Every week, we bring a thrilling hand and today we feature an interesting hand from the final table of the record-breaking WSOP 2024 Main Event, which was ultimately won by Jonathan Tamayo, a 38-year-old from Humble, Texas, who enjoys golfing and daily fantasy sports. He overcame the record 10,112 entries to capture the $10 million and his maiden WSOP bracelet.
While we saw several interesting hand on the WSOP 2024 Main Event final table on Tuesday, but one hand that will certainly be talked about for a long time was the one that involved one of the most accomplished players at the table – Brian Kim, a Los Angeles poker pro and bracelet winner with over $7.3 million in live cashes prior to his entry into the WSOP 2024 Main Event.
A Look At the Hand Ending Kim’s WSOP 2024 Main Event Run
The hand in question saw Boris Angelov raise it to 4,600,000 from the button with As 8h, and Kim three-bet to 11,800,000 with Kc 6c in the small blind. Seated in the big blind, Niklas Astedt pondered his move and then opted to cold four-bet to 19,000,000 with a strong 10s 10d. Angelov made a snap fold before the American high roller regular Kim five-bet jammed for 53,900,000. A bit angry with the move, Astedt asked for the count and eventually made the call.
The flop came Qc 10h 8s. Kim shook his head and watched Astedt flop a set. Kim needed a runner-runner straight or flush to stay alive. The turn 5c gave a little hope for a flush, but the 6s on the river ended Kim’s run in seventh place in the main event. He earned $1,500,000 for his deep run.
After the hand, online crusher Astedt leaped into a commanding lead with six players remaining and then entered the final day of the event with the chip lead among the final three contenders. However, he lost his lead in early going and was eventually busted in third for $4,000,000 by the eventual runner-up Jordan Griff whose flopped set with pocket nines held against the king-jack of Astedt.
Astedt earned $4,000,000 as the third-place finisher. The online poker legend aka ‘Lena900’, has now $7,031,190 in live earnings.The 33-year-old Swedish poker pro is now ranked #2 on his country’s money list, only behind 2014 WSOP main event champion Martin Jacobson.
Hand Analysis and Breakdown
Boris Angelov’s raise with A♠8♥ from the button was a standard one as he held a decent hand to steal the blinds or play a post-flop in position.
Kim’s 3-bet in the small blind was perhaps to isolate Angelov and take control of the hand. K♣6♣ is a marginal hand, but Kim’s aggressive play suggested that he probably wanted to use his position and experience post flop.
Astedt, holding a strong pocket pair with pocket tens, opted to cold 4-bet. This move aimed to probably push out Angelov and put pressure on Kim, signaling a very strong holding.
As expected, Boris Angelov folded his hand. This was a standard fold, considering the heated action and the relative strength of his hand.
Kim then made an overly aggressive move by 5-bet shoving. This was perhaps to represent a very strong hand and force Astedt to fold. However, this move was risky with a marginal hand like K♣6♣. Astedt accurately assessed his hand’s strength and called Kim’s shove, thinking that his hand is likely ahead of Kim’s range.
Flop: Q♣10♥8♠
Astedt flopped a set, making him a dominant favorite to win the hand. Kim needed a runner-runner straight or flush to stay alive for his shot at the coveted main event title.
Turn: 5♣
The turn gave Kim a little hope with a flush draw, but he still needed another club to survive.
River: 6♠
The river did not help Kim, and Astedt’s set of tens held up, eliminating Kim from the tournament.
Conclusion
To conclude, Astedt played the hand better. He made a well-timed cold 4-bet with a strong hand and then accurately assessed his hand’s strength to call Kim’s shove, securing a significant pot and a commanding chip lead. Brian Kim’s aggressive five-bet shove with K♣6♣ ultimately cost him a shot at winning the coveted main event title. For many, shoving with a hand like K♣6♣ was overly aggressive given the situation and the action that had already taken place.
In a high-pressure environment like the WSOP Main Event final table, a more calculated approach could have preserved his stack and allowed him to find better spots to accumulate chips. Kim’s aggressive style can be effective, but in this instance, it backfired. Astedt’s strategic and calculated response highlighted his superior hand-reading and risk assessment skills.
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Image & Video Credit: WSOP & PokerGo
