The 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) continues with epic wins and thrilling showdowns at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Day 30 of the series was highlighted by Dario Sammartino’s victory in Event #61: $2,500 Stud 8/Omaha 8. Running over the course of three days, this highly anticipated tournament drew 507 players, surpassing last year’s turnout of 460 and generating $1,128,075. In the end, the lion’s share went to Italy’s Sammartino who overcame Norway’s Jon Kyte in heads-up, claiming the $222,703 and his maiden bracelet. Kyte was awarded $148,462 for his remarkable runner-up finish.
Prior to this victory, Sammartino was in the list of greatest poker pros without a bracelet. Finally, he got the monkey off his back, claiming victory in this event for his first bracelet. After the win, he has climbed to the top of the all-time money list in Italy with more than $16 million in live earnings.
The top 77 players shared the $1,128,075. The third and final day of this event saw 21 players return for battle for the coveted bracelet and the massive top prize money. Brian Schwartz (21st-$8,369), Christopher Battenfield (20th – $8,369), Joshua Ray (19th – $8,369), Ryan Schoonbaert (18th – $8,369), and David Margolis (17th – $8,369) were the notables falling before the final two tables.
WSOP bracelet winner Nick Kost (16th – $8,369), Jared Talarico (15th-$10,208), Troy Murdough (14th – $10,208),Dai Ishibashi (13th – $10,208), Patrice Boudet (12th – $10,208), Jacob Nepom (11th – $12,713), and Jose Ferro (10th – $12,713) all fell in the next batch of eliminations.
The final table had Scott Blackman (8th), Joey Couden (7th), Matt Vengrin (6th), Federico Ottenio (5th), Jeff Madsen (4th), David Williams (3rd) and bracelet winner Kyte finishing runner-up to Sammartino.
The three-handed play began with Kyte holding sixty percent of the chips and Sammartino and Williams sitting in second and third place, respectively. A massive pot saw Kyte take a major chunk of Williams’ stack, leaving him short. Williams managed a double up, but fell shortly after that. Sammartino flopped top set against Williams’ straight and flush draw. The board bricked out, and the WSOP bracelet winner was eliminated in third place for $102,355.
The heads-up saw Kyte extend his lead, but then Sammartino found some momentum in a sizable Omaha pot, where Sammartino hit a full house. After that, Sammartino went into the lead and never looked back. Kyte tried to climb back, but the final hand saw his last chips be put in from Stud, and his pair of kings ended up second-best against Sammartino’s straight. Sammartino won the tournament, while Kyte had to settle in second place for $148,462.
WSOP Event #61: $2,500 Stud 8/Omaha 8 Final Table Results
| 1 | Dario Sammartino | $222,703 |
| 2 | Jon Kyte | $148,462 |
| 3 | David Williams | $102,335 |
| 4 | Jeff Madsen | $71,810 |
| 5 | Federico Ottenio | $51,315 |
| 6 | Matt Vengrin | $37,354 |
| 7 | Joey Couden | $27,709 |
| 8 | Scott Blackman | $20,954 |
Kunal Patni’s Bracelet Run Ends in WSOP 2024 Event #60: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em
India’s Kunal Patni, Natural8 India Executive Director and Ambassador, made a significant impact in Event #60: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em of the 2024 World Series of Poker. The Mumbai pro was the sole Indian to advance to Day 3 and he began the day with the 13th largest ( 1.215 Million (61 BBs). He was able to chip up, boosting his stack to 1.49 Million, but after a few setbacks, his stack fell to 950,000. He fought back and was able to hit 2.20 Million at one point.
However, a hand against Jong Kim left him with just 290k chips. He ran his pocket fives into pocket kings of Kim, losing a substantial chunk of his stack and dropping to 290k. Despite a valiant effort, Patni’s bracelet run finally ended in 20th place, earning him $24,697 (INR 20.62 Lakhs).
Patni’s final hand was against the Indo-American Ravi Shankar. He pitted his Jh 6h against the pocket eights of Shankar. The board ran out 10s 7h 4c Jd 9d. Patni hit the top pair on the turn but Shankar improved to a straight on the river, ending Patni’s impressive run in 20th place.
This was Patni’s third cash at the ongoing series, following his cash finishes in Event #54 and Event #38. This marks his biggest score of the series and second-highest WSOP cash to date!
Apart from Patni, India’s WSOP bracelet winner Abhinav Iyer and Yasheel Doddanavar also cashed this event, with Iyer exiting in 109th place for $7,146 and Doddanavar finishing 125th for the same payout.
As per the latest update, Event #60: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em is down to the final 13 players after an intense play on Day 3. A total of 1,773 entrants entered this event, generating a total prize pool of $4,733,910. While remaining players are now guaranteed at least $37,580, they all would be eyeing the coveted bracelet and the $676,990 top prize. Among the remaining players, Noel Rodriguez leads the pack with 15,425,000 chips. Following him closely are Justin Belforti with 15,050,000 and Brandon Mitchell with 6,050,000.
Day 4 is set to get underway at 12 p.m. local time on June 27. Blinds start at 100,000/200,000 and a big blind ante of 200,000. Play will continue until a champion is crowned.
Top 10 Stacks After Day 3 Of WSOP 2024 Event #60: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em
| 1 | Noel Rodriguez | 15,425,000 | 77 |
| 2 | Justin Belforti | 15,050,000 | 75 |
| 3 | Brandon Mitchell | 6,050,000 | 30 |
| 4 | Vanessa Kade | 5,625,000 | 28 |
| 5 | Victor Paredes | 4,550,000 | 23 |
| 6 | Marc Foggin | 4,375,000 | 22 |
| 7 | Benjamin Gold | 3,875,000 | 19 |
| 8 | Paolo Boi | 3,700,000 | 19 |
| 9 | Juan Vecino | 3,700,000 | 19 |
| 10 | Huihan Wu | 2,520,000 | 13 |
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Image Credit: WSOP
