Welcome to the second WSOP.com online bracelet event of the 2023 World Series of Poker. The action begins at 3:30 p.m. with Online Bracelet Event #2: $500 No Limit Hold'em Bankroll Builder
Players from all over Nevada and New Jersey are expected to show up to compete for the top prize and call themselves the latest WSOP bracelet gold winner.
Manig "Ohio77" Loeser won Event #2 of the online series: $500 No Limit Hold'em BIG500 last year, taking home $127,153 for his efforts.
Players will start with 15,000 chips and the blinds will increase every 15 minutes. Registration will be open for four hours and thirty minutes, until 8:00 p.m and players can re-enter up to three times.
The Pokernews team will be providing live updates of this event from the opening deal until a winner has been crowned.
Late registration has ended after 270 minutes of play. A total of 1,253 entries created a prize pool of $873,900. 240 players will secure at minimum a min-cash of $1,310 while first place will take home $120,685 as well as a coveted WSOP Gold Bracelet.
Daniel "Gnarly_Mole" Strelitz opened to 4,000 from under the gun and Joseph "Kolebear" Hebert three-bet to 12,500 from middle position. Chance "BingShui" Kornuth four-bet to 27,777 from the cutoff and action folded back to Strelitz who moved all in for 88,773. Hebert got out of the way and Kornuth made the call creating a massive pot and putting Strelitz at risk.
Daniel "Gnarly_Mole" Strelitz: A♣A♠
Chance "BingShui" Kornuth: A♥K♦
Kornuth had a premium hand but was far behind Strelitz' aces. The board ran out 4♠4♦Q♥J♣4♣ and Strelitz dragged in a massive pot.
With the board showing 8♦5♦9♥K♣ and facing a check from Phil "HeyGuys" Galfond in the small blind, "HavingFun" bet 77,777 from the button. Galfond called.
The river came 10♥, and Galfond checked "HavingFun" went all in, which put Galfond all in to call. After using the majority of his time bank, Galfond called with K♥6♥. Galfond's top pair was not good enough to remain in the tourney, however, as "HavingFun" showed Q♠J♠ for a straight.
Ian "IanMa" Matakis raised to 560,000 from the cutoff preflop. "worldsgrtest" moved all in for 1,035,996 from the button. Matakis called.
"worldsgrtest": 10♥10♣
Ian "IanMa" Matakis: 7♥7♣
Matakis was far behind, and remained so when the board came 3♠J♣Q♣Q♥. However, a 7♠ came on the river to send "worldsgrtest home in fourth place, along with nearly $48,000.
Baruch "QQlove" Forst raised to 640,000 from the button. Thomas "Pkrwarrior23" Rosa then moved all in for 3,666,182. Forst called.
Thomas "Pkrwarrior23" Rosa: 9♦9♥
Baruch "QQlove" Forst: A♥5♥
The flop came A♣7♠10♦, immediately putting Forst ahead. Rosa received no help from the 2♠ turn and Q♥ and was eliminated in third place, taking home almost $65,000.
Baruch "QQlove" Forst will now play Ian "IanMa" Matakis in heads-up action for $120,686 and a WSOP gold bracelet.
Ian "IanMa" Matakis can now call himself a WSOP bracelet champion after winning Online Event #2: $500 No-Limit Hold'em Bankroll Builder at the 2023 World Series of Poker.
"I've always wanted to win a bracelet," Matakis told PokerNews. "I basically played this tournament on my phone the whole day until the end of the 5k (No-Limit Hold'em Freezout.) I bagged about 50 bigs for the start of Day 2 on that one. When play ended, my buddy drove me home, and I was able to play the final table on my laptop."
$500 No-Limit Hold'em Bankroll Builder Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Ian "IanMa" Matakis
United States
$120,686
2
Baruch "QQlove" Forst
United States
$88,089
3
Thomas "Pkrwarrior23" Rosa
United States
$64,756
4
"worldsgrtest"
United States
$47,977
5
Paul "plenkeit2" Lenkeit
United States
$35,480
6
"Deeznutz"
United States
$26,479
7
Justin "MadTitan" Turner
United States
$19,837
8
Joey "OnSpectrum" Weissman
United States
$15,031
Including rebuys, the tournament had 1,253 total entries resulting in a prize pool of $873,900. Some 240 places were paid, with all players in the money banking at least $1,311.
Numerous notable players entered but failed to make the money, including Matt "berkey11_S4Y" Berkey, Vanessa "ContainsNuts" Kade, and Cody "1eggadaymike" Bell, who won Online Event #1: $333 No-Limit Hold'em Triple Treys Summer Tip Off three days prior to today's tournament.
Notable players finishing in the money included Joey "OnSpectrum" Weissman (8th, $15,031,) John "RiverRace" Racener (20th, $3,670,) Davide "drogonzizi" Suriano (27th, $3,146,) and Phil "HeyGuys" Galfond (34th, $2,622.)
Another pro that cashed was Chance "BingShui" Kornuth, who found himself registered for two online tournaments at the same time. Kornuth was seen sitting out in one tournament so that he could open and play in the other. Despite having to miss hands, Kornuth cashed in both events (finishing 129th for $1,486 in this one.)
Eliminations came quickly at the final table. Weissman's ace-queen ran into Baruch "QQlove" Forst's pocket aces to exit in eighth.
Justin "MadTitan" Turner went out in seventh after his top pair fell to the flopped trips of "worldsgrtest." "Deeznutz" then fell in sixth to a rivered straight by Matakis.
Paul "plenkeit2" Lenkeit exited in fifth when his king-queen lost to king-deuce.
Matakis then played two big hands against "Worldsgrtest," first doubling up with pocket aces before eliminating them in fourth via pocket tens over pocket sevens.
Thomas "Pkrwarrior23" Rosa finished third when their pocket nines fell to a flopped pair of aces from Forst.
Matakis and Forst then played heads-up for about twenty minutes before the hand that ended the tournament.
Matakis held king-jack while Forst had ace-eight. After limping, Matakis bet on the ace-jack-four flop.
"It was a limped pot so that flop is usually better for me. That's why I bet out." The turn came a king. "On the turn, I hit two pair and block his two pair, and so I kept betting." Matakis bet and Forst raised all in with top pair. "When he jammed, it was a snap call." The river came a meaningless two, and Matakis became a WSOP bracelet winner.
"I'll be playing Day 2 of the 5k tomorrow," said Matakis, "but after that, this year, I was planning on taking it day by day."
PokerNews' coverage of WSOP online bracelet events continues with Online Event #4: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Ultra Deepstack on June 6 at 3:30 p.m. local time.