Hollywood Producer Matt Salsberg Writes Storybook Ending At World Series of Poker Circuit Commerce Casino Main Event

Canadian-born Matthew Salsberg made his strategy to Los Angeles in his youth, chasing higher climate to work on his golf recreation. After taking a screenwriting class at University of California San Diego, he managed to land some gigs in Hollywood. Eventually, he labored his approach as much as being an govt producer on Weeds, which ran for eight years on Showtime. After his day job on the studios, Salsberg hit the poker rooms round city and have become a severe part-time participant. He has managed practically 240 event cashes since first hitting the scene in 2004, together with profitable the 2012 World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris for a career-best $478,415 payday. That triumph led to him incomes the tour’s Player of the Year honors for that season.

A dozen years later, Salsberg got here via with the second-largest victory of his profession, taking down the 2024 World Series of Poker Circuit Commerce Casino $1,700 buy-in no-limit maintain’em predominant occasion on his residence turf. Salsberg bested a 1,209-entry discipline to earn his first WSOPC gold ring and the highest prize of $286,134. His profession event earnings now sit at practically $3.6 million.

“This is very surreal. It’s been kind of a crazy few years for me, so this is wild,” Salsberg informed WSOP reporters after closing out the victory. “I have played a lot of circuit events of the years and have never won a ring, so it’s nice to get one.”

The win additionally bestowed 960 Card Player Player of the Year factors on Salsberg. This was his first title and fourth final-table end of the 12 months. With 2,428 complete factors, he now sits inside the highest 150 within the 2024 POY race standings offered by Global Poker.

This occasion ran from Nov.21-25, with three beginning flights and two extra days of motion. The sturdy turnout constructed a prize pool of $1,831,635 that was paid out among the many high 161 finishers.

Salsberg was within the center of the pack when the final 9 rivals converged on the ultimate desk. He outlasted Phongthep Thiptinnakon (ninth – $23,100) and Aram Mkhitaryan (eighth – $29,838) earlier than scoring his first knockout of the day. Salsberg cracked the pocket aces of brief stack Richard Ham, making a flush with Q4 after all of the chips went in forward of the flop.

Preflop coin flips spelled the tip of Samvel Gspoyan’s (sixth – $52,185) and Luis Yepez’s (fifth – $70,552) runs on this occasion. It was extra of the identical for Davis Khobyer, who bought all-in with pocket tens racing in opposition to A-Q for Anthony Marquez. A queen on the flip gave the overcards the lead, and Khobyer was unable to spike a ten on the tip. He earned $96,864 because the fourth-place finisher.

Salsberg earned a double-up early in three-handed motion, with pocket nines besting Okay-Q suited to Marquez. He then received an enormous one with A-Okay suited in opposition to A-9 for Michael Liang, who was left on fumes after the conflict. The bracelet winner was quickly despatched packing with $134,958 for his podium end. Liang now has greater than $4.2 million in recorded event scores to his title.

Salsberg held higher than a 3:1 lead over Marquez when heads-up play started. It didn’t take lengthy for him to transform that benefit into the title. In the final hand, Marquez three-bet shoved with OkayQ from the massive blind and Salsberg referred to as with AOkay. The board got here down 86425 and ace excessive was sufficient.

Marquez earned $190,774 because the runner-up. The bracelet winner from Ventura now has over $1.5 million in lifetime cashes below his belt.

Check out a replay of the ultimate desk under:

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

Photo credit score: WSOP / Alicia Skillman.