'Ring chaser' grabs first WSOP hardware in Baltimore Main Event

'I just had to go with it.'

The field of 49 players returned for Day 2 and the field was trimmed to six for the final table on Monday. Roughly four and a half hours into the final day, the last pot was pushed Selami’s way. But he did not describe the feeling as joy or relief.

“Numb,” he said. “Honestly. Especially since it was kind of just a really big flip at the end.”

Heads up against accomplished pro Manh Nguyen, Selami found himself in a back-and-forth battle. Nguyen, who was chasing his first piece of WSOP hardware despite more than $1.6 million in career earnings, applied steady pressure. But in the final hand, Selami got it in with pocket fours against Nguyen’s ace-jack and held to close it out, leaving Nguyen with $84,380 for second place.

“I just felt like I had to play more volatile near the end,” Selami said. “As the blinds kept going up and stamina became a thing, I knew I couldn’t just wait around. It was close enough. I just had to go with it.”

Manh Nguyen has $1.6 million in lifetime earnings but this would have been his first WSOP ring.

Selami came into the final table confident but realistic about the competition.

“Navigation-wise, the players were really good,” he said. “A lot of them weren’t recreationals. Or if they were, they were very good regs. I knew it wasn’t going to be a waiting game.”

The win also secures him a trip to The Bahamas, but he did not hesitate when asked how the money would be used.

“It’s going straight to the bankroll,” he said. “I’ve been pretty much underbankrolled for these tournaments, so this is just more entries to come. Tomorrow I’d be at another stop if I could.”

There will be a celebration, though. “Yeah, of course,” Selami said. “Dinner with my family. They’re all here.” And if you ask him what comes next, the answer is simple.

“I’m ring chasing.”