2016 WSOP Event 29
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 : CHICAGO POKER PRO CLAIMS NLHE HONOURS AT WORLD SERIES OF POKER
But only after a prolonged heads up against Jens Grieme.
Alexander Ziskin, a 30-year-old poker professional from Chicago, has claimed the $401,494 main prize and his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet after defeating fellow pro Jens Grieme in an epic heads up that the experts are predicting will go down in WSOP history as one of the toughest and most contested in years.
This event – the $1500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em, was another that went into extra time this year and required a fourth day of action to finalise, with the final table extending over two days.
1,476 entries were recorded for the event, many of them from top international players.
The heads up accounted for 50 percent of the 460 hands played during the entire final table stage.
After breaking for what was left of the night on Day 3 Ziskin and his formidable German opponent returned to the heads up on the last day with Grieme holding a 4 to 3 chip advantage which Ziskin challenged, met and then surpassed….but that was just the start of a number of chip lead changes as the battle between two very good players continued with neither letting up on the pressure.
Ultimately, Ziskin caught a timely double up that enabled him to stretch his lead to 5 to 1 and with which he was finally able to eliminate a very talented player in second place for
$248,067.
Other final table cashes included:
Kam Low $179,187
Patrick Powers $130,780
Severin Schleser $96,452
Craig Mason $71,891
Marino Mura $54,160
David Juenemann $41,244
Aaron Kweskin $31,754
In related news, Jason Mercier was denied his fifth WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 buy-in Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship, busting at eighth as the competition entered an additional day of play.
The final table was still in action when we went to press, with Brit dazzler Benny Glaser leading Doug Lorgeree and Matt Glantz in the final three.
Mercier is attracting a lot of attention due to the heavy prop bets he has out on winning three bracelets in a single WSOP season – to date he has already managed two this year.
Winning three bracelets in a single season is an achievement shared by only five players to date in WSOP history – Puggy Pearson, Phil Hellmuth, Ted Forrest, Phil Ivey and Jeff Lisandro.
