Event #48: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em MONSTER STACK

Tommy Nguyen has become the ninth millionaire crowned at the 2018 World Series of Poker, after taking down Event #48: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em MONSTER STACK for $1,037,451.

After a rollercoaster ride of emotions at the final table, Nguyen was nearly at a loss for words when asked what it felt like to win $1,000,000. "I dreamed of this and I always believed I could make it. I never doubted that I was going to win. I was just focusing on winning a bracelet. That was my goal when I came here."

That's a pretty lofty goal for someone who is making their first appearance at the World Series of Poker at the age of 28, but Nguyen has just been riding a hot streak. Nguyen won over $100,000 at a major poker tournament in Canada just two months ago and has used the money to enter events at the WSOP this year.

The final table featured a staggering nine all-ins featuring ace-king, with big slick emerging victorious seven times. Eventual winner Nguyen sent two players to the rail, and shortly before midnight here in Vegas, Nguyen's ace-king sent eventual runner-up James Carroll to the rail as the Canadian clinched victory.

Official Final Table Results:

Final Day Recap

The day began with 29 players, and David Cabrera Polop was the first casualty; failing to spin up the one ante he returned with. A steady stream of eliminations over the course of the first two levels brought play down to two tables just after the first break of the day, with James Carroll in the lead.

Carroll, along with Chris Chong and Daniel Corbett would tussle for the chip lead as the players headed off on dinner break ten-handed on the unofficial final table.

Once they returned it didn't take long to get down first to a final table and then to a final eight. First Jimmy Chen lost a flip with pocket fours to bust in tenth, and then in the very first hand of the final table Rittie Chuaprasert got his remaining chips blind-on-blind, only to be dominated and bust in ninth.

The final table had a number of major coolers, and Harald Sammer would fall victim to one. He moved in with ace-king only for Shyam Srinivasan to wake up in the big blind with queens. Queens held, and the Austrian would be eliminated.

Michael Benko would scoop a miracle four-card flush to double, despite shaking his opponent's hand and saying "Nice hand," before the river was even dealt, and there was a lull in proceedings until Srinivasan's exit in seventh. Once again, ace-king was involved, and Srinivasan's nines fell to Nguyen's big slick who flopped both an ace and a king.

At this point, it was Chris Chong who held the chip lead, but Nguyen was pushing him close. Benko was next to go at the hands of Carroll, as the latter started to work his way back into contention short-handed. Benko ran ace-ten into Carroll's ace-king and failed to improve.

Daniel Corbett would bust in the very next hand, as three players were eliminated in under half an hour. In the same all-in as earlier with Srinivasan, pocket nines against ace-king, it was a king on the river for Chong that ended Corbett's run in fifth.

Carroll and Nguyen continued to push, and, despite eliminating Corbett, Chong was pushed down the chip counts. Eventually, he fell at the hands of Nguyen with ace-five against, indeed, ace-king, and play was three-handed.

Nguyen was obviously here to play; bluffing eventual third-place finisher Francis Rusnak with eight-high before Rusnak lost a flip to bust in third. He then proceeded to grind down James Carroll, allowing him to double up once, before finishing it with none other than ace-king to end the tournament in style.

"I was actually supposed to graduate this year but I dropped a course in accounting to take poker more seriously," Nguyen said after his victory. Although he has been playing poker for around ten years, he admits he wasn't always a winning player. "I knew I wasn't a winning player but I was stubborn. Just in the last two years, I started winning more. I tried to fix my game and started learning more."

And learning more has subsequently meant he's started winning more, starting with his first ever WSOP gold bracelet.

Hand #124: Tommy Nguyen received a walk.

Hand #125: Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 and James Carroll folded.

Hand #126: Carroll folded and gave Nguyen another walk.

Hand #113: Tommy Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 and took down the pot.

Hand #114: James Carroll raised to 2,000,000 and Nguyen three-bet to 6,500,000. Carroll folded.

Hand #115: Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 and Carroll called. Carroll check-folded to a bet of 2,700,000 on the     flop.

Hand #116: Nguyen received a walk.

Hand #117: Nguyen raised to 2,500,000 and Carroll folded.

Tommy Nguyen	78,000,000	9,000,000
James Carroll	16,000,000	-9,000,000

Hand #104: James Carroll shoved all in and Tommy Nguyen folded.

Hand #105: Nguyen pushed all in this time but Carroll folded.

Hand #106: Carroll moved all in again and Nguyen couldn't find a hand to call with.

Hand #107: Nguyen folded his button.

Hand #108: Carroll laid down his big blind.

Hand #109: Nguyen shipped all in and Carroll mucked his cards.

Hand #110: It was Carroll's turn to move all in on the button and Nguyen laid his hand down.

Hand #111: Nguyen folded his button again.

Hand #99: Tommy Nguyen raised to 1,700,000 and James Carroll called. Carroll check-called a bet of 2,000,000 on a    . The turn was the   and both players checked. The river was the  . Carroll bet 1,500,000 and Nguyen raised to 6,000,000. After some thought Carroll called.

"Flush is good," said Nguyen, tabling   . Carroll rechecked his cards and mucked.

Hand #100: Carroll raised to 1,800,000 and Nguyen called. Nguyen check-called a bet of 1,500,000 on     and the two checked down an    board. Carroll showed    and won the pot.

Hand #101: Nguyen raised to 1,700,000 and Carroll called. Carroll check-called a bet of 2,000,000 on     but check-folded to a bet of 8,000,000 on the   turn.

Hand #102: Carroll raised to 1,600,000 and Nguyen called. Nguyen check-folded to a bet of 1,600,000 on    .

Hand #103: Nguyen raised to 1,700,000. Carroll called. The flop came     and Carroll check-called a bet of 1,500,000. The turn was the   and Carroll check-called 5,000,000.

The river was the  . Carroll check-called a final bet of 7,000,000 and Nguyen showed    and that was good enough to take down the pot and open a commanding chip lead.

Tommy Nguyen	83,500,000	25,000,000
James Carroll	10,500,000	-25,000,000

Hand #94: Francis Rusnak was sitting on less than ten big blinds and shoved all in for 6,800,000 on the button. Tommy Nguyen asked for a count from the big blind and then made the call.

Tommy Nguyen:   
Francis Rusnak:   

The flop came     and Rusnak picked up a flush draw to go with his two overcards. The turn was the   and Rusnak was down to one last card. The dealer burned and turned the   on the river and Nguyen's pocket deuces held up to be the best hand, eliminating Rusnak in third place.

The final two players are taking a quick break before heads-up play begins.

Tommy Nguyen	51,800,000	9,800,000
James Carroll	42,100,000	1,100,000
Francis Rusnak	0	-10,500,000

Hand #88: Tommy Nguyen opened to 1,700,000 from under the gun and Chris Chong shipped all in for around 11,200,000. Nguyen snap-called and the cards were on their backs.

Tommy Nguyen:   
Chris Chong:   

Nguyen held the hand that nobody could beat on the final table, ace-king, and was in a dominating position. The flop came     and both players flopped a pair of aces with Nguyen still holding the better kicker. The turn was the   and the river brought the  . Nguyen held on to eliminated Chong in fourth place late into the day.

Tommy Nguyen	42,000,000	9,000,000
James Carroll	41,000,000	7,000,000
Francis Rusnak	10,500,000	-4,500,000
Chris Chong	0	-10,000,000

Hand #82: Tommy Nguyen limped in the small blind and Francis Rusnak moved all in from the big blind. Nguyen folded.

Hand #83: Chris Chong raised to 1,600,000 and James Carroll defended his big blind. Carroll check-called a bet of 1,200,000 on the     flop and then check-called 4,150,000 on the   turn. The river was the   and both players checked.

Carroll turned over    for a pair of fives and was good.

Hand #84: Nguyen raised to 1,700,000 and took down the pot.

Hand #85: Chong limped in the small blind, and Nguyen raised to 2,700,000. Chong then moved all in and Nguyen called for 16,400,000.

Chris Chong:   
Tommy Nguyen:   

The flop came     with Chong taking the lead and pushing Nguyen toward the exit. The turn was the   and the river the  . Chong fist-pumped in celebration, but it was Nguyen's rail making all the noise as he rivered a flush to double up.

James Carroll	34,000,000	6,750,000
Tommy Nguyen	33,000,000	10,500,000
Francis Rusnak	15,000,000	-6,000,000
Chris Chong	10,000,000	-22,000,000

Hand #78: James Carroll opened from under the gun and was called by Chris Chong on the button. The flop came     and Carroll led out for 1,200,000. Chong raised to 3,500,000 and Carroll made the call.

The turn was the   and both players checked to the   on the river. Carroll led out for 5,100,000 and Chong tank-folded.

Hand #79: Tommy Nguyen raised to 1,200,000 on the button and Carroll defended his big blind. The flop fell     and Carroll check-folded to a bet of 1,000,000 from Nguyen.

Hand #80: Nguyen made it 1,200,000 from under the gun and Chong called from the big blind. The flop came     and Chong check-called a bet of 1,000,000 from Nguyen.

The turn was the   and Chong checked again. Nguyen fired another bet of 2,000,000 and Chong still called. The river brought the   and both players knuckled the table. Chong showed    for two pair and Nguyen's cards hit the muck.

Hand #81: Francis Rusnak raised to 1,200,000 and Nguyen defended his big blind. Both players checked the     flop and the   landed on the turn. Nguyen led out for 1,700,000 and Rusnak folded.

James Carroll

27,250,000

3,750,000

Hand #72: The action folded around to Chris Chong in the small blind who announced all in. Daniel Corbett was in the big blind and quickly made the call for his last 6,050,000 chips.

Chris Chong:   
Daniel Corbett:   

It was a race situation with Corbett holding the pocket pair. His nines were looking good on the flop of    . The   landed on the turn and the rail cheered for a higher card. The river brought the   and Chong hit his king to eliminate Corbett in fifth place.

Chris Chong	32,000,000	10,100,000
Daniel Corbett	0	-6,600,000