Jeremy Eyer fought hard for his maiden World Series of Poker bracelet.
Last night, Event #12: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout came to a close here at the WSOP at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Eyer outlasted the Brazilian Felipe Ramos to claim the title and $649,550.
His path to victory was a hazy one from the start, as he came in with a below-average stack on Day 2. Nonetheless, he navigated the star-studded field that culminated in a heads-up battle with one of the best.
Event 12: $5k No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Jeremy Eyer | United States | $649,550 |
| 2 | Felipe Ramos | Brazil | $401,460 |
| 3 | Nozomu Shimizu | Japan | $287,106 |
| 4 | Jinho Hong | South Korea | $208,158 |
| 5 | Ronald Minnis | United States | $153,032 |
| 6 | Jeffrey Halcomb | United States | $114,102 |
| 7 | Ivan Galinec | Croatia | $86,300 |
| 8 | Shiva Dudani | United States | $66,226 |
| 9 | James Vecchio | United States | $51,769 |
Short stack on Day 2, chip leader on Day 3
Eyer came into Day 2 with just shy of eight big blinds as the money bubble drew close. He found a way into the money, but once secured, he then set his sights on going deep.
After finding an all-important double with a dominated king after the bubble had burst, Eyer never looked back.
He finished Day 2 as the chip leader with only 16 players remaining heading to the final day. He would have to contend with tournament crushers Yuval Bronshtein, Felipe Ramos, Christina Gollins, and Jesse Lonnis, among others.
The top two stacks on Day 3 meet for a heads-up battle
When Day 3 started, Eyer had the narrow chip lead over Brazilian professional Felipe Ramos. They seemed destined to meet deep at the final table, and meet they did.
Each of them has a WSOP ring to their name, but they were both seeking their first bracelet.
Nozomu Shimizu was eliminated in third place around 9 pm local time. That marked the beginning of a grueling heads-up battle that would see over three hours of play, multiple lead changes, and a preflop cooler to end it all.
Around midnight, Ramos found pocket jacks, a monster in heads-up play. Off a 34 big-blind stack, he raised the button. Eyer found pocket queens himself, and the writing was on the wall.
Eyer raised to seven big blinds from out of position. Ramos moved in his whole stack, Eyer called, and the cards were on the table. An 81% chance of winning his first bracelet was left to the cards for Eyer.
The Q-7-7 flop left Ramos drawing all but dead and completed the long-fought, well-deserved victory for the American.
Eyer more than doubles his live career earnings
Well-versed in the online streets, Eyer has been transitioning to the live felt more frequently as of late. That decision looks brilliant now.
His $649,550 score nearly doubles in live tournament earnings according to Hendon Mob, crossing him into the millionaire club. He catapults into second place on the all-time earnings list for Mississippi players, behind only Tom "Captain" Franklin.
Something tells me the Captain better watch his back because Eyer looks like a force to be reckoned with on the live felt.
Congratulations to Jeremy Eyer on his first WSOP bracelet and impressive victory.
