Bradley Gafford Wins 2023 World Series of Poker Mini Main Event

Bradley Gafford is the 2023 World Series of Poker mini predominant occasion champion. The San Diego, California resident outlasted 5,257 entries within the $1,000 buy-in no-limit maintain’em freezeout event to earn his first WSOP gold bracelet and the highest prize of $549,555.

The was the biggest event rating but for Gafford, simply surpassing the $97,386 he earned for a second-place displaying in a $1,100 buy-in occasion on the Wynn Millions final spring.

Demand was excessive for this event, which fell on the busy weekend main into America’s Independence Day and the full-sized predominant occasion. As a end result, the road for late registrants snaked throughout a lot of the space between the Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas event areas. Check out a social media publish from poker participant Elvis Toomas for video documentation of the large queue:

Mini predominant line. FYI video begins on the Horseshoe. Setting Main occasion line at 10,670.5 pic.twitter.com/hkLfbLNPy1

— Elvis Toomas (@elvistoomas) July 2, 2023

By the top of day 1, the sector had been minimize from a number of thousand entries to 426, all of whom had been already effectively into the cash. The prime 789 finishers cashes on this occasion, with notables that ran deep together with bracelet winner Aditya Sushant (one hundred and fifteenth), bracelet winner John Reading (twenty first), and two-time bracelet winner Timur Margolin (fifteenth).

The remaining day started with Jeremy Oleon within the lead and simply 5 contenders remaining. A preflop coin flip spelled the top of Oliver Berens, whose A-Q bumped into pocket tens for 14-time _WSOP Circuit- gold ring winner Joshua Reichard. With tens full of nines by the flip, Reichard had Berens drawing lifeless with one card to come back. Berens earned $147,129 because the fifth-place finisher.

Jennifer Abad was the subsequent to fall, together with her Okay-J unable to beat the A-3 of Reichard. Abad failed to enhance in any respect, whereas Reichard hit a pair of threes to take down the pot and slender the sector to 3. Abad was awarded $193,103 for her fourth-place displaying.

Gafford was the clear brief stack when three-handed play started, however he discovered a pair of double-ups by way of Reichard to flee the hazard zone. He then known as all-in with A-Q going through a button shove from Reichard, who held 106. Reichard flopped a flush draw, however bricked out on the flip and river and Gafford’s ace excessive earned him one other double-up.

In one other key conflict, Reichard once more jammed from the button. This time, Gafford known as with pocket tens, which held up in opposition to 8-6 suited to Reichard. With that, Gafford overtook the chip lead.

Reichard gained the subsequent large all-in, along with his A3 besting the Okay4 of Oleon (third – $255,215). Even with that knockout, Gafford retained the lead over Reichard as heads-up play started.

Reichard battled his manner out into the lead in time for the decisive pot of the match. With a flop of 1063, Gafford checked his Q10 and Reichard guess holding 102. Gafford check-raised after which known as Reichard’s shove. The 7 flip and 5 river saved Gafford’s hand forward.

Reichard was left with lower than 4 large blinds, and was quickly eradicated along with his A-9 was outran by Gafford’s 4-3. Reichard took house $339,646 because the runner-up. This was his largest rating but. It elevated his lifetime earnings to greater than $2.7 million.

Here is a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the remaining desk:

Visit the Card Player 2023 World Series of Poker web page for schedules, information, interviews, and the newest occasion outcomes. WSOP protection sponsored by Global Poker.

Winner picture credit score: WSOP / Danny Maxwell.