Vitaly Lunkin, aged 37, has turned a $40,000 buy-in into a $1.89 million prize at the World Series of poker today, earning his second ever gold bracelet in the process, after he beat out a field of 201 poker pros during a four day tournament.
Lunkin defeated 23 year-old Isaac Haxton after more than three hours of heads-up play in the no-limit Texas Hold’em tournament, winning the final hand with pocket aces.
Lunkin said “It was the most difficult tournament of my life. Every player at the table was a star. It was a game, but at the same time it was just a very hard job.”
Haxton, whose final hand was a pair of eights and a diamond flush draw on the flop – not quite enough with the black cards on the turn and the river to beat the aces, took $1.17 million for second place.
Haxton started heads-up play with nearly a 2-1 chip lead over Lunkin, but over the next two hours of play the two traded chips, before Lunkin took a 2-1 chip lead for himself. He nearly eliminated Haxton a few hands later, but the river gave Haxton the cards he needed to take the chip lead. Haxton said that “Right after that 10 peeled off, I was pretty sure I was going to win the tournament, this was an exceptionally tough field.”
The $40,000 tournament was organized specially for the series’ 40th anniversary this year, and is one of 57 bracelet events that made the calendar for this year, which will culminate in the Main Event, poker’s richest live tournament.
Email this page
Print this page
Bookmark with del.icio.us
