The World Series of Poker main event was held this week, starting Sunday and finishing Tuesday.
The tournament was the second-largest in WSOP history, with a prize pool of over $80 million. German international Hossein Ensan took home the grand prize of $10 million after knocking out Italian Dario Sammartino, or “Super Dario,” as his friends on the rail called him. There were over 8,500 players in the tournament and it came down to the final nine this week.
Nine of the best competitors entered the competition for the $10 million. Serbian Milos Skrbic finished in last place after securing $1 million, while Timothy Su — a Boston student who entered for fun — finished in eight place, taking home $1.25 million.
Su was grateful for his incredible run through the series and took in every moment. After he was eliminated by chip leader Ensan, he said “once you’ve chosen to play poker, winning and losing is just part of the game,” Su said, according to Poker Central. “Whether you’re the best player in the world or the worst player, there is a lot of luck involved so you’re bound to sometimes just lose so it doesn’t really bother me knowing that it’s a possible and also likely outcome that people might just underestimate.”
Nick Marchington finished seventh after taking home $1.525 million, followed by Zhen Cai, who won $1.85 million. Monday’s competition started with the top five, with Chicago native Kevin Maahs being among the first to be knocked out. Maahs was known for being a slower player and taking an average of 27 seconds for his play, while all other players averaged under 15 seconds for decisions. Maahs finished fifth after bringing home $2.2 million. With four left, US international Gary Gates was knocked out next to finish off Monday night’s affair. Gates won $3 million.
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Tuesday’s final day saw the last three in a fight for the $10 million prize. Canadian Alex Livingston started the night off hot, winning multiple hands against chip leader Ensan, before being knocked out by Sammartino. Livingston finished third, winning $4 million. The final two battled through dozens of hands, but Sammartino went all-in with an 8-spade and 4-spade, while Ensan called whilst hiding pocket kings in his hand. Then, 55-year-old Ensan knocked out “Super Dario” and won the WSOP gold-plated bracelet.
“It’s unbelievable, I cannot understand this moment. … I must go to sleep and wake up, and then maybe I know I have the bracelet,” said Ensan, according to ESPN. “Maybe it’s a dream. I don’t know.”
