Faraz Jaka Wins First World Series of Poker Bracelet In $1,500 Shootout Event

In the weeks main as much as the 2023 World Series of Poker, longtime skilled poker participant and coach Faraz Jaka was coping with well being points that left him uncertain if he may make it out to Las Vegas for the most important event pageant of the yr.

According to a social media post he made again in June, Jaka had two herniated disks that resulted in a, “…severe four-week episode of nerve pain that left me unable to perform basic tasks like walking, sitting, getting my own food from the fridge, and even put me in the ER for a day.”

The 37-year-old an World Poker Tour Player of the Year award winner at one level gave himself a one-in-five likelihood of with the ability to attend the WSOP in consequence of his struggles. Eventually, he recovered sufficient to make the trek to Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas. After a gradual begin, Jaka hit his stride within the ultimate weeks of the sequence, making a deep run in the primary occasion (219th -$58,500) after which, days later, rising victorious within the $1,500 no-limit maintain’em shootout occasion together with his first WSOP gold bracelet and the highest prize of $237,367.

The shootout occasion primarily sees gamers take part in a number of consecutive single-table sit’n’gos. A complete of 987 entries took a seat, with 100 gamers profitable their tables to make the cash and transfer on to day 2. The subsequent spherical repeated the identical course of, with ten ten-handed tables taking part in till ten winners have been determined.

Jaka was one of these gamers, and he was joined by the likes of five-time bracelet winner Adam Friedman and three-time bracelet winner Yuri Dzivielevski on the ten-handed ultimate desk. Friedman entered this ultimate desk with an opportunity to win a dwell event bracelet for the fifth yr in a row, however was finally knocked out in eighth place for $29,834 after dropping a preflop coin flip.

Dzivielevski’s run resulted in fifth place ($63,295) when his Q-10 suited was unable to come back from behind in opposition to the pocket tens of Michael Finstein. Ao Chen (4th – $82,954) additionally fell to Finstein, and Jaka busted Olga Iermolcheva (third – $109,780) to arrange the heads-up showdown for the shootout title.

In the ultimate hand, Finstein limped in from the button with J3 and Jaka checked from the large blind with 97. The flop got here down 1098. Jaka guess out together with his pair and open-ended straight draw. Finstein raised in place with a straight draw of his personal and Jaka referred to as. The Okay on the flip noticed Jaka check-call one other guess from Finstein. The 6 accomplished the board and Jaka’s straight. He checked once more and Finstein moved all in together with his busted draw and jack excessive. Jaka referred to as to lock up the pot and the title. Finstein earned $146,686 because the runner-up, the second-largest rating of his profession.

Here is a take a look at the payouts and rating factors awarded on the ultimate desk:

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

Photo credit score: WSOP / Omar Sader.