Jogue com responsabilidade. As apostas podem causar dependência.

18+

2018 World Series of Poker

Event #19: $565 Pot-Limit Omaha
Dias: 3
Event Info

2018 World Series of Poker

Resultados Finais
Campeão
Mão Vencedora
kj95
Premiação
$181,790
Event Info
Buy-in
$565
Premiação
$1,209,500
Entries
2,419
Informações do Nível
Nível
33
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
0

Craig Varnell Wins Event #19: $565 Pot-Limit Omaha ($181,790)

Nível 33 : 80,000/160,000, 0 ante
Craig Varnell
Craig Varnell

He went from working at a car wash to a World Series of Poker bracelet.

It's been a crazy four years for Craig Varnell, but his poker journey reached its pinnacle — at least to this point — when he won Event #19: $565 Pot-Limit Omaha for $181,790. He got through a field of 2,419 entries in the four-card bonanza to get his first bracelet.

"It's a great feeling that I accomplished something in the thing I do for a living, the highest accomplishment you can get," he said.

Official Final Table Results

PlacePlayerHome CountryPrize
1Craig VarnellUnited States$181,790
2Seth ZimmermanUnited States$112,347
3Omar MehmoodUnited States$81,852
4Maxime HerouxCanada$60,190
5Christopher TrangUnited States$44,677
6Jonathan DuhamelCanada$33,477
7Shaome YangUnited States$25,325
8Jason LipinerUnited States$19,344
9Ilian LiUnited States$14,920

Varnell said he nearly faded the event after experiencing a terrible run in the Colossus. The Colorado resident estimated he fired eight shells in that one without any luck. He was "over the quick structure" but wound up taking a shot anyway.

This time, Varnell had some good fortune and ran up a stack. At that point, things got easy. He could afford to gamble with the shorter stacks and, because of the nature of PLO equities, he wasn't in terrible shape more times than not.

Going into the final day, Varnell had seen enough of the unofficial final table of 10 the previous night — they had played for a couple of hours with no eliminations — to know his game plan. The most dangerous opponents at the table were former WSOP Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel and his Canadian compatriot, WPT Montreal champ and chip leader Maxime Heroux.

Varnell would just aim to run everyone else over. That's exactly what happened as he continuously raised, especially after Duhamel took an early hit when he lost half of his stack doubling someone up.

"Everybody was folding to make that final nine," Varnell said. "I opened about 90 percent of the hands and just accumulated over a million chips just raising without having a flop."

Indeed, Varnell scored four of the first five Day 3 eliminations gambling with shorter stacks, often without great cards. A pattern repeated itself: he would raise, they would jam, and he'd often do some rough math and figure if he was committed against what was often aces and get there. Duhamel was one such victim, falling in sixth, though he didn't have the bullets, just better high cards.

"They weren't playing bad, they just knew they had one hand in them and they were folding hands they probably should have been raising," Varnell said. "I just took advantage of the situation and then I just ran good in all-ins.

"I'm not afraid to go for it. It's kind of my M.O., I guess," he said. "I'm not as educated in the game as a lot of people. I just kind of have a feeling for the game. I think it kind of gives me an advantage sometimes when people are so in their heads with math and GTO."

The one big hurdle left was Heroux. He had come in with chips and chipped up a big himself with the other two knockouts heading into four-handed play. Varnell said there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the two not to butt heads on the way there — when one would fold, the other would raise — but with four left, a confrontation became inevitable.

Maxime Heroux
Maxime Heroux came in with chip lead but finished fourth.

They played two three-bet pots and both went to Varnell. On the first, Varnell called a three-bet in position and took it away with a big bet postflop when Heroux checked a fairly coordinated board. On the second, Varnell called for about half of Heroux's chips preflop and got top set of queens, then faded aces, a gutter, and a flush draw on the flop.

From there, victory seemed a matter of time. However, Seth Zimmerman put up quite a fight heads up. He started down over 6-1 in chips but doubled several times, even taking a small lead when he flopped top two with a raggedy hand and held against kings.

However, Varnell took it right back when he hit a straight and a bigger set against bottom set to totally crush Zimmerman. Left with crumbs again, Zimmerman scrapped awhile and managed to double twice while short but couldn't fade the river on the final hand as Varnell hit two pair against a strong double-suited Broadway hand.

It's the culmination of a wild journey.

"This is all surreal to me," Varnell said. "This is crazy. Four years ago, I was working at a car wash and now I'm just playing poker for a living. It's pretty amazing.

"Poker saved my life. Before poker, I was in trouble and all kinds of stuff. Poker kind of leveled me out. I met the woman of my dreams. You make a bad decision and you can either keep making bad decisions or you can go another way."

Varnell had played a lot of poker before Black Friday but quit when he could no longer play online. He got back into it a few years ago and had a dream run in 2015. That summer, he put himself on the poker map with an official win in a five-way chop in WPT500 for $185,800 and a third-place finish in the inaugural $1,000 WSOP.com Event.

He's remained a mainstay around the American scene for the last several years. However, he's been on something of a hiatus as he dealt with family issues. Just getting back to the tables, he said, felt like a win. The feeling of a final table was fantastic.

Winning a bracelet left him positively ecstatic.

"I'm just so excited," he said. "You never think when you play poker for a living you're going to get this moment. To win a tournament is so hard to do.

"This is the monumental moment, you made it."

Tags: Craig Varnell

Seth Zimmerman Eliminated in 2nd Place ($112,347)

Nível 33 : 80,000/160,000, 0 ante
Seth Zimmerman
Seth Zimmerman

Craig Varnell raised to 480,000, Seth Zimmerman made a pot-sized three-bet to 1,440,000, Varnell four-bet, and Zimmerman called to put himself at risk.

Craig Varnell: {K-Diamonds}{J-Clubs}{9-Spades}{5-Spades}
Seth Zimmerman: {A-Diamonds}{K-Hearts}{Q-Diamonds}{4-Hearts}

Zimmerman had the preflop advantage and Varnell needed help from the deck to win the pot. Although Zimmerman retained his lead on the {Q-Spades}{J-Hearts}{3-Diamonds} flop and {6-Spades} turn, the {9-Diamonds} river gave Varnell two pair, and he took the pot to eliminate Zimmerman and end the tournament.

A full recap will be posted shortly.

Jogador Fichas Progresso
Seth Zimmerman us
Seth Zimmerman
Eliminado

Tags: Craig VarnellSeth Zimmerman

Varnell Doubles Through Zimmerman; Takes Massive Chip Lead

Nível 32 : 60,000/120,000, 0 ante
Craig Varnell
Craig Varnell

Craig Varnell raised to 360,000 from the button and Seth Zimmerman called from the big blind.

The flop came {A-Hearts}{10-Hearts}{8-Diamonds} and Zimmerman checked. Varnell bet 420,000, Zimmerman check-raised to 1,920,000, and Varnell called.

The {J-Spades} fell on the turn and Zimmerman announced a pot-sized bet. Varnell jammed and Zimmerman called with a barely-covering stack.

Craig Varnell: {Q-Spades}{J-Clubs}{J-Diamonds}{9-Clubs}
Seth Zimmerman: {10-Clubs}{8-Clubs}{8-Hearts}{7-Diamonds}

Zimmerman had flopped a set of eights but found himself trailing Varnell's turned straight. Since Varnell also had a set of jacks, Zimmerman's only hope to end the tournament was the case eight, but the river was the {6-Spades}, so Varnell took the pot to double up and leave Zimmerman with less than 10 big blinds.

Jogador Fichas Progresso
Craig Varnell us
Craig Varnell
WSOP 1X Winner
10,900,000 5,600,000
Seth Zimmerman us
Seth Zimmerman
1,200,000 -5,600,000

Tags: Craig VarnellSeth Zimmerman

Zimmerman Doubles into Lead

Nível 32 : 60,000/120,000, 0 ante
Seth Zimmerman
Seth Zimmerman

Craig Varnell opened for 360,000 and Seth Zimmerman defended. The flop came {9-Spades}{3-Hearts}{4-Clubs} and Zimmerman checked. Varnell bet 420,000 and called a shove for 2 million.

Craig Varnell: {a-Clubs}{k-Clubs}{k-Diamonds}{7-Diamonds}
Seth Zimmerman: {10-Hearts}{9-Diamonds}{5-Spades}{4-Diamonds}

"Got it in good," Zimmerman shouted. "All you can do."

Indeed, his two pair was ahead. The {8-Hearts} turn and {5-Clubs} river kept him best and he doubled to the chip lead.

Jogador Fichas Progresso
Seth Zimmerman us
Seth Zimmerman
6,800,000 3,600,000
Craig Varnell us
Craig Varnell
WSOP 1X Winner
5,300,000 -3,600,000

Tags: Craig VarnellSeth Zimmerman

Omar Mehmood Eliminated in 3rd Place ($81,852)

Nível 32 : 60,000/120,000, 0 ante
Omar Mehmood
Omar Mehmood

Craig Varnell raised to 420,000 on the button and called the shove of Omar Mehmood, who jammed in the small blind for 1,120,000 with {a-Clubs}{k-Clubs}{7-Clubs}{3-Hearts}. Varnell had {k-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{5-Hearts}{4-Hearts} and took the lead when {4-Spades}{9-Hearts}{q-Clubs} flopped to give him a pair of fours. The {2-Spades} brought a gutter for Mehmood but the {k-Spades} river was good for kings up and a winner for Varnell.

Jogador Fichas Progresso
Craig Varnell us
Craig Varnell
WSOP 1X Winner
10,500,000 1,300,000
Seth Zimmerman us
Seth Zimmerman
1,600,000 -300,000
Omar Mehmood us
Omar Mehmood
Eliminado

Tags: Craig VarnellOmar Mehmood

Maxime Heroux Eliminated in 4th Place ($60,190)

Nível 32 : 60,000/120,000, 0 ante
Maxime Heroux
Maxime Heroux

Craig Varnell raised to 420,000 from under the gun, Maxime Heroux made a pot-sized three-bet to 1,380,000 from the small blind, and Varnell called.

The flop came {Q-Clubs}{9-Clubs}{4-Spades}, Heroux shoved, and Varnell quickly called to put him at risk.

Craig Varnell: {Q-Hearts}{Q-Diamonds}{4-Hearts}{2-Diamonds}
Maxime Heroux: {A-Spades}{A-Diamonds}{10-Clubs}{8-Clubs}

Varnell had the lead with top set but Heroux had lots of room to improve with straight and flush draws. The {K-Hearts} turn kept Varnell ahead and the {9-Diamonds} river gave him a boat to win the pot and end Heroux's deep run in this event.

Jogador Fichas Progresso
Craig Varnell us
Craig Varnell
WSOP 1X Winner
9,200,000 4,100,000
Seth Zimmerman us
Seth Zimmerman
1,600,000 -300,000
Omar Mehmood us
Omar Mehmood
1,200,000 -300,000
Maxime Heroux ca
Maxime Heroux
Day 2 Chip Leader
Eliminado

Tags: Craig VarnellMaxime Heroux

Christopher Trang Eliminated in 5th Place ($44,677)

Nível 31 : 50,000/100,000, 0 ante
Christopher Trang
Christopher Trang

Christopher Trang opened to 350,000 from under the gun and Maxime Heroux three-bet to 895,000 from the small blind. Trang called to put himself at risk and the two players tabled their hands.

Christopher Trang: {A-Hearts}{J-Diamonds}{10-Spades}{9-Spades}
Maxime Heroux; {K-Spades}{K-Hearts}{7-Diamonds}{3-Clubs}

Heroux had the preflop advantage and Trang needed to improve in order to preserve his tournament life. He picked up some additional outs on the {8-Spades}{4-Spades}{3-Diamonds} flop, but the {K-Diamonds} turn gave Heroux a commanding lead, and the {A-Diamonds} river was too little too late for Trang, so Heroux took the pot to end Trang's deep run in this event in fifth place for $44,677.

Jogador Fichas Progresso
Maxime Heroux ca
Maxime Heroux
Day 2 Chip Leader
3,800,000 600,000
Christopher Trang us
Christopher Trang
Day 1A Chip Leader
Eliminado

Tags: Christopher TrangMaxime Heroux

Jonathan Duhamel Eliminated in 6th Place ($33,477)

Nível 31 : 50,000/100,000, 0 ante
Jonathan Duhamel
Jonathan Duhamel

Craig Varnell opened for 300,000 and called the shove of Jonathan Duhamel on the button, who had 820,000.

Craig Varnell: {k-Clubs}{q-Clubs}{9-Hearts}{4-Hearts}
Jonathan Duhamel: {a-Clubs}{k-Spades}{8-Hearts}{3-Diamonds}

Varnell was trailing but took a big lead on {6-Hearts}{7-Clubs}{9-Clubs} with a pair of nines and a flush draw. The turn was a {k-Diamonds} and the river a {9-Spades} and he made a boat to bust the former WSOP Main Event champ.

Jogador Fichas Progresso
Craig Varnell us
Craig Varnell
WSOP 1X Winner
5,400,000 600,000
Jonathan Duhamel ca
Jonathan Duhamel
WSOP 3X Winner
Eliminado

Tags: Jonathan DuhamelCraig Varnell

Shaome Yang Eliminated in 7th Place ($25,325)

Nível 31 : 50,000/100,000, 0 ante
Shaome Yang
Shaome Yang

Craig Varnell opened for 300,000, Shaome Yang called all in for slightly less on the button and big blind Maxime Heroux called. On the turn, the board read {10-Diamonds}{2-Hearts}{10-Clubs}{q-Clubs} and Heroux bet out Varnell. Heroux showed {a-Spades}{10-Hearts}{5-Diamonds}{2-Spades} for tens full and Yang tabled {a-Hearts}{a-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}{8-Hearts}. He needed the last ace but the river was a brick, eliminating him.

Jogador Fichas Progresso
Maxime Heroux ca
Maxime Heroux
Day 2 Chip Leader
3,200,000 540,000
Shaome Yang us
Shaome Yang
Eliminado

Tags: Maxime HerouxShaome Yang

Jason Lipiner Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,344)

Nível 31 : 50,000/100,000, 0 ante
Jason Lipiner
Jason Lipiner

Craig Varnell raised to 300,000 from middle position, Jason Lipiner three-bet shoved from the big blind for 640,000, and Varnell called to put him at risk.

Craig Varnell: {A-Hearts}{K-Hearts}{10-Spades}{8-Diamonds}
Jason Lipiner: {A-Spades}{K-Spades}{10-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}

The two players had nearly identical hands but Varnell had a slight preflop advantage. The board ran out {7-Clubs}{4-Clubs}{2-Hearts}{8-Spades}{J-Spades} and Varnell took the pot with a pair of eights to end Lipiner's deep run in this event.

Jogador Fichas Progresso
Craig Varnell us
Craig Varnell
WSOP 1X Winner
4,800,000 700,000
Jason Lipiner us
Jason Lipiner
Eliminado

Tags: Craig VarnellJason Lipiner