It's been a year unlike any other and a World Series of Poker Main Event unlike any other. After poker's most popular series was forced online due to the coronavirus — resulting in a summer full of online bracelet events — the Main Event will crown it's champion live inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Tonight, two men will return to battle for poker's most coveted prize: Joseph Hebert and Damian Salas.
Hebert, winner of the domestic portion of the event, and Salas, winner of the international one, will duke it out for $1 million (on top of their previous winnings), the gold bracelet and the chance to go down in poker history as the official 51st winner of the WSOP Main Event, following in the footsteps of Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, Phil Hellmuth and 2019 champ Hossein Ensan.
Originally scheduled to play out on Dec. 30th, the event was postponed to tonight as Salas' entry to the U.S. was delayed due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
While this hasn't been a traditional event, to say the least, those left standing are certainly worthy of being crowned the new champ. Hebert crushed the domestic portion of the event, starting the final table off with a massive chip lead and never surrendering it along the way to win $1,553,256.
The 38-year old from Louisiana, who won his entry into the $10,000 freezeout through a $300 satellite on WSOP.com, is doing it #ForLinda, his mother who passed away over the summer following a pulmonary embolism. Teary-eyed, Hebert addressed the media after his earlier victory on Dec. 28.
"I really felt like I was dreaming," he said. "And I thought about my mom, and I know that she was here and this was for her. She would be so excited to see it, so I'm just so happy I got it for her."
Damian Salas: A Shot at Redemption
Following his victory, Hebert knew who his opponent would be as Salas already claimed his spot on Dec. 15 after winning the international portion of this event live in King's Resort in Rozvadov. That tournament originally started with 674 entrants on GGPoker.com — slightly shy of the 705 that entered on WSOP.com side — and Salas ultimately defeated the red-hot Brunno Botteon to win $1,550,969.
Salas hails from Chascomús, Argentina, about 80 miles south of Buenos Aires. During his soccer playing days, he received the nickname "Pampa" which stuck. He's a part-time poker player, which he combines with his regular work as a lawyer. Despite not being a full-time professional, Salas sports quite an impressive poker resumé with nearly $2.7 million in lifetime winnings according to The Hendon Mob.
Where Hebert is doing it #ForLinda, Salas has thrived on the support of his family and friends back home and carried a picture of his three children and wife with him during the live portion in King's. His daughter Sol even created a handmade bracelet, which he wore for the winner's photos.
"I was already a winner because I received all this energy," he said after his victory.
Salas' poker winnings are highlighted by two big cashes: the one from three weeks ago, of course, and another the one from the 2017 WSOP Main Event where he finished seventh for $1,425,000. Tonight, Salas gets a shot at redemption and a rare second chance at the Main Event bracelet. Can he follow in the footsteps of John Cynn, who won the event in 2018 after finishing 11th two years earlier?
Details of the Final Heads-Up
The action will kick off at 5 p.m. local time inside the Amazon Room of the Rio in Las Vegas. The heads-up finale will offer up a $1,000,000 prize added by WSOP and GGPoker, which will be on top of the ~$1.5M each that both players have already won. Play will start off with 500,000 in chips (500 big blinds) and levels will be 20 minutes throughout the night.
There will not be a live stream of the action; ESPN will film all final tables, which are scheduled to be broadcasted at a later date. PokerNews, as always, will be on deck to bring you blow-by-blow coverage as we will crown the winner of poker's most decorated tournament tonight.
Hand #42: Damian Salas raised to 10,000, Joseph Hebert called, and the flop came down . Both players checked and the appeared on the turn. Hebert checked and then folded when Salas bet 7,500.
Hand #43: Hebert raised to 11,000 and Salas folded.
Hand #44: Salas gave Hebert a walk.
Hand #45: Hebert gave Salas a walk.
Hand #46: Salas raised the button to 11,000 and Hebert called to see a flop. Both players checked, the appeared on the turn, and Hebert bet 14,000. Salas folded.
Hand #47: Hebert limped, Salas raised to 13,000, and Hebert called to see a flop. Both players checked, the appeared on the turn, and Salas bet 8,000. Hebert raised to 29,000 and Salas thought long and hard before making the call.
When the completed the board on the river, Salas checked and Hebert bet 106,000. Salas hit the tank and then laid down his hand.
Hand #57: Joseph Hebert raised to 15,000, Damian Salas called, and the flop came down . Both players checked and the appeared on the turn. Salas checked for the second time and called when Hebert bet 16,000, which brought about the on the river.
Salas shifted gears by leading out for 8,000 and that did the trick as Hebert folded.
Hand #58: Salas raised to 12,500 and Hebert called to see a all-spade flop. Hebert checked, Salas bet 8,000, and Hebert folded.
Hand #59: Hebert limped, Salas exercised his option with a raise to 13,000, and Hebert limp-reraised to 42,000. Salas thought for 1 minute 43 seconds before four-betting to 106,000 and Hebert folded.
Hand #60: Salas limped, Hebert checked, and the flop came down . Both players checked and the paired the board on the turn. Again it went check-check as it did on the river. Salas showed the for a rivered pair and it was good.
Hand #61: Hebert raised to 12,500 and Salas three-bet to 38,000. Hebert called to see the flop and Salas continued for 28,000. Hebert folded.
The expiration of Level 6 has sent the duo on the first break of the match.
Hand #70: Damian Salas limped the button and Joseph Hebert raised to 24,000. Salas folded.
Hand #71: Hebert raised to 20,000 from the button and Salas called to see a flop. Salas checked, Hebert bet 10,000, and the Argentinean check-raised to 28,000. Hebert called and the dealer burned and turned the .
Salas bet 52,000, Hebert called, and the completed the board on the river. Salas took his time before betting 139,000 and Hebert took a swig from his beer before making the call. Salas appeared to table a hand with a queen in it (unfortunately the cards were not brought fully into camera view), but whatever the case it was no good as Hebert had the for trips.
Hand #172: Damian Salas moved all in and Joseph Hebert folded.
Hand #173: Hebert moved all in for 390,000 and Salas asked for a count before making the call.
Damian Salas:
Joseph Hebert:
Hebert got it in good but the flop paired Salas to give him the lead. The turn was no help Hebert and neither was the river, which improved Salas to a full house. With that, the Argentinean prevailed in the heads-up finale to become the 2020 WSOP Main Event champion for $1,000,000 and a gold bracelet.
On Sunday night, the 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) officially came to an end when Argentina’s Damian Salas, a practicing lawyer back home, defeated Joseph Hebert in a heads-up finale to win $1 million, a coveted gold bracelet, and the title of WSOP Main Event champion.
The epic back-and-forth heads-up match that lasted a staggering 173 hands was actually the culmination of two $10,000 Main Events. The first was the international leg held on GG Poker, which attracted 674 runners and saw Salas claim a $1,550,969 top prize. The other was the domestic version, which drew 705 players to WSOP.com and saw Hebert turn a $300 satellite seat into a $1,553,256 payday.
“Joseph was a very hard opponent, and he played really well. In a few instances, he was about to win, it was a real fight and he never slowed down,” said the 45-year-old Salas, who finished seventh in the 2017 WSOP Main Event. “Going into the championship, I felt all the energy and support from my family and friends in Argentina tonight, and that helped me.”
Originally scheduled to play out on Dec. 30th, the event was postponed to tonight as Salas' entry to the U.S. was delayed due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Heads-Up Action
The match started out with Salas taking a slight lead, but before too long Hebert pulled out in front. On Hand #71, Hebert won a big pot with trip kings to pull out to a more than 3:1 chip lead. Hebert, who was playing in his mother’s memory (be sure to check out the #ForLinda story for more on the emotional story) set about extending that lead and at one point was out in front by an 8:1 margin.
However, Salas won the first all-in confrontation on Hand #83, and over the course of the next two and a half hours battled back and forth with Hebert. Eventually, the structure, which featured 20-minute levels, forced the action; in fact, in the end, there were just 20 big blinds in play.
Even so, neither player wanted to give an inch. Whenever one would get short, they’d double back. At times it looked like Salas was going to pull away, then Hebert would dig his heels in, win some pots, and put himself in the driver’s seat. It really was anyone’s game.
On Hand #170, the players got it in with each holding an ace, but it was the kicker of Salas that would win him the pot and give him a near 4:1 lead. Hebert doubled back to nearly even, but two hands later on Hand #173 of the final table Hebert jammed with ace-queen and Salas called with king-jack. Hebert got it in good but Salas took the lead when a king spiked on the flop. The turn and river both paired the board to give the Argentinean a full house, and Hebert bowed out as the runner-up.
“Both these men are champions in their own right and were a pleasure to host for this unique match,” said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of the World Series of Poker. “We thank everyone who participated in this chapter of WSOP history and can’t wait to see you in Las Vegas later this year.”
What’s Next for the WSOP?
While the status of a live 2021 WSOP in Las Vegas remains in limbo due to the ongoing pandemic, WSOP poker action will continue in 2021 with a year-long WSOP Online Circuit Series that will culminate in a gold bracelet event for invited players.
The Online Circuit Series will offer a slate of WSOP.com online events each month. Each tournament will award circuit rings, and there will also be $500,000 in added prizes throughout the year, including monthly $25,000 freerolls for qualifying players.