Punnat Punsri chops with Erik Seidel to win Venetian Deepstack High Roller

The Venetian Deepstack 2022 High Roller Event #1: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em is the first of four high roller events being held at the Venetian this week. Punnat Punsri won the event after a heads up chop with Erik Seidel

Punsri is a Thai poker pro with a somewhat uneven live tournament career so far. He was mostly playing three- or four-figure buy-in events in Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam throughout 2019, 2020, and deep into 2021. However, late last year a few deep runs at the WSOP and three final tables at the WPT Five Diamond series put him on a new trajectory.

He's following that upswing into 2022, with this victory heads-up against one of the game's greats, Erik Seidel. Some sharp final table play and his early lead on this year's leaderboard marks Punsri out as a player to watch this on the PokerGO Tour.

Both players were part of a 34-entry field that included many of the usual suspects. Ryan Riess, Jake Daniels, Jim Collopy, Sam Soverel, and Cary Katz all busted early. Ali Imsirovic went out on the final table bubble leaving poker greats like Seidel, Chris Brewer, Jake Schindler, and Barry Hutter to battle it out on the final table.

Once the final table was set, PokerGO News tweeted: "With 34 entries in the first event of the 2022 @PokerGO Tour season, the prize pool is $340,000 with $136,000 going to the winner. Erik Seidel, Ali Imsirovic, and @WAFoxen among those battling it out at @VenetianPoker."

A chopped pool

The 34 entries made for a prize pool of $340,000, of which $136,000 was earmarked for first place. The tourney also paid out four other places down to $23,800 going to Jake Schindler in 5th.

Punsri went into heads-up play with a solid lead over Seidel after knocking Barry Hutter out in third ($54,400). Punsri had 2,115,000 million in chips to Seidel's 1,285,000.

Both players intended to play the second High Roller event the next day. So, rather than knacker themselves battling it out into the wee hours, both players agreed to a chop and an early night.

Seidel got $106,363. Punsri took got $118,037 and the first place title.

"Punnat Punsri picked up the first @PokerGO Tour victory of the 2022 season," Tweeted PokerGO news. "And it came with $118,037 in prize money. @Erik_Seidel finished second."

Venetian Deepstack 2022 High Roller Event #1: $10,000 No Limit Hold'em complete final table results

Featured image source: PokerGO