Konstantin Angelov limped the small blind. His neighbor, Gregg Merkow, raised the big blind to 3,300,000, Angelov called.
The flop was . While staring Merkow down, Angelov decided to move all in, 3,625,000 effective. Merkow nearly beat him into the pot.
Konstantin Angelov:
Gregg Merkow:
Both players had a flush draw, Merkow also had a straight draw. The hit the turn and gave Merkow the better flush to give him the checkmark. The on the river made it official and Merkow secured the full double.
"Let's go, Santa!" yelled his rail from the sidelines.
Action picked up on the flop in a three-way pot with about 10,000,000 in the middle. The flop read . Igor Ioffe led from the blinds for pot, Konstantin Angelov called for less and was at risk. Gregg Merkow folded and got out of the way.
Konstantin Angelov:
Igor Ioffe:
Ioffe had flopped two pair, but Angelov had the overpair and a flush draw. The turn changed nothing, but the river changed everything. Angelov doubled to stay alive and make Ioffe the current short stack.
After a battle between Guillaume Soumier and Gregg Merkow a couple of hands prior, Soumier was about 10,000,000 chips shorter going into this one.
Guillaume had opened the button a couple of hands later to 2,500,000. Konstantin Angelov made the call and they saw a flop. Angelov then lead for pot, 8,500,000 and Soumier got in his last 10,000,000 or so and Angelov made the call.
Guillaume Soumier:
Konstantin Angelov:
Angelov had a gut shot against the gut shot and kings of Soumier but the turn and river gave Angelov a superior straight to bust Soumier in fourth for $69,501, a great score for the French dealer who calls London his home.
Gregg Merkow limped the small blind and saw Igor Ioffe bet 3,600,000 in the big blind. Merkow called.
The flop came . Merkow checked in flow and Ioffe continued for pot, an 8,400,000 chip bet.
"I've got a big decision," said Merkow, while he thought. Ioffe didn't have much behind. "All in," announced Merkow. Ioffe called, and the two shorter stacks were off to an important runout.
"I don't have an ace,"said Ioffe.
"Inside straight draw," said Merkow.
Igor Ioffe:
Gregg Merkow:
"What do we need, Gregg?" shouted the rail.
"A two, three, or four!" said Merkow.
The turn wasn't any of those cards when the hit. The river, however, was the straight-completing to give Merkow the straight and send Ioffe home in third place.
After two full days of play, Konstantin Angelov has won Event #64: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack and taken home the $199,466 first-place prize.
A total of 2,858 players took their shot at the event, and Angelov outlasted them all to become the newest bracelet winner at The 2022 World Series of Poker at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas.
Angelov admitted that he is fairly new to the great game of Pot-Limit Omaha. "I've played PLO for only a few months now," said Angelov. "I don't know how to explain it. I feel incredible."
Event #64: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack Final Table Payouts
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Konstantin Angelov
United States
$199,466
2
Gregg Merkow
United States
$123,251
3
Igor Ioffe
United States
$92,200
4
Guillaume Soumier
France
$69,501
5
Vivian Saliba
Brazil
$52,795
6
Philippe Pelluault
France
$40,417
7
Benjamin Miner
United States
$31,184
8
Rafael Mota
Brazil
$24,250
9
Christopher Keller
United States
$19,009
Final Day Recap
With 30-minute levels, there was no shortage of action at any point on Day 2. The action started with 102 entrants and only took four hours to reach the final 24 players. Once the players reached the final table, they had about a 30 big blinds average, resulting in huge swings and each hand being a vital pot. Angelov handled those swings well.
"All the time, I felt perfect, and I knew I would win this tournament," shared Angelov. "I was short-stacked, but that's nothing. You have to believe, pick the right moments, and that's it. If you start to worry about the game, you can't. You just have to enjoy every minute."
Several players had large rails at the final table. Gregg Merkow, Guillaume Soumier, and Vivian Saliba all had cheering sections ready to roar when they won pots. Angelov, frequently listening to music on his headphones, had other people on his mind during his path to victory.
Pointing at a tattoo on his arm, Angelov shared its meaning. "That's my brother. He passed away seven years ago. I love to play poker, I'm not a professional, but he would call me the 'Poker Machine.' Almost two months ago, I lost my mother too. This is for my brother and my mother. There may have been nobody here for me, but I know that my brother and my mother are here."
Congratulations to Konstantin Angelov, the newest winner at the World Series of Poker, for taking home his maiden prestigious gold bracelet!
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