The Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas hosted Event No.11: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Kenneth O’Donnell won the tournament after two days of intense action. He beat Jefferson Guerrero on Day 2 to take his maiden WSOP bracelet and the $351,098 top prize.
What Were the Event’s Top Finalists’ Awards?
- Kenneth O’Donnell from the U.S. – $351,098
- Jefferson Guerrero from Colombia – $216,941
- Ka Che Kan from China – $162,371
- Aaron Georgelos from the U.S. – $122,407
- Robert Gittelman from the U.S. – $92,953
- Eric Pfenning from the U.S. – $71,104
- Manuel DeAlmeida from the U.S. – $54,794
- Andres Morales from the U.S. – $42,539
- Fabio Coppola from Italy – $33,274
Action Highlights
The tournament attracted 6,085 players who formed a $3,098,760 prize pool. They included Phil Hellmuth (Poker Hall of Famer and 16-time WSOP bracelet champion), and Kathy Liebert (Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee and WSOP bracelet winner). Nevertheless, Hellmuth’s run ended in Level 32 after he got busted in the 47th position with $7,385.
Other top players included Jerry Yang, Greg Raymer, Allen Cunningham, Pei Li, Bradley Jensen, Mike Ruter, David Jackson, Erik Cajelais, Farzad Bonyadi, and Jeremy Wien. Yet, Li was the only remaining bracelet champion before they exited the event in 11th place.
O’Donnell gradually grew his stack on Day 1 striving to reach the final table. His dream came true after several hours and he was fourth in the chip standings. Aaron Georgelos left the table in fourth place with $122,407 and Ka Chun Kan followed him in the third position.
O’Donnell’s Victory Excites Him
The champion resides in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has been a poker player for over a decade. Yet, he won his first WSOP bracelet recently.
O’Donnell stated in a media interview after the tournament that it was amazing. The Hendon Mob indicates that he has cashed in many events in the past. His biggest score was the $53,299 he won in the 2021 Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Poker Classic’s $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em event.
Even so, WSOP is more competitive than most poker series. So, O’Donnell stated that he was lucky to beat his last opponent in a heads-up match. He added that such popular tournaments aren’t a piece of cake especially if a player lacks experience at their final tables.
O’Donnell was glad that the ‘poker gods’ chose him during the event as he felt special. Still, he wants to explore Las Vegas for a while and compete in other tournaments before he returns home. He promised to call his wife to break the good news to her.
The winner said he would play a game today after waking up his wife. He thanked his rail for their endless support and encouraged him to soldier on at the table. Poker diehards can get live updates of various tournaments this summer on certain news websites.
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