WSOP 2024: Darius Samual, John Hennigan, & James Chen Clinch Victories

John Hennigan, Darius Samual and James Chen emerged as the latest bracelet winners at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Here is a quick recap of their wins in the series!

Darius Samual, a British Busibusinessman, risked half his bankroll to compete in the $25,000 Heads-up Championship. The risk paid off as Samual outlasted a field of 64 entries earning $500,000 and his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet. The British player entered the 55th Annual WSOP with just eight recorded tournament cashes and zero final table finishes, and he grabbed his first gold bracelet. 

It was the first time for Darius Samual, but it wasn’t for James Chen. James Chen has been participating in WSOP since 2019 but didn’t get his hand on any of the bracelets. In 2023, Chen came really close to winning his first WSOP gold bracelet but ended up as the runner-up. This time luck was with Chen, and he seized the opportunity to win his first gold bracelet at the $1,500 Omaha Eight-or-Better event. 

While Darius Samual and James Chen won their first WSOP bracelet, the Poker Hall of Fame member, John Hennigan, captured his 7th WSOP Bracelet at the $1,500 Dealer’s Choice. The 53-year-old poker legend has been dominating in the Poker table since the 90s and became the ninth player to have won a record number of bracelets in WSOP.  The player also took the prize money of $138,296, boosting his lifetime earnings up to $9.6 million.

In this report, we will discuss Darius Samual, James Chen, and John Hennigan, who triumphed in the first week of the 55th annual World Series of Poker. 

Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up NLH Championship Final Table Recap and Standings 

The $25k heads-up event attracted 64 entries, and Darius Samual emerged victorious after winning six consecutive one-on-one matches. Samual’s first opponent was James Chen, while Chen was looking to win his second bracelet but was eliminated in the first round. Samual then went on to beat Ian Matakis, Matthew Wantman, John Smith, Artur Martirosian, and Faraz Jaka to win his first bracelet.

In the semi-final, Samual faced off against the two-time bracelet winner Artur Martirosian and became the first player to secure a spot in the finals. The match ended after Martirosian called the 3-Bet with A-10 against Samual’s A-K. The board came down 6-K-6-3-J, giving Samaul two pairs. Martirosian earned $180,000 for reaching the final four. 

In the final against Faraz Jaka, Samual made an early lead by winning several pots. Jaka was card-dead and couldn’t connect any flop cards. Their heads-up battle continues for more than 3 hours until the final hand.

In the final hand of the tournament, Jaka mini-raised from the button with an A-6 suit. Samual 3-bet shove with K-Q. The flop ran out A-K-Q, giving Jaka the top pair while Samual took the lead with two pairs of King and Queen. Jaka went all-in, but his hand couldn’t improve at the turn and river. Faraz Jaka finished as the finalist, taking $300,000 home. 

Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Final Table Recap and Standings 

The largest Omaha eight-or-better tournament at the WSOP attracted 928 entries and generated a whopping prize pool of $1,238,880, which was paid to the top 140 players. The event also attracted a lot of poker pros who made money: including four-bracelet winner and 2023 Player of the Year winner Ben Yu (15th), two-time WSOP bracelet winner Eric Baldwin (19th), and two-time WSOP Circuit winner Jamie Kerstetter (9th).

James Chen entered the final table as the chip lead and was able to hold it until the final hand. He eliminated Pearce Arnold in 5th place ($49,842) and Adam Nattress in 4th place ($69,129), narrowing down the field to three. In the three-handed play, Chen quickly eliminated the short-stacked Sovann Penn, sending him out in 3rd place for $97,445. 

In the heads-up play, Chen had a 19:3 chip lead against Lewis Brandt. Although Brandt tried to close the gap, he wasn’t very much successful in it. In the final hand, Brant was forced all in from the button with A-K-Q-10 against Chen’s K-7-4-3. The board came down 9-7-2-7-4, giving Chen a full house. Brandt finishes as the runner-up, earning $139,563 for his impressive performance. 

Event #7: $1,500 Dealer’s Choice Final Table Recap and Standings 

The 53-year-old mixed game legend John Hennigan won his 7th WSOP bracelet at Event #7: $1.5k Dealer’s Choice NLH tournament. What a coincidence that he won his seventh bracelet in event 7. The event attracted a total of 530 entries, generating a substantial prize pool of $707,550.

The prize money was then paid to the top 80 players. The event attracted some of the top players of the game, and some of them even reached the top 30, including Jeff Madsen (12th), Shaun Debb (8th), Benny Glaser (24th), and Phil Hui (25th).

John Hennigan entered the final table as the second Chip lead but was able to take the chip lead in the first hand of the final table by winning a four-way triple draw pot. Hennigan held the chip lead by the end of the tournament.

The Hall of Famer takes down half of the players at the final table, including Brayden Gazlay (5th place – $28,845), Peter Gelencser (3rd place – $60,343), and Robert Wells (2nd place – $90,339). 

Hennigan made a strategic switch from playing Stud to No-Limit 2-7 Draw once heads-up play began. Wells’ with 1.9 Big Blinds had no match against Hennigan’s 12 Big Blinds. Wells was soon eliminated after going all in with his pat J-10 against Hennigan’s pat J-9. Wells walked away as the runner-up earning his best live score of $90,339.

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