WSOP 2021: David ‘Bakes’ Baker Wins Third Career Bracelet, Negreanu and Hellmuth In $10K Dealers Choice Final 10
WSOP 2021: David ‘Bakes’ Baker Wins Third Career Bracelet, Negreanu and Hellmuth In $10K Dealers Choice Final 10

It was a busy day inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino on Tuesday with three gold bracelets being won and a constellation of poker stars battling in the Amazon room.

Michael Noori, David ‘Bakes’ Baker, and Anthony Koutsos all won gold. At the same time, high roller superstar Michael Addamo took the lead in the $50K High Roller, and both Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu made the final 10 in the $10K Dealers Choice event.

Michael Noori Earns Monster $610K Score

After four days of relentless poker, 3,520 entries played down to a winner in the Thunderdome as Michael Noori won the $1,500-entry Monster Stack for $610,437. Taking down the final table, Noori triumphed against Ryan Leng heads-up after a stunning comeback from less than two big blinds earlier in the day.

Heading into the final table, Noori was some way back from the leaders, with Leng leading the way with 57 big blinds to Noori’s 26 big blinds. With ten players at the felt, the man at the top of the leaderboard was Jaesh Balachandran, but he busted in 10th place for $51,286. Balachandran shoved with KcQc and was called by Mordechai Hazan with AhAd, with a board of 9s7h4sAsAc reducing the field to nine.

It was Anthony Ortega who busted next as his KdKh wandered into a massive clash against Christopher Andler’s AhAc, with a seven-high board sending Ortega home for $64,490. Ortega was followed from the felt by Johan Schumacher who busted in eighth place for $81,573. Schumacher raised then called off his four big blind stack pre-flop with Ac6s but was well behind Rafael Reis’ 6h6d. The board of KsJhTh8d5c saw Schumacher catch a Broadway draw from the flop but he couldn’t find a queen to save his stack.

Reis took the lead with that hand, and at that point Noori was struggling on just 13 big blinds, second last on the leaderboard. The eventual winner dropped to short stack when Daniel Fortier was busted in seventh place for $103,784 with QcTc committed pre-flop against Mordechai Hazan’s KcKh. Fortier was drawing dead from the turn on a board showing 8h6d5sKsTs.

Noori needed a double desperately, and it was Hazan who would oblige when Noori three-bet shoved with pocket sevens and was called by Hazan’s pocket jacks. Noori needed help and got it on the 9c8d7c flop, but still needed to sweat a ten that would have given Hazan an unbeatable straight. However, the 4d turn and 2d river saw Noori double up and that began his epic run to victory.

Hazan’s stack was mortally damaged, and he busted next for $132,812 in sixth place. Hazan moved all-in with KsQs and was called by Leng with KhKc. The board of 9c4s3h5cTc saw Hazan on the rail and Leng moved into the lead with 75 million chips, with Noori (45m) his closest challenger at that stage.

Charlie Dawson busted in fifth place for $170,943 when his all-in with 8c8h was called by Leng with AsKs. The flop of Th7c4h saw Dawson remain in the lead, and that stayed the case with the Jc turn, but the river of Ad flipped the script and sent Dawson home in fifth.

There was an extended period of play that followed without anyone busting, but eventually, Andler met with defeat for $221,289. He was all-in with As2d and in real trouble against ThTd after a board of 9c4d2cQh7d played out. Noori winning that hand was vital, with the American vaulting over Reis in the chip counts, though Leng had a massive lead at the time with double his two opponents’ stacks.

Reis would bust in third place for $288,101 as he pushed his final eight big blinds over the line with JcTs and was called by Noori with Jd7d. With a flop of 8h5c3h keeping Reis ahead, the 7s turn changed that and put Noori in command of the hand and the 4s river ended the hand with the Brazilian heading to the cash desk.

Heads-up began with Leng holding an almost exact 2:1 chip lead. That was not the case for long, however, as Noori was all-in just ten minutes into the duel with a turned straight topping Leng’s flopped top two pair. Over the next few hands, Leng battled back, but Noori grew his lead after winning some small bets to increase his lead to 3:1 ahead of the final hand.

After a board of Th6h4c7c arrived by the turn, Leng attempted a value bluff, raise-shoving Kc8c. Noori, however, held QsQh and made the call, needing to fade kings, nines, fives and clubs to become a first-time WSOP champion. Noori needed to fade a massive 18 outs, but that was exactly what happened when the 7h river eliminated Leng in second place for $377,220 and he fell just short of his second live WSOP bracelet of the 2021 World Series. Noori was the titleholder instead, winning the $610,437 top prize and grabbing gold for the first time in his career, celebrating on the rail with his friends as Leng was left with a rueful smile about what might have been.

WSOP 2021 Event #30 $1,500 Monster Stack Final Table Results:

  1. Michael Noori – $610,437
  2. Ryan Leng – $377,220
  3. Rafael Reis – $288,101
  4. Christopher Andler – $221,289
  5. Charlie Dawson – $170,943
  6. Mordechai Hazan – $132,812
  7. Daniel Fortier – $103,784
  8. Johan Schumacher – $81,573
  9. Anthony Ortega – $64,490
  10. Jaesh Balachandran – $51,286

‘Bakes’ Scores Gold In Event #34

Event #34 saw David ‘Bakes’ Baker take down the $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw final table after toppling overnight chip leader Peter Lynn heads-up.

Six players returned to the felt as Baker, the most experienced player at the table had work to do in order to capture the crown and his third WSOP bracelet. Baker, the only former winner at the final table, used all his experience to get the job done and win his first bracelet in nine years. Afterward, Baker described how desperate he was to win, and ultimately, a combination of his determination and mixed game skills managed to conclude the event in his favor.

With play very even between the top stacks during the first three eliminations, Baker really kicked in after play went three-handed. Baker took over and when Stephen Deutsch lost out in third place for a career-high score of $37,194, Baker was better than 6:1 up in chips, closing out the win for a famous victory.

WSOP 2021 Event #34 $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Final Table Results:

  1. David ‘Bakes’ Baker – $87,837
  2. Peter Lynn – $54,286
  3. Stephen Deutsch – $37,194
  4. Kristijonas Andrulis – $25,971
  5. Marc Booth – $18,488
  6. Mark Fraser – $13,423

Koutsos Freezes Out The Competition

It was a recreational player’s victory in Event #35, the $500-entry Freezeout event, with real estate agent Anthony Koutsos claiming gold after an epic three-hour heads-up match against Charbel Kanterjian.

Both Kanterjian and Koutsos started the 10-handed final table as the top two stacks and would eventually take care of most of their opposition between them to get to that epic heads-up battle. After Gilad Grinberg lost a coinflip to bust in 10th place for $12,944, Fausto Valdez did the same. It was Kanterjian who won that hand, pocket sevens flopping a set against jack-ten suited for the chip leader to increase his power at the table and send Valdez home for $16,324.

The legendarily named John Moss busted in eighth place for $20,753 before he was joined on the rail by Ronald Ibbetson (7th for $26,595) and Jacob Rich (6th for $34,353). By that stage, Dongsheng Zhang was one of the most powerful players at the table, and he busted Sundiata DeVore in fifth place for $44,725 when Zhang’s TsTc held against DeVore’s 8d8c.

Down to four, the next player to go was Jonah Lopas, who moved all-in pre-flop with Ks3d but was called by Koutsos with AcJs and couldn’t catch him on the AdTc7c3c9d board. Lopas cashed for $58,685 in fourth and he was joined on the rail by Zhang in third for $77,600 when Zhang’s shove with Qs9c was doomed by Koutsos’ AhQc on an eight-high board.

Heads-up swung this way and that for a full three hours until the average stack was worth less than 20 big blinds. Koutsos had QcQs and had an easy call when Kanterjian shoved pre-flop with 8h6c. The flop of 6d3d3c gave Kanterjian hope of a miracle by pairing his six, but after the 4s turn, the Ks river saw Koutsos take the title and massive $167,272 top prize. Kanterjian took $103,402 for coming second, with Koutsos winning his first-ever WSOP title after his biggest previous cash was for just $5,000 before this defining poker result of his life.

WSOP 2021 Event #35 $500 Freezeout NLHE Final Table Results:

  1. Anthony Koutsos – $167,272
  2. Charbel Kanterjian – $103,402
  3. Dongsheng Zhang – $77,600
  4. Jonah Lopas – $58,685
  5. Sundiata DeVore – $44,725
  6. Jacob Rich – $34,353
  7. Ronald Ibbetson – $26,595
  8. John Moss – $20,753
  9. Fausto Valdez – $16,324

Sereika Battles Padilha For Super Turbo Bounty Win

Karolis Serieka won the fast and furious $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty Event #37, which took just one day to play out to a winner in the early hours at the Rio. With Pedro Padilha bettered heads-up by Sereika, other players such as Pierre Calamusa (4th for 88,436) and Lorenzo Adams (3rd for 88,435)

Karolis Serieka won the fast and furious $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty Event #37, which took just one day to play out to a winner in the early hours at the Rio. With Pedro Padilha bettered heads-up by Sereika, other players such as Pierre Calamusa (4th for $65,494) and Lorenzo Adams (3rd for 88,435) coming close but failing to get over the line.

WSOP 2021 Event #37 $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty Final Table Results:

  1. Karolis Sereika – $195,310
  2. Pedro Padilha – $120,700
  3. Lorenzo Adams – $88,435
  4. Pierre Calamusa – $65,494
  5. Steve Buell – $49,033
  6. Alec Gould – $37,114
  7. Romuald Pycior – $28,406
  8. Alexander Norden – $21,986
  9. Wing Yam – $17,211
  10. Rupesh Pattni – $13,628

Addamo Takes Charge In $50K High Roller

A busy first day of action in the $50,000-entry Event #38 saw Australian Michael Addamo bag the chip lead with 5,150,000 chips. His mammoth stack was three times that of anyone other than Erik Seidel (3,730,000), with Gal Yifrach (1,405,000), Dan Smith (1,085,000), and Mustapha Kanit (1,060,000) rounding out the top five chip counts with considerably fewer chips than the dominant Aussie, who has enjoyed a ridiculously successful 2021.

With 72 total entries and only 21 survivors, 50 bullets were fired off in vain as players such as recent bracelet winner Jason Koon, former WSOP Main Event winner Joe McKeehen, David Peters, Yiming Li, Cary Katz, Vanessa Kade, Tyler Cornell, Rok Gostisa, Ali Imsirovic, and Jake Daniels all departing without making the Day 2 seat draw.

WSOP 2021 Event #38 $50,000 High Roller Top 10 Chipcounts:

  1. Michael Addamo – 5,150,000
  2. Erik Seidel – 3,730,000
  3. Gal Yifrach – 1,405,000
  4. Dan Smith – 1,085,000
  5. Mustapha Kanit – 1,060,000
  6. Chris Hunichen – 995,000
  7. Bin Weng – 975,000
  8. Johan Guilbert – 940,000
  9. David Coleman – 640,000
  10. Leonard Maue – 625,000

Negreanu, Hellmuth Make Final Day of $10K Dealers Choice

Adam Friedman has put himself in a terrific position to claim a third win in the same bracelet event after going into the final day with the chip lead in Event #36, the $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship.

Last year, Friedman took down the Dealers Choice Championship, and amazingly, the same man is in a position to repeat the trick, going into tomorrow’s final day second in chips with just less than Jake Schwartz. Schwartz led the final day for the longest time and bags up a deserved lead with 1,380,000, but Friedman isn’t far behind on 1,329,000 chips and will be hopeful of what would be an incredible achievement.

If Friedman is to fail, it will almost certainly be due to the quality of opponent he faces tomorrow, as both Daniel Negreanu (457,000) and Phil Hellmuth (424,000) hover in his rear-view waiting to pounce. With 22 WSOP bracelets between them, Kid Poker and the Poker Brat will share the felt when their table kicks off tomorrow, with Mike Matusow for company on what looks to be an explosive seat draw with all three men sitting in a row. On the other table, both chips leaders are next to each other, so expect final day drama.

WSOP 2021 Event #36 $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship Chipcounts:

  1. Jake Schwartz – 1,380,000
  2. Adam Friedman – 1,329,000
  3. Mike Gorodinsky – 465,000
  4. Daniel Negreanu – 457,000
  5. Phil Hellmuth – 424,000
  6. Mike Matusow – 410,000
  7. Matt Glantz – 343,000
  8. Andrew Kelsall – 324,000
  9. Carol Fuchs – 260,000
  10. Joao Vieira – 182,000

Finally, the World Series of Poker has announced that the 10 final nominees have been announced for the 2021 Hall of Fame entries.

Who’s your pick?