Finally, we have the 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion!
The most prestigious WSOP tournament of the year 2020, the WSOP Main Event, came to an end on Sunday night with Argentina’s Damian Salas defeating Joseph Hebert in the historic heads-up finale at the Rio Hotel & Casino to win $1 million, the bracelet and the 51st WSOP Main Event champ title.
The epic back-and-forth heads-up finale was the culmination of two $10,000 WSOP Main Events. The first was the international leg of the event that took place on GG Poker. It attracted 674 runners and saw Salas claim a $1,550,969 top prizemoney. The second was the U.S leg of the event, which drew a total of 705 players to WSOP.com and saw Hebert win it for a $1,553,256 in top prizemoney.
The HU Finale was a back-and-forth battle that lasted a whopping 173 hands. Salas took an early lead but soon Hebert surged ahead. Salas fought his way back to take the lead and eventually claim the title for $1 million in top prize. The $1 million is in addition to the $1,550,969 Salas earned for winning the international leg of the event at King’s Casino on December 15, 2020. Hebert, who won $1,553,256 for shipping the U.S. leg of the event, earned no additional prize for his runner-up finish.
Lasting for about six hours, the HU Finale ended with Hebert jamming for 390K with Ad Qs and Salas calling with Kd Js. The Ks 8s 5c flop gave Salas the lead. The turn 5d and the river Kc improved Salas to a FULL House, giving him the coveted title along with the $1 Million and the WSOP bracelet!
“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,” Salas said. “Going into the championship, I felt all the energy and support from my family and friends in Argentina tonight, and that helped me.”