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2018 49th Annual World Series of Poker The Official WSOP Live Updates

Monday, July 02, 2018 to Saturday, July 14, 2018

Event #65: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship

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  • Buy-in: $10,000
  • Prizepool: $74,015,600
  • Entries: 7,874
  • Remaining: 0

EVENT UPDATES

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Sunday, July 15, 2018 5:24 AM Local Time
John Cynn Wins 2018 WSOP Main Event ($8,800,000)

Main Event Champion John Cynn

It took over 10 hours of back-and-forth struggle, but John Cynn overcame Tony Miles in a heads-up match for the ages to win the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event for $8.8 million, topping a field of 7,874.

The win completes a redemption story for Cynn, who bubbled the unofficial final table in the 2016 Main Event, just missing a chance to participate in the last November Nine when Gordon Vayo busted him in 11th place.

"Feels very different," Cynn said, reflecting on the two results. "I mean really neither is supposed to happen. To make 11th is insane on its own, and to win, that's literally something that you dream of but you just never expect to happen. Right now I do feel pretty overwhelmed."

Now Cynn, who has about $300,000 in cashes outside of his two Main Event runs, has cemented a place in poker history and will have a banner adorning the walls of the Amazon Room for as long as the Main Event is still held here.

"I do like to think that I don't need the money to be happy, but at the same time it's practically going to make things a lot easier," he said. "Things I want to do in life, things for my family, and my parents. To my parents this is money that they could have never imagined. It'll definitely be life-changing."

2018 WSOP Main Event Final Table Results

PlaceWinnerCountryPrize (in USD)
1John CynnUnited States$8,800,000
2Tony MilesUnited States$5,000,000
3Michael DyerUnited States$3,750,000
4Nicolas ManionUnited States$2,825,000
5Joe CadaUnited States$2,150,000
6Aram ZobianUnited States$1,800,000
7Alex LynskeyAustralia$1,500,000
8Artem MetalidiUkraine$1,250,000
9Antoine LabatFrance$1,000,000

A heads-up match between Miles and Cynn seemed all but certain since they both came into the final day with a ton of chips while Michael Dyer was short with under 20 big blinds. Dyer got shippy early but his opponents patiently waited, until Miles found the ace-jack and dominated ace-ten, holding up to get it heads-up less than 20 hands in.

Michael Dyer
Michael Dyer watched the final runout of his Main Event.

What followed was a heads-up match that turned into a marathon — a test of endurance as much as it was skill. The players battled for over 10 hours across 199 hands, surpassing the highest recorded mark in a WSOP Main Event, set by Vayo and Qui Nguyen in 2016.

That match proved to be something of a snoozer, with Vayo stubbornly hanging onto a short stack and resisting almost any opportunity to play big-pot poker in hopes of small-balling his less-experienced opponent. Cynn and Miles turned in no such jab-fest. They threw haymakers throughout, trading the lead 11 times.

For all of the aggression, neither player had all that many chances to end the match. Early on, Miles overbet shoved the river on a bluff after missing a straight draw. But with three diamonds and a paired board sitting on the felt, Cynn couldn't find a call with just third pair.

On the 409th hand of the final table, a bizarre all-in pot unfolded wherein both players stuck it in with draws — Miles on an open-ender and Cynn with a gutter plus flush draw. Miles had Cynn high-carded, but as each had seven high on a queen-eight-five flop, a chopped pot looked likely if neither player got there. That's what happened as running jacks hit the board, keeping Miles in the event but denying him a possible double into nearly a 4-1 lead.

Heads Up Tony Miles
Miles put up a fierce fight in a 10-hour heads-up match.

Finally, just shy of 5 a.m., nearly 12 hours after Day 10 kicked off, the 442nd hand proved to be the finale, and a strangely anticlimactic one. Cynn flopped trip kings and called a flop bet from Miles, who had three-bet preflop. Miles then shoved the turn after pairing his eight but was drawing stone dead when Cynn found a call after thinking briefly.

Cynn said the match was unlike any poker experience he's ever had, a surreal experience wherein the stakes he was playing for never entered his mind until the pressure cooker moments.

"It was kind of weird because you're playing heads up for the Main, but since we were playing for so long, at some point it just feels like poker," he said. "But then obviously when you're put in pressure spot or when all the money goes in, you realize you know what it's for. You can't compare that to anything else in poker."

Both players had loud rails. While Cynn's fans, wearing white "Welcome to Cynn City" shirts, celebrated, Miles' raucous, black-clad supporters, suddenly subdued, filtered to the outer edges of the stage. An emotional Miles joined them moments later after speaking to media, sharing hugs with each individual who stuck around to the finish.

Miles called the match a "war."

"He's gonna be a great champion and I'm really happy for him," he said. "After the disappointment of losing — which is there is some, I'm gonna be honest — subsides, I'm sure I'll be very happy that I'll be able to help my family and do some traveling and stuff I wanted to do for a long time. It truly is a blessing to be here. I ran way above average just to get to this spot and I'm very grateful."

Tony Miles & John Cynn
Tony Miles & John Cynn

Cynn and Miles shared a rapport throughout the match, and Cynn was complimentary as expected in the aftermath.

"Tony is an amazing guy," Cynn said. "I truly belive that from my conversations that we've had at the tables. He plays really well. I think he adjusts well. He put me in a lot of tough spots.

"I probably had to adjust during that match three, four, five...I don't even know how many times. And it seemed whenever I would adjust, he would adjust right back. I definitely ran amazing against him."

As for where he goes next and what he's going to do with $8.8 million, Cynn declined to commit to anything. Some Main Event champions go the ways of Pius Heinz and Peter Eastgate, all but disappearing into the ether, objects of trivia and idle musings for poker fans and industry observers. Some, like Joe McKeehen and Ryan Riess, stay entrenched as top competitors and graduate on to bigger buy-ins.

At least for the immediate future, Cynn's comments indicate he's closer to the former camp. His only goal, he said, is happiness. And while $8.8 million doesn't guarantee that, it certainly opens up many options for the 33-year-old.

"I'm pretty exhausted," he said. I think every day somehow you get more exhausted, but also a little bit sharper just because your adrenaline keeps you going, and I think at this point my adrenaline is definitely going.

"I think I'm going to try and let my emotions die down before I decide to do anything crazy [with the money]. Probably just get away and disappear somewhere for a while I think sounds nice."

Past 10 Main Event Champions

YearEntriesChampionCountryPrize
20187,874John CynnUnited States$8,800,000
20177,221Scott BlumsteinUnited States$8,150,000
20166,737Qui NguyenUnited States (born in Vietnam)$8,005,310
20156,420Joe McKeehenUnited States$7,683,346
20146,683Martin JacobsonSweden$10,000,000
20136,352Ryan RiessUnited States$8,361,570
20126,598Greg MersonUnited States$8,531,853
20116,865Pius HeinzGermany$8,715,638
20107,319Jonathan DuhamelCanada$8,944,310
20096,494Joe CadaUnited States$8,547,042
Sunday, July 15, 2018 4:51 AM Local Time
Tony Miles Eliminated in 2nd Place ($5,000,000)

Heads Up Tony Miles

Hand #442: John Cynn made it 9 million from the button and Tony Miles reraised to 34 million from the big blind. Cynn called and     flopped. Miles bet 32 million. Cynn called, bringing an   turn. Miles jammed for 114 million. Cynn tanked over a minute and called with    for trips. Miles turned over    for kings up and was drawing dead.

The meaningless river was the   and the 2018 Main Event ends with John Cynn as champion.




John Cynn393,800,000180,000,000
Tony Miles0-180,000,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 4:40 AM Local Time
Hands #437-441: Miles Closes the Gap

Hand #437: Tony Miles made it 9 million to go and John Cynn forfeited his big blind.

Hand #438: Cynn raised to 9 million and Miles came along to see a flop of    . Miles checked and Cynn continued for 9 million, which Miles called. The   appeared on the turn and Miles checked again. This time Cynn checked back. On the   river, Miles bet 36 million into a pot of 37 million.

Cynn called after some consideration and Miles showed    for the straight to scoop a decent pot.

Hand #439: Miles raised to 11 million and Cynn called, and they headed to a     flop. Cynn checked over to Miles who checked back. After the   turn, Cynn checked again and Miles made it 16 million to go. Cynn pondered about his decision for a while and folded, sending another pot over to Miles.

Hand #440: A walk for Miles.

Hand #441: A walk for Cynn.

John Cynn213,800,000-70,500,000
Tony Miles180,000,00070,500,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 4:26 AM Local Time
Hands #431-436: Not Much Movement

Hand #431: John Cynn received a walk in the big blind.

Hand #432: John Cynn raised to 10 million on the button and Tony Miles folded his big blind.

Hand #433: John Cynn received another walk in the big blind.

Hand #434: John Cynn limped the button and Tony Miles checked his option.

They checked down the       board where Miles showed   , Cynn showed   , and they chopped the pot.

Hand #435: Tony Miles raised to 8 million from the button, John Cynn three-bet to 26 million from the big blind and Miles folded.

Hand #436: John Cynn raised to 9 million from the button, Tony Miles three-bet jammed all in for 99.5 million from the big blind and Cynn folded.

John Cynn284,300,0003,500,000
Tony Miles109,500,000-3,500,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 4:18 AM Local Time
Hands #426-430: Miles Takes a Showdown

Hand #426: John Cynn called and Tony Miles checked, leading to a     flop. Miles check-called 5 million. They both checked the   and the   hit. Miles checked and Cynn checked.

Miles won with   .

Hand #427: Miles opened for 9 million. Cynn mucked.

Hand #428: Cynn completed the blind and they saw a     for the minimum. They checked to the  . Miles checked and Cynn bet 5 million. Miles called and the   hit. Miles checked and Cynn bet 13 million. There was a muck by Miles and the pot was pushed to Cynn.

Hand #429: Cynn got a walk.

Hand #430: Cynn raised to 11 million and won the pot.

John Cynn280,800,0007,500,000
Tony Miles113,000,000-7,500,000
Playtika - Jason Alexander
Sunday, July 15, 2018 4:09 AM Local Time
Hands #421-425: Cynn Adds a Little to His Lead

Hand #421: Tony Miles raised from the button and John Cynn folded his big blind.

Hand #422: Tony Miles received a walk in the big blind.

Hand #423: Tony Miles raised to 9 million from the button, John Cynn three-bet to 26 million from the big blind, and Miles folded.

Hand #424: John Cynn limped from the button and Tony Miles checked his option.

They checked down a board of       and Cynn won the pot with    for a pair of ducks.

Hand #425: John Cynn received a walk in the big blind.

John Cynn273,300,0009,500,000
Tony Miles120,500,000-9,500,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 3:58 AM Local Time
Hands #417-420: Cynn Retains 2-1 Lead

Hand #417: Tony Miles raised to 10 million and John Cynn came along to the     flop. Cynn checked and Miles made it 13 million to go. Cynn called. On the   turn, Cynn bet 10.5 million and Miles folded.

Hand #418: Cynn limped in and Miles checked to the     flop. A check by Miles was followed by a bet of 5 million by Cynn and Miles sent his cards into the muck.

Hand #419: Miles raised it up to 10 million and Cynn called. The flop came    . Cynn quickly checked and Miles continued for 13 million. Cynn folded and Miles' rail applauded.

Hand #420: Cynn limped in and Miles checked. A flop of     followed. Miles checked and Cynn bet 5 million to force an instant fold from his opponent.

John Cynn263,800,00022,000,000
Tony Miles130,000,000-22,000,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 3:49 AM Local Time
Hands #414-416: Cynn Limps and Reraises

Hand #414: John Cynn completed from the button and Tony Miles won by raising to 16 million.

Hand #415: Miles opened for 10 million and Cynn called. They saw a     flop. Cynn checked and Miles bet 13 million. Cynn peeled to see the   turn. Miles barreled for 23 million and Cynn released.

Hand #416: Cynn called and Miles once again bumped it to 16 million. Cynn woke up with a reraise to 35 million. Miles mucked.

John Cynn241,800,000-11,500,000
Tony Miles152,000,00011,500,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 3:40 AM Local Time
Hands #410-413: A Little More for Cynn

Hand #410: John Cynn raised to 8 million from the button and Tony Miles folded his big blind.

Hand #411: Tony Miles raised to 9.5 million from the button and John Cynn folded his big blind.

Hand #412: John Cynn limped his button and Tony Miles checked his option.

The flop was    , Miles checked, Cynn bet 5 million, and Miles folded.

Hand #413: Tony Miles raised to 9.5 million from the button and John Cynn called from the big blind.

They checked to the turn of an      board where Cynn bet 12.5 million. MIles folded.

John Cynn253,300,00014,500,000
Tony Miles140,500,000-14,500,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 3:31 AM Local Time
Hands #406-409: All-In and Call Ends With Seven-High Split Pot

Tony Miles & John Cynn

Hand #406: John Cynn limped in and Tony Miles checked his option to see a flop of    . Both players opted to check and the   fell on the turn. Miles checked and Cynn made it 5 million to go, which Miles called. After the   river, Miles checked and Cynn bet 9.5 million.

Miles tossed in a single chip for the call and Cynn revealed the    as the winning hand.

Hand #407: Miles opened the action with a raise to 10 million and Cynn called. The flop fell     and Cynn checked, prompting a continuation bet of 7 million by Miles. Cynn elected to fold and Miles claimed the pot.

Hand #408: Cynn limped and Miles checked to a flop of    . After a check by Miles, Cynn bet 4 million and forced a quick fold from his opponent.

Hand #409: Miles made it 9 million to go and picked up a call from Cynn. On the     flop, Cynn checked over to Miles and faced a bet of 12 million. After spending two minutes in the think tank, Cynn check-raised to 32 million and Miles moved all in for 146 million.

Cynn stood up from his chair and took one minute before calling.

Tony Miles:   
John Cynn:   

Miles was in a narrow lead but had to fade a lot of outs. The   on the turn made a split pot very likely and, sure enough, the   river paired the board to chop it up.

John Cynn238,800,00013,000,000
Tony Miles155,000,000-13,000,000
Playtika - Jason Alexander
Sunday, July 15, 2018 3:11 AM Local Time
Hands #402-405: A Three-Bet With Jack-Four

Hand #402: John Cynn made it 8 million and Tony Miles called. They checked to      . Cynn won with a hand that wasn't shown.

Hand #403: Miles raised to 11 million and Cynn mucked.

Hand #404: Cynn raised to 8 million and Miles made it 24 million. Cynn called and     flopped. Miles bet 16 million. Cynn called. The turn was the  . Miles checked and Cynn thought a bit and checked back. The   made it four to a flush and they checked. Cynn's    triumphed over   .

Hand #405: Miles raised to 11 million. Cynn called. Cynn checked the     flop and then folded to 15 million.

John Cynn225,800,00033,000,000
Tony Miles168,000,000-33,000,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 2:59 AM Local Time
Hands #400-401: Cynn Nearly Ties it Up

John Cynn

Hand #400: John Cynn limped on the button, Tony Miles raised to 16 million from the big blind, and Cynn called.

The flop came down    , Miles continued for 8 million, and Cynn folded.

Hand #401: Tony Miles raised to 12 million from the button and John Cynn called from the big blind.

The flop was     and Cynn checked to Miles who continued for 14 million. Cynn called, the   turn fell, and both players checked. The   river completed the board and Cynn led for 24 million. Miles called after a few moments, but mucked when Cynn tabled    for queens full of tens.

Tony Miles201,000,000-34,000,000
John Cynn192,800,00034,000,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 2:51 AM Local Time
Level 44 started
Level: 44
Blinds: 2000000/4000000
Ante: 500000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 2:41 AM Local Time
Break

The final two players in the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event have taken another short break. When play resumes, Tony Miles and John Cynn will continue their battle for $8.8 million and the most coveted bracelet in the game of poker.

Final Table
Final Table
Sunday, July 15, 2018 2:39 AM Local Time
Hands #398-399: Last Two Hands of the Level

Hand #398: John Cynn limped from the button, Tony Miles raised to 12 million from the big blind, and Cynn called.

The flop came down    , Miles continued for 12 million, and Cynn called. The turn was the  , Miles bet 22 million, and Cynn folded.

Hand #399: Tony Miles raised to 8 million from the button and John Cynn called from the big blind.

The flop came down     and Cynn check-called 10 million from Miles. The turn was the  , both checked. The river was the   and Cynn bet 14.5 million. Miles mulled it over for a bit before he folded.

Tony Miles235,000,0006,000,000
John Cynn158,800,000-6,000,000
Playtika - Jason Alexander
Sunday, July 15, 2018 2:28 AM Local Time
Hands #395-397: Miles Takes the Lead With Trip Kings

Heads Up Tony Miles

Hand #395: Tony Miles made it 8 million to go and John Cynn called to see a flop of    , which both players opted to check. On the   turn, Cynn checked and Miles made it 10 million to go. Cynn called and the   on the river paired the board. Cynn checked and Miles bet 23 million.

Cynn called and Miles turned over the    for trip kings to take over the lead.

Hand #396: Cynn limped in and Miles checked his option from the big blind to see a flop of    . Miles checked, Cynn bet 4 million, and Miles quickly sent his cards into the muck.

Hand #397: Miles raised to 8 million and Cynn called. The flop came     and a check by Cynn followed, Miles checked behind. The   was checked by Cynn and he folded to a bet of 10 million by Miles.

Tony Miles229,000,00046,500,000
John Cynn164,800,000-46,500,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 2:20 AM Local Time
Hands #390-394: Miles Draws Closer

Hand #390: John Cynn completed and Tony Miles checked. They got to the turn for free and Cynn bet 4 million on      to take it down.

Hand #391: Cynn got a walk.

Hand #392: Cynn completed, Miles made it 12 million, and the hand ended.

Hand #393: Miles raised to 8 million and Cynn called. The flop came     and Cynn check-called 5 million. They both checked the   and the   led to two more checks. Miles won it with   .

Hand #394: Cynn completed and Miles made it 12 million. Cynn called and     flopped. Miles bet 12 million and Cynn continued. On the   turn, Miles barreled for 21 million. Cynn released.

John Cynn211,300,000-36,000,000
Tony Miles182,500,00036,000,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 2:11 AM Local Time
Hands #385-389: Cynn Extending

John Cynn

Hand #385: Tony Miles raised to 8 million from the button and John Cynn called from the big blind.

The flop came down     and Cynn checked to Miles who bet 4 million. Cynn check-raised to 9.5 million and Miles folded.

Hand #386: John Cynn raised to 6 million from the button and Tony Miles called from the big blind.

The flop fell     and Miles check-folded to Cynn's continuation bet of 6 million.

Hand #387: Tony Miles raised to 8 million from the button and John Cynn called from the big blind.

The flop was     and Cynn checked to Miles who bet 10 million. Cynn folded, giving Miles the pot.

Hand #388: John Cynn limped the button and Tony Miles checked his option.

The flop came down    , Miles checked, and Cynn bet 3.5 million. Miles called to see the   turn and checked. Cynn bet 8.5 million and Miles folded.

Hand #389: John Cynn received a walk in the big blind.

John Cynn247,300,00019,500,000
Tony Miles146,500,000-19,500,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 1:58 AM Local Time
Hands #383-384: Cynn Takes It on the Turn

Hand #383: Tony Miles raised to 8 million and John Cynn forfeited his big blind.

Hand #384: Cynn made it 6 million and Miles called. The flop of     went check, check, and the   followed on the turn. Miles checked and Cynn bet 11 million to claim the pot without showdown right there.

John Cynn227,800,0003,000,000
Tony Miles166,000,000-3,000,000
Sunday, July 15, 2018 1:54 AM Local Time
Hands #379-382: Miles Four-Bet Jams For All of It

Hand #379: Tony Miles raised to 8 million from the button, John Cynn three-bet to 26 million from the big blind, Miles four-bet jammed for 163 million, and Cynn folded.

Hand #380: John Cynn limped his button and Tony Miles checked his option.

The flop came down    , Miles led for 4 million, and Cynn called. The turn was the  , both players checked, and the   river completed the board. Miles bet 8 million, Cynn raised to 29 million, and Miles laid it down after about two minutes.

Hand #381: Tony Miles opened to 8 million from the button, John Cynn three-bet to 25 million from the big blind, and Miles folded.

Hand #382: John Cynn limped from the button, Tony Miles raised to 9 million from the big blind, and Cynn folded.

John Cynn224,800,000-6,000,000
Tony Miles169,000,0006,000,000
Playtika - Jason Alexander
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