After just under five hours of play, the final group of six was brought down to just one at the WSOPC Council Bluffs Main Event. Each one of the final six started the day with $21,097 guaranteed, with each one of them looking at the first-place prize of $116,846.
After a lengthy and swingy heads-up battle, it was three-time WSOPC winner David Hengen who collected his fourth ring as well as his first Main Event title. “This is my biggest cash,” the new champion mentioned in comparison to the other cashes he has had on the circuit. “I probably felt the most confident and comfortable.”
When three-handed play began, Hengen was by far and away the shortest stack. Mo Nuwwarah started the heads-up match with a massive lead, but through some timely double-ups, he was able to even the chips up. “As I’ve gotten more experienced with poker, being able to control my emotions is something I have improved tremendously. You have some bad runouts, but you just kind of have to go with the flow. That’s something that helps me do as I do.”
Hengen finished in third place in an event earlier this series and managed to top that finish with his score here today. Tomorrow, Hengen is traveling on vacation. “My wife and I are going to be taking our kids to Savannah, Georgia; it is our 15th wedding anniversary, as well as our son’s 14th birthday. I’m sure we will do something extravagant for the celebration.”
Hengen also wins a seat in the 2024 Tournament of Champions, a fact he is very excited for.
Final Table Results
David Hengen - $116,846
Mo Nuwwarah - $72,216
Daniel Lowery - $51,838
Michael Henery - $37,801
Timothy Garles - $28,011
Matthew Dodd - $21,097
Max Havlish - $16,155
Daniel Thomas - $12,580
Banipal Simonovich - $9,966
Final Day Action
Timothy Garles came into the final day with the chip lead, but an early pot where he held tens against Michael Henery’s kings saw Henery take the chip lead, and Garles fall to the short stack. He was not the first to exit the final table though. Matthew Dodd would be the first player to exit after he defended his big blind with ten-eight suited, then moved all in when he flopped a flush draw, only to get called by Daniel Lowery’s queens. The flush did not come home for Dodd, and he finished in sixth place, collecting $21,097 for his efforts.
Garles would exit in fifth place shortly after that. He moved in his final chips with king-jack suited, and Lowery looked him up with ace-nine suited to eliminate him after no help came. Garles collected $28,011 for his best WSOPC finish ever.
Despite taking an early lead at the final table, Henery would be unable to maintain the momentum as both Lowery and Mo Nuwwarah took sizable pots off of him. His final hand saw him making the bottom end of a straight, while Nuwwarah made the top end and held a flush draw to boot. Henery could not find the two outer chop on the river, and the 84-year-old exited the tournament in fourth place, collecting $37,801.
Nuwwarah and Lowery held the vast majority of chips in play as Hengen was left on the short stack. Lowery held the lead for a bit, but the hand that put Nuwwarah into the lead saw Lowery move all in with ace-jack, only for Nuwwarah to wake up with pocket aces and hold to take the lead. Shortly after that, it was Lowery all in with the pocket aces while Nuwwarah held pocket nines. All seemed safe for Lowery to double up, but the river nine gave Nuwwarah a set and the 14-time WSOPC ring winner exited the tournament in third place for $51,838.
Nuwwarah took a massive lead into heads up but seemed to be unable to avoid the runouts of the deck. Hengen doubled up a few times early into the match, and the chip lead shifted back and forth between the both of them. At one point, Hengen was all in with bottom pair and a gutter, while Nuwwarah had called him with top pair and the opposing gutter. Despite both players blocking the other’s straight draw, Hengen hit his and Nuwwarah could not improve to two pair, which gave Hengen the overall lead in the match.
A few hands later, Nuwwarah had pulled back into the lead, but another confrontation saw it change hands once more. Nuwwarah had turned two pair, while Hengen had flopped a set of fives, and when both players got all their chips in, Nuwwarah was drawing very slim. Hengen won the pot to take over the lead to put Nuwwarah with the short stack. In the end, Nuwwarah got in his last chips with a pair of threes, and Hengen called him with ace-king, and the king high flop saw an end to Nuwwarah’s run as he took home a career-best $72,216 for his runner-up finish.
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