WSOP Day #51: Final bracelets awarded as series draws to a close

It’s the biggest score of a career which has seen Liang come agonizingly close on previous occasions, including a runner-up spot in the $25K High Roller in 2021 and final table runs in 2022’s The Closer and 2023’s $1K Super Turbo, events which tend to take place at the end of the WSOP each year. In fact, the 2024 incarnations of both these events also finished on Wednesday - is Liang a ‘late-series’ specialist? Is there such a thing?

Liang was way behind when he made it to heads-up play against Duc Nguyen (2nd, $300,777), with a 9:1 chip disadvantage looking like a mountain to climb. Nguyen had started the day with an enormous chip lead and nothing looked set to change until, fittingly, Liang made a big double-up with a very ‘on-brand’ trip 7s. His fightback was something to behold, and ultimately ended with a hard-fought victory over the unfortunate Nguyen, whose pocket jacks were cracked on the final hand to send the bracelet Liang’s way.

"It means a lot,” Liang told WSOP.com, “It's one of those things that you dream about when you first start playing poker. And then coming so close in the past and not achieving it, it kind of makes you wonder if it's ever going to happen."

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Livingston tops tough field in $3K PLO

Alex Livingston

Canada’s Alex Livingston made the most of his last opportunity to win a bracelet this year with victory in the $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event, bagging a second to go with the $1,500 Seven Card Stud bracelet he won in 2022. He wins $390,621 for defeating a field of 844, in which a number of top players made deep runs. The final day’s play featured the likes of Ari Engel, Shaun Deeb and Alex Foxen among the 17 players who started the day, but none would make the final table.

That final table was initially dominated by Martin Zamani, who wielded a chip lead and an aggressive style to eliminate the first three players at the final table, but who would fall to Livingston when the latter rivered quads against Zamani’s turned straight.

Heads-up lasted over three hours, as Livingston and Uruguay’s Francisco Benitez ($260,403) each sought an edge, but ultimately it would be Livingston who took down the $390,621 and the win, propelling him into the top 10 on the Canadian all-time money list.

"I really do love all the games,” Livingston said in a WSOP.com interview after his win, “the 10-game, 9-game mix, and HORSE are my best formats, but it's really nice to win one in PLO because it's probably the game I've played the most hands in, and to get one done here really feels good."

Ching Da Wu gets Closer

Ching Da Wu

The pace was quick on the final day of event #98: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - The Closer, and it had to be; 361 players returned for Day 2, and with it being the final day of the series they knew play would continue until only one remained.

That one was Ching Da Wu of Taiwan, who outran a field including Jared Bleznick (39th, $14,190), Lexy Gavin-Mather (17th, $26,360), Mike Matusow (10th, $41,500) and John Racener (4th, $196,170) to claim his first WSOP bracelet and his first notable tournament win. The final table also featured Stanislav Zegal of Germany (5th, $148,480), winner of the WSOP Paradise Main Event last December.

Software engineer Wu managed to eliminate his final two opponents in a single hand with slow-played pocket aces, banking a huge $525,500 for outlasting the 3,215-strong field.

Adomkevicius wins first bracelet in last event

Aneris Adomkevicius

Event #99: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em was the very last live event on the 2024 WSOP schedule, and like the Closer played out to a quick tempo.

This one day tournament featured a 10am start, a short starting stack of just 20,000 chips, and 20-minute levels, all of which combined to see 1,544 entries reduced to a winner in a single day.

That winner was Aneris Adomkevicius of Lithuania, who navigated a field that included numerous big names going for one last shot at a bracelet before the end of camp. Daniel Negreanu, Jeremy Ausmus, Bryce Yockey, Jessica Vierling, Benny Glaser and Mark Newhouse were in the mix, but it would only be the latter who made a notably deep run.

Newhouse, famous for his back-to-back 9th place finishes in the Main Event a decade ago, made it all the way to heads-up play against Adomkevicius. That final phase lasted barely 20 minutes before the player from Lithuania’s pocket pair held in a crucial flip, awarding him the bracelet and the $201,355 in first place prize money. Newhouse, still seeking that first WSOP bracelet, took $134,228 for his runner-up finish.

2024 WSOP bracelet winners

• Event #1: $5,000 Champions Reunion – Asher Conniff (USA)
• Event #2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em – Jose Garcia (USA)
• Event #3: $500 Kickoff No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout – Daniel Willis (UK)
• Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better (8-Handed) – James Chen (USA)
• Event #5: $1,000 Mystery Millions - Malcolm Trayner (Australia)
• Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship – Darius Samual (UK)
• Event #7: $1,500 Dealer's Choice – John Hennigan (USA)
• Event #8: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha (8-Handed) - Bryce Yockey (USA)
• Event #9: $1,500 Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Nick Guagenti (USA)
• Event #10: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship - Scott Seiver (USA)
• Event #11: $1,500 Badugi - David Prociak (USA)
• Event #12: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em - Simeon Spasov (Bulgaria)
• Event #13: $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship - Robert Mizrachi (USA)
• Event #14: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold'em - Thibault Perissat (France)
• Event #15: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better - Caleb Furth (USA)
• Event #16: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Brent Hart (USA)
• Event #17: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack - TJ Murphy (USA)
• Event #18: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha - Dylan Weisman (USA)
• Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship - John Racener (USA)
• Event #20: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold'em - Stephen Winters (USA)
• Event #21: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (6-Handed) - Brek Schutten (USA)
• Event #22: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw (6-Handed) - Aaron Cummings (USA)
• Event #23: Event #23: $1,500 SHOOTOUT No-Limit Hold'em - Dan Sepiol (USA)
• Event #24: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship - Sean Troha (USA)
• Event #25: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Handed - Daniel Vampan (USA)
• Event #26: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Nick Schulman (USA)
• Event #27: $1,500 Big O - Michael Christ (USA)
• Event #28: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em - Evan Benton (USA)
• Event #29: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship (6-Handed) - Phil Ivey (USA)
• Event #30: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack - Alen Bakovic (Canada)
• Event #31: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed - Nicholas Seward (USA)
• Event #32: $1,500 Seven Card Stud - Richard Ashby (UK)
• Event #33: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack (8-Handed) - Alex Manzano (Chile)
• Event #34: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout - Antonio Galiana (Spain)
• Event #35: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - Phillip Hui (USA)
• Event #36: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack (8-Handed) – Timur Margolin (Israel)
• Event #37: $10,000 Big O Championship – John Fauver (USA)
• Event #38: $1,500 MONSTER STACK No-Limit Hold'em - Pedro Neves (Portugal)
• Event #39: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Sergio Aido (Spain)
• Event #40: $1,500 Razz – Scott Seiver (USA)
• Event #41: $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha Double Board Bomb Pot - Xixiang Luo (China)
• Event #42: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship - James Obst (Australia)
• Event #43: $1,500 Mixed: PLO Hi-Lo 8; Omaha Hi-Lo 8; Big O - Magnus Edengren (Sweden)
• Event #44: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Jared Kingery (USA)
• Event #45: $10,000 HORSE Championship - Maksim Pisarenko (Russia)
• Event #46: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship - Khang Pham (USA)
• Event #47: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em - Chris Hunichen (USA)
• Event #48: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed) - Chris Vitch (USA)
• Event #49: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em - Erlend Melsom (Norway)
• Event #50: $10,000 Razz Championship - George Alexander (USA)
• Event #51: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout - Peter Park (USA)
• Event #52: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em – Mostafa Haidary (Australia)
• Event #53: $3,000 Nine Game Mixed - Yuri Dzivielevski (Brazil)
• Event #54: $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold'em - Franco Spitale (Argentina)
• Event #55: $250,000 Super High Roller – Santhosh Suvarna (India)
• Event #56: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball (2-7, A-5, Badugi) – Patrick Moulder (USA)
• Event #57: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em – Frank Funaro (USA)
• Event #58: $50,000 Poker Players Championship - Daniel Negreanu (Canada)
• Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em - Sean Jazayeri (USA)
• Event #60: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Paolo Boi (Italy)
• Event #61: $2,500 Mixed: Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better; Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better - Dario Sammartino (Italy)
• Event #62: $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship - Hector Berry (UK)
• Event #63: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw - David Funkhouser (USA)
• Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack - Chris Moen (USA)
• Event #65: $5,000 Seniors High Roller No-Limit Hold'em - Mark Checkwicz (USA)
• Event #66: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship - Elie Nakache (France)
• Event #67: $500 Salute to Warriors - No-Limit Hold'em - Ben Collins (UK)
• Event #68: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Colin Robinson (USA)
• Event #69: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better - Nikolay Fal (Russia)
• Event #70: $400 Colossus - Martin Alcaide (Bulgaria)
• Event #71: $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship - Shiina Okamoto (Japan)
• Event #72: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship - Scott Seiver (USA)
• Event #73: $25,000 Hit Roller Pot-Limit Omaha - David Eldridge (USA)
• Event #74: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship - Arash Ghaneian (USA)
• Event #75: $1,000 TAG TEAM No-Limit Hold'em - Jimmy Setna & Jason James (Canada)
• Event #76: $10,000 Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Matthew Lambrecht (USA)
• Event #77: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet (6-Handed) - Wing Liu (Hong Kong/UK)
• Event #78: $1,000 Mini Main Event - Georgios Skarparis (Cyprus)
• Event #79: $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha - Daniel Perkusic (Germany)
• Event #80: $800 Independence Day Celebration - No-Limit Hold'em - Francis Anderson (USA)
• Event #81: $10,000 MAIN EVENT No-Limit Hold'em World Championship - Jonathan Tamayo (USA)
• Event #82: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Aditya Agarwal (India)
• Event #83: $1,500 Eight Game Mix (6-Handed) - Garth Yettick (USA)
• Event #84: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold'em - Carsten Heidemann (Germany)
• Event #85: $1,000 FLIP & GO No-Limit Hold'em Presented by GGPoker - Chance Kornuth (USA)
• Event #86: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha - Sascha Wilhelm (Germany)
• Event #87: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Matthew Alsante (USA)
• Event #88: $10,000 Eight Game Mixed Championship - Calvin Anderson (USA)
• Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes No-Limit Hold'em Championship - Clement Richez (France)
• Event #90: $1,500 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha - Joseph Sanders (USA)
• Event #91: $3,000 HORSE (8-Handed) - Gary Bolden (USA)
• Event #92: $50,000 HIGH ROLLER No-Limit Holdem - Jared Bleznick (USA)
• Event #93: $777 Lucky 7s No-Limit Hold'em - Michael Liang (USA)
• Event #94: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Championship (6-Handed) - Michael Rocco (USA)
• Event #95: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold'em - Jamie Walden (UK)
• Event #96: $25,000 High Roller HORSE - Xixiang Luo (China)
• Event #97: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (6-Handed) - Alex Livingston (Canada)
• Event #98: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - The Closer - Ching Da Wu (Taiwan)
• Event #99: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em - Aneris Adomkevicius (Lithuania)

^{Additional images courtesy of WSOP/Alicia Skillman. Special thanks to thehendonmob.com for providing tournament statistics.}