Niklas Astedt Leads The Final Three In The 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event

The largest World Series of Poker important occasion ever held is now down to only three contenders, every with their eyes on the championship bracelet and the first-place prize of $10,000,000.

The 2024 WSOP $10,0000 buy-in no-limit maintain’em world championship drew a document 10,112 entries, leading to a prize pool of $94,041,600. There remains to be $20,000,000 of that sum left to award, with all of the ultimate three gamers having locked up at the least $4,000,000 by making it this far.

Online poker legend Niklas ‘Lena900’ Astedt (pictured above) is the chip chief with 223,000,000 (74 massive blinds). His stack represents about 37 p.c of the entire chips in play. The 33-year-old Swedish poker professional’s profession reside match earnings of almost $3.9 million are already assured to be greater than doubled due to his success on this occasion, however he’d need to win this match just a few occasions over to prime the reported $48 million in on-line earnings that he’s accrued.

Astedt got here into the day in third chip place, however scored 4 of the six knockouts on the day to bag up the highest stack.

“I think I played well. I don’t have too many regrets,” Astedt instructed PokerGO’s sideline reporter Jeff Platt after bagging up for the night time. “I mean, it’s a big stage and to stay composed and make the best decisions, it may look easy, but if I get most of them right, I’m happy.”

Jonathan Tamayo bagged up the second-largest stack with 197,000,000 (66 massive blinds) regardless of beginning the day as one of the shorter stacks.

The 38-year-old poker professional isn’t any stranger to deep runs in the principle occasion, having completed twenty first again in 2009 and 78th in 2015. Now the Humble, Texas native has managed a podium end within the largest important occasion but, and can add a number of million to his prior earnings of $2,307,668.

Rounding out the ultimate three is Jordan Griff with 187,000,000 (62 massive blinds). The 30-year-old information and analytics provide chain supervisor for Meta hails from New City, New York however is now primarily based out of Scottsdale, Arizona. The lone novice poker participant among the many ultimate 9, Griff instructed Card Player, “I play in some fairly massive money video games, however for me it’s a pastime. I do it for enjoyable. I take pleasure in enjoying the sport.”

This is simply the third time that Griff has performed the principle occasion, and is his first money. He got here into this match with $46,088 in prior match earnings, and was one card away from hitting the rail early on day 8. He managed to hit one of the 2 queens left within the deck together with his overpair trailing a flopped set for his opponent, and now’s simply two spots away from an eight-figure payday and the championship bracelet.

Final desk motion acquired underway at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16 with Griff within the chip result in begin.

Malo Latinois was the primary to fall. The 28-year-old poker professional from France acquired all-in for his final seven or so massive blinds with AOk racing towards the pocket threes of Griff.

The flop got here down A109 to provide Latinois prime pair, prime kicker and backdoor flush prospects in addition. The 3 modified all the things, although, giving Griff a set of threes and a lock on the hand. The river A gave Griff a full home and made the knockout official. Latinois earned $1,000,000 because the ninth-place finisher, which was by far the most important rating but for the previous power advisor with a level in engineering.

The subsequent elimination hand started with Griff opening for a min-raise to 4,000,000 from beneath the gun with pocket sevens. Astedt flat-called with pocket queens within the small blind. Bracelet winner Joe Serock seemed down at AJ and three-bet shoved for simply shy of 20 massive blinds.

The 1094J8 runout stored Astedt’s queens forward and Serock was despatched residence in eighth place.

This was the most important rating but for Serock, a longtime poker professional who earned the 2012 World Poker Tour Player of the Year award. His prior prime payday was the $804,191 he earned because the fifth-place finisher within the 2021 WSOP Online $5,000 important occasion. The Albuquerque, New Mexico native now has almost $6.8 million in profession match earnings.

Astedt overtook the chip lead after dragging that huge pot with pocket queens. While he continued to climb, Brian Kim’s stack was heading the other way. The 34-year-old California native, now primarily based in Australia, got here into the day in second chip place. Kim is a longtime excessive stakes money recreation participant and more moderen common on the excessive curler match circuit.

His slide on the ultimate desk started when he ran the nut flush right into a full home held by Griff. Not lengthy after the elimination of Serock, Kim discovered himself on the unsuitable aspect of a preflop cooler. The hand started with Spain’s Andres Gonzalez shifting all-in for 8.5 massive blinds from UTG+1 with pocket kings. Kim known as from the cutoff with pocket queens. Neither participant related with the board and Gonzalez doubled up, leaving Kim with 29 massive blinds.

Less than an orbit later, Kim acquired concerned in one other massive pot. Boris Angelov opened to 4,600,000 from the button and Kim three-bet to 11,800,000 from the small blind with Ok6. Astedt chilly four-bet to 18,000,000 out of the massive blind and Angelov bowed out. Kim thought it over earlier than shifting all-in for 53,900,00 (round 27 massive blinds). Astedt made the decision with 1010. The flop got here down Q108 and Astedt flopped center set. The 5 flip gave Kim a flush draw, however the 6 accomplished the board to see Kim knocked out in seventh place. The $1,500,000 payout elevated his profession earnings to $8,978,482. This was his second deep run on this match up to now few years, having completed Twenty third again in 2022.

Astedt was as much as 231,400,000 after that hand, good for greater than 38 p.c of the entire chips in play. He fell out of the lead after doubling up Gonzalez, whose pocket jacks held up towards pocket threes. The similar two gamers tangled once more quickly, with Gonzalez as soon as once more holding pocket jacks. It was a basic race, with Astedt holding AQ for 2 overcards. The board ran out A101073 and Gonzalez was eradicated in sixth place.

The 30-year-old poker professional from Cartagena, Spain was awarded $2,000,000 for his efforts, which was about 4 occasions the scale of his earlier largest match rating of $500,602 that he earned only a few weeks in the past by ending third in a $3,500 buy-in occasion on the Wynn Summer Classic. He now has greater than $2.7 million in lifetime reside cashes to his title, nearly all of which has been received because the begin of June this yr.

“It is a dream to be here. I got my family coming from Spain,” Gonzalez instructed PokerGO’s Jeff Platt after busting. “I was really nervous, but I got used to it and I think I managed to play the final table really well. I’m super happy and super proud of myself, and I think I did a good job.”

Tamayo entered the ultimate desk in seventh chip place after infamously folding pocket queens to a single increase throughout the ultimate stretch of play on day 8. He managed just a few double-ups all through the day, together with successful an enormous hand with a flopped straight towards a flopped set of tens for Astedt. He was third in chips when five-handed motion started.

The subsequent all-in confrontation noticed Tamayo name a cutoff shove for six massive blinds from Angelov with Ok6 from the massive blind. Angelov revealed the 66, which had Tamayo’s hand in tough form. The flop got here down Ok54 to show the tables, although, leaving Angelov with only a 4 p.c probability of doubling up. The Ok on the flip knocked that quantity all the way in which all the way down to zero, rendering the ten river a mere formality. Tamayo chipped as much as 147,000,000 (49 massive blinds) after the hand, whereas Angelov was despatched packing in fifth place.

The 27-year-old Bulgarian poker professional cashed for $2,500,000, blowing away his earlier prime rating of $670,140 that he earned earlier this yr because the runner-up within the European Poker Tour Monte Carlo €5,300 buy-in important occasion.

Just 9 fingers after Angelov was eradicated, quick stack Jason Sagle three-bet shoved for simply over 9 massive blinds with JJ from the massive blind. Astedt had opened for a 6,000,000 min-raise from under-the-gun with A3. Astedt thought it over earlier than making the decision.

The flop got here down 843 to provide Astedt a pair of threes for some further outs. The 5 on the flip added a gutshot straight draw for the Swede, which got here in by way of the two on the river.

Sagle’s pocket jacks had been cracked to finish the 48-year-old Canadian poker professional’s run in fourth place ($3,000,000). The 2004 WSOP important occasion Twenty third-place finisher and 2006 World Poker Tour North American Poker Championship runner-up’s profession earnings swelled to just about $4.5 million due to his robust displaying on this occasion.

“I did what I could, I was short stacked and never got any hands. I got it in good at the end, I didn’t win… what are you gonna do? There’s another tournament tomorrow,” Sagle stated in his post-elimination chat with PokerGO.

With that play was halted for the ultimate three, who bagged up their chips with the plan being to renew at 2:00 on Wednesday, July 17 and play till a champion is set. The common stack of 202,240,000 will likely be good for 67.4 massive blinds when playing cards get within the air with 1,500,000-3,000,0000 blinds and an enormous blind ante of 3,000,000. There is 17:40 remaining in stage 42.

Here is a take a look at the chip counts of the remaining three gamers:

Remaining payouts up for grabs within the 2024 WSOP important occasion:

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