the lead. The turn, however, came the K? giving Kulcsar some hope with a flush draw and straight draw. The 2? bricked off on the river and Kulcsar was forced to settle for a runner-up finish.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
10,200,000
1,200,000
|
1,200,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 35
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 12,000 ante
Gergely Kulcsar limped in with K?7? and Sam Soverel checked with J?6?.
The flop came J?3?J? and Soverel checked over to Kulcsar, who bet 120,000. Soverel put in a raise to 265,000 with his trip jacks and Kulcsar now three-bet to 410,000.
Soverel reraised to 600,000 and Kulcsar paused for a moment before folding.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,000,000
1,130,000
|
1,130,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,200,000
-1,130,000
|
-1,130,000 |
Level 35
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 12,000 ante
Gergely Kulcsar limped in with Q?2? and Sam Soverel checked 6?3?.
Both players checked the 3?2?5? flop before Soverel led out for 175,000 on the Q? turn. Kulcsar, who made two pair, called to see the 10?. river.
Soverel now checked and Kulcsar fired out 550,000. Soverel gave it some thought before mucking.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,870,000
-175,000
|
-175,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,330,000
175,000
|
175,000 |
Level: 35
Blinds: 60,000/120,000
Ante: 12,000
Level 34
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Gergely Kulcsar opened to 200,000 on the button with A?K? and Sam Soverel defended the big blind with 3?2?.
The flop came K?Q?2? and Soverel check-called a bet of 175,000 from Kulcsar. On the 3? turn Soverel made two pair and checked his option to Kulcsar who tossed out a bet of 710,000. Soverel made the call and the pair saw the 3? river, improving Soverel to a full house.
Soverel set the trap with another check and Kulcsar bet 1,950,000. Soverel moved all in for 3,825,000 total and Kulcsar went deep in the tank. After close to two minutes, Kulcsar laid down his ace-king and the massive pot was sent to Soverel.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,045,000
4,305,000
|
4,305,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,155,000
-4,315,000
|
-4,315,000 |
Level 34
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Gergely Kulcsar and Sam Soverel are heading off on a 15-minute break.
Level 34
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
Sam Soverel limped in with K?8?, then called when Gergely Kulcsar raised to 425,000 holding A?Q?.
The flop came 5?6?6? and Kulcsar continued for 350,000. Soverel called with king-high as the A? came on the turn.
Kulcsar tanked for nearly two minutes before he fired out another 750,000. Soverel quickly laid his hand down as Kulcsar began to open up a big lead in the heads-up match.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,470,000
780,000
|
780,000 |
|
|
3,740,000
-770,000
|
-770,000 |
|
|
||
Level 34
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 10,000 ante
The action folded to Gergely Kulcsar in the small blind who moved all in, covering the 1,280,000 remaining for Yuval Bronshtein in the big blind, who made the call for his tournament life.
Yuval Bronshtein: K?6?
Gergely Kulcsar: 7?7?
Kulcsar was well ahead, and when the flop came 7?5?2?, the flopped set put Kulcsar even further in the lead. On the 3? turn Bronshtein picked up a gut-shot straight draw, however, when the river fell the K? it was the end of the road for Bronshtein who was eliminated in third place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,690,000
1,280,000
|
1,280,000 |
|
|
4,510,000 | |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||