A fourth bracelet of the 2022 World Series of Poker Europe has been won and it’s a very familiar face who has been hoisting a gold bracelet into the air. Anson Tsang won his third bracelet in the $2,000-entry Pot Limit Omaha Event #4 as he outlasted a final table that included 888poker’s Vivian Saliba, WSOP Main Event final table player Jorryt van Hoof and Colombian high roller regular Farid Jattin.
There had already been three new bracelet winners in the opening three WSOPE events, but in taking this one down, Tsang proved that his class is permanent.
Tsang and Jattin Lead the Final Nine
The final day was an epic one, with Tsang eventually proclaimed the winner at 6 am local time in Rozvadov, the sleepy town on the border of Czech Republic and Germany which comes to life for poker alone. After almost 14 hours at the felt, the final day’s field of 57 players finally produced a winner in the 221-player tournament, with the top prize of $95,461 coming from a prizepool of nearly $400,000.
When the final nine were reached, the eventual winner Tsang was joined by Colombian poker professional Farid Jattin at the top of the chipcounts, each man having 54 big blinds to their name (1,160,000 chips). There was no-one below 11 big blinds, so a fairly even field did battle, with the eventual ninth-place finisher being the third-placed finisher in the 2014 WSOP Main Event Dutchman Jorryt van Hoof.
Van Hoof was not ‘on fire’ once the final table began, however, slipping from 23 blinds to the rail for a score of $7,168. Next to go was the Belarussian player Pave Izotov, who busted in eighth place for $8,893 when a gutshot never materialised and Jattin’s top set prevailed.
Saliba Says Goodbye
“Vivian Saliba has become something of a star in poker since her appointment as 888poker ambassador.”
With seven players left, two of the best of them busted next. Jattin was the unfortunate player to bust in seventh place, cashing out for a score of $11,368 when Tsang took him out with a rivered two-pair, reducing the field to half a dozen players and piling up 4.1 million chips in one fell swoop.
Vivian Saliba has become something of a star in poker since her appointment as 888poker ambassador and another great run for her ended in sixth place for $14,959. Frequently the longest-lasting female player, the Brazilian Saliba defended her big blind but was also shot down by Tsang, eventually losing her last chips to his set of queens after her pair and straight draw weren’t good enough.
Out in fifth was the Austrian player Oswin Ziegelbecker. He won $20,245 for his deep run after becoming Tsang’s third consecutive victim at the final table. All-in on the flop with a pair of queens, Ziegelbecker lost to Tsang’s rivered straight after the eventual champion had been open-ended from the flop.
Stroke of Luck Ends American Hopes
Down to the final four players, Tsang remained a dominant leader, but none of Polish player Tomasz Glauszko, American Shawn Stroke or Italian Dario Alioto were going quietly. In the end, it was the Italian who missed out on the podium places. Alioto got it in bad with A-Q-7-3 well behind Gluszko’s K-K-6-5, but an ace on the flop put the Italian into the lead. That was counterbalanced by a five on the turn and king on the river, giving Gluszko a set and ending Alioto’s event for a result worth $28,162.
Out in third place was the last remaining American in the field. No-one from the United States has won a bracelet yet in this 2022 World Series of Poker Europe festival, but Stroke got the closest anyone has come so far. It was in heartbreaking fashion that he crashed out, too. All-in on the board of Q-Q-6-5 with only king-high, he was called by Gluszko with 9-8-8-7, and Stroke’s feint hopes of a flush died on the river, sending him home with $40,232.
Heads-up was not a brief affair. Tsang held the lead with 6.6 million chips, but Gluszko (4.4m) had plenty to play with and even took the lead at one point. Tsang had wrestled back the advantage by the time the final hand played out, however, and he had his opponent where he wanted him with the dominant hand pre-flop. A pair of kings on the turn gave Tsang a huge chance of winning the title and he hit the nut flush on the river for good measure, taking his third bracelet and the top prize of $95,461.
WSOPE 2022 Event #4 $2,000 PLO Final Table Results: |
|||
Place | Player | Country | Prize |
1st | Anson Tsang | Hong Kong | $95,461 |
2nd | Tomasz Gluszko | Poland | $58,988 |
3rd | Shawn Stroke | U.S.A. | $40,232 |
4th | Dario Alioto | Italy | $28,162 |
5th | Oswin Ziegelbecker | Austria | $20,245 |
6th | Vivian Saliba | Brazil | $14,959 |
7th | Farid Jattin | Colombia | $11,368 |
8th | Pavel Izotov | Belarus | $8,893 |
9th | Jorryt van Hoof | Netherlands | $7,168 |