Ben Yu is among the latest bracelet winners at the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP). The 35-year-old poker pro topped a 329-entry field in Event #56: $10K 6-Handed NLH Championship to claim his fourth WSOP bracelet and the top prize of $721,453. This was the third-largest payday of Yu’s career and it took his lifetime earnings to more than $8.2 million. With his latest victory, Yu became the eighth player to earn bracelet number four or higher so far at the 2021 WSOP in Las Vegas.
Post his fourth bracelet win, Yu said, “Every time you win one of these, it’s pretty special. This one, in particular, was a fairly tough event… and a fairly large field too. I don’t think I’m able to process this yet.”
The final day of this event began with 19 players remaining and Yu in the middle of the pack. The start-of-day chip leader Boris Kolev (7th for $62,505) and Matty Berkey (8th for $62,505) were eliminated at the same time on the final two tables, setting up the official final table of six. Yu was the shortest stack to start the table but was able to chip up and eventually ship the tournament.
Four-time bracelet winner Asi Moshe was the first to fall from the FT. He shoved with Jd 9d facing As 8s of Mike Sowers who rivered a flush to take down the pot and bust Moshe in sixth. Following him was Steve Yea who shoved with pocket kings that did not hold against the As 10c of Ariel Mantel.
Mantel continued his rise by doubling through Mike Sowers, who had started the FT as the chip leader. Sowers became a short stack and finally exited in fourth. He got his last five or so big blinds in with A-8 against the Kd 6d of Yu. A king on the river sent the pot Yu’s way and busted Sowers.
Yu was able to take and extend his lead during 3-handed play. He extended his advantage even further by eliminating Mantel in third place ($293,578). Mantel had called off his stack with jacks against the K-7 of Yu, and a king on board was enough for Yu to win the pot and bust his opponent.
The heads-up began with Yu holding 16,865,000 over Nikita Kuznetsov’s 2,875,000. It didn’t take long for Yu to convert his lead into a victory. On the final hand, Yu raised to 275,000 with Js Jh and Kuznetsov shoved for 3,010,000 with 2s 2c. Yu made a snap call and the board ran out As Qh 3s 4d 8d, giving the title for Yu. Kuznetsov had to eventually settle for $445,892 as the runner-up finisher.
The top 50 places were paid out from a share from the $3,067,925 prize pool. Some of the notables to cash were JJ Liu (13th for $33,042), PokerStars Team Pro Sam Grafton (16th for $33,042), Winamax Team Pro Francois Pirault (21st for $27,132), GGPoker’s Niklas Astedt (26th for $22,990), former bracelet champions (Barak Wisbrod (37th for $18,865), Nick Schulman (39th for $18,865), Ryan Laplante (40th for $18,865), & partypoker Twitch Team Pro Jeff Gross (44th for $17,607) to name a few.
Abhinav Iyer’s Chase For Second WSOP Bracelet Ends In 12th Place For $41,481
From Team India, the country’s first solo bracelet winner Abhinav Iyer was in the hunt for his bracelet #2. He kept India’s bracelet hopes alive by making it to Day 3 among the 19 players. He got off to a good start by busting Nacho Barbero (18th for $33,042) with his ace-king beating the latter`s ace-jack. As the field whittled down to the final two tables, Iyer received several setbacks and lost a big chunk of his chips. Eventually, Iyer’s chase for his second GOLD bracelet ended in 12th place ($41,481 – INR 31.09 Lac). Iyer’s 12th place finish is the highest score for India at the WSOP 2021 so far.
There are two more events having Indians in contention. The Indian poker community now pins hopes on poker coach Abhishek Goindi who has entered the final day of Event #55: $400 Colossus NLHE. There are 49 players left, with Rafael Fernandes (23,300,000) leading them. Goindi is 25th in chips with a stack of 6,225,000. The 2018 bracelet winner, Nikita Luther, is eyeing her second gold bracelet in Event #59: $1,000 Tag Team where her tag team partner is Adda52 Game Ambassador Kunal Patni. The team of Luther and Patni have bagged the fourth largest stack on Day 1 (195,000), with Team Mike Ruter – Samy Dighlawi (338,000) leading the 127 surviving teams into Day 2.
Final Table Payouts (USD)
- Ben Yu – $721,453
- Nikita Kuznetsov – $445,892
- Ariel Mantel – $293,578
- Mike Sowers – $198,205
- Steve Yea – $137,303
- Asi Moshe – $97,660