Adam Friedman won his fourth career bracelet and his third-consecutive $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship bracelet, while denying Phil Hellmuth his pursuit of bracelet #17. Friedman outlasted 93 entrants in WSOP Event #38 and a final table that also included Jake Schwartz, Carol Fucks, Mike Matusow, and Matt Glantz. Meanwhile, Aussie pro Michael Addamo saw his run good continue with a victory in the WSOP $50K High Roller. Addamo was the last player standing in Event #38 $50,000 High Roller and earned a first-place payout worth $1,132,968.
When you're hot, you're hot. When you're great at one specific thing, it's hard to not be great at it. Right now, Aussie pro Michael Addamo is one of the hottest players in the world right now after he entered the 2021 WSOP soaring high after winning the Super High Roller Bowl and purple jacket at the Poker Masters. And Adam Friedman has yet to be kicked off the throne in the 10K Dealer's Choice with a reign that dates back to 2018.
The 2021 World Series of Poker continued at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas. A couple of star-studded events played down to a champion including the $10K Dealer's Choice Championship and the $50K High Roller.
2021 WSOP Event #36 $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship attracted 93 runners and a prize pool worth $867,225. Only the top 14 places paid out.
The $10K Dealer's Choice final eight included... Adam Friedman, Phil Hellmuth, Jake Schwartz, Carol Fuchs, Mike Matusow, Andrew Kelsall, Matt Glantz, and Mike Gorodinsky. Notables who missed the final table but cashed included Daniel Negreanu, Ray Henson, Joao Vieria, Scott Seiver, Ryan Miller, and Chip Jett.
Mike the Mouth busted in fifth place, followed by Carol Fuchs in fourth place. Jake Schwartz hit the road in third place, which set up the heads-up heavyweight battle between Hellmuth and Friedman. It was a battle for the ages.
Hellmuth was on a mission to win #17 after snagging #16 over the weekend. Meanwhile, Friedman was seeking a fourth bracelet and his third-straight title in the 10K Dealer's Choice. At this point, the WSOP should just engrave his initials on the 10K DC bracelet every year for his excellence in the mixed-game affair. It's one thing to know what's your best game, but it's even more important to know what your opponent doesn't like, or not playing well. Friedman had that sixth sense along with the ability to play multiple games with deft skill. That's why he shipped this event three times in a row. That's quite impressive and one of the more remarkable feats in the history of the World Series of Poker.
Hellmuth earned $153,493 for another runner-up finish. Meanwhile, Friedman banked $248,350 for his victory as his career winnings at the WSOP passed $2 million.
2021 WSOP Event #38 $50,000 High Roller attracted 81 runners and a prize pool worth $3,877,875. Only the top 13 places paid out. Leonard Maue from Germany bubbled the final eight. Dam Smith, Scott Ball, Anthony Zinno, and Johan Guilbert also cashed but narrowly missed the final table.
The final table of eight included Michael Addamo, Justin Bonomo, Gal Yifrach, Erik Seidel, Chris Hunichen, Bin Weng, Sam Soverel, and Mustapha Kanit.
Erik Seidel came close to another bracelet, but he'll have to wait another day to reach double digits, while he continues to be stuck on nine. Seidel's run ended in fourth place. Gal Yifrach busted in third place, which set up the big-time battle between heavyweights -- Justin Bonomo and Michael Addamo. The two squared off in late September at the 2021 Super High Roller Bowl VI, but Addamo came out on top.
When the dust settled at the WSOP High Roller, Bonomo busted in second place, which paid out $700K. Not too shabby, eh?
Addamo banked $1.1 million for the victory and he earned his third WSOP bracelet and his first since snagging two back in 2018. The Aussie's run good continued in one of the most impressive stretches in recent history.
2021 WSOP Event #38 $50K High Roller
Buy-in: $50,000
Entrants: 81
Prize Pool: $3,877,875
Payouts: 13
Final Table Results:
1 Michael Addamo (Australia) $1,132,968
2 Justin Bonomo (USA) $700,228
3 Gal Yifrach (USA) $495,305
4 Erik Seidel (USA) $358,665
5 Chris Hunichen (USA) $266,031
6 Bin Weng (USA) $202,236
7 Sam Soverel (USA) $157,666
8 Mustapha Kanit (Italy) $126,141
