Verdi, Nevada's Klein tops loaded final table to win big-bet-mix title
20 June 2019 (Las Vegas) – Nevada's Loren Klein has collected the fourth gold bracelet of his career by taking down Event #43 of the 2019 WSOP, $2,500 Mixed Big Bet.
Klein earned $127,808 in winning this 218-entry event, boosting his lifetime WSOP earnings to more than $2.73 million. Klein has won one bracelet in each of the last four World Series.
The 37-year-old Klein was on the short stack as this event played through its money bubble, though he surged forward as the field narrowed. He ultimately claimed his fourth bracelet at a loaded six-player final that included three other prior bracelet winners.
Klein finished off his win by eliminating California's Ryan Hughes. Hughes, a two-time bracelet winner himself, collected $78,985.
Third place in this event went to Texas pro and prior bracelet winner Phil Hui, who earned $61,346. Winston-Salem, North Carolina's Arthur Morris finished fourth, cashing for $34,328. Joey Couden (fifth, $23,622) and Jonathan Depa (sixth, $16,746) rounded out this event's final-table finishers.
Klein, who lives in Verdi, Nevada, west of Reno near the California border, has now won bracelets in four straight WSOPs. His other three bracelets have come in pot-limit Omaha events, with PLO also being part of this event's mix.
Klein logged a million-dollar payday in the 2018 WSOP's $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Eight Max event, and this latest payday swells his lifetime earnings to $2,734,085.
In this event, which was won last year by Scott Bohlman, players rotate through seven different big-bet poker variants: Big O; No-Limit Hold’em, No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw, Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, No-Limit 5-Card Draw High, Pot-Limit Omaha, and Pot-Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw.
Seven players returned for Thursday's finale in this relatively new WSOP event, the survivors of a 218-entry field featuring many of poker's best players. The official six-player final table was set with the early exit of Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton in seventh.
Las Vegas's Jonathan Depa was the first to bust from the official final table, heading to the rail during a round of no-limit deuce-to-seven. Depa was down to just 86,000 in chips when he moved all in from the hijack, with Couden calling from the small blind. Both players drew one and showed their held cards, with Couden's nine-eight ahead of jack-nine. Couden pulled a deuce to make his nine – – which left Depa drawing dead and soon on his way to collect a $16,746 payout.
One of four prior bracelet winners in this official final was Ohio's Joey Couden, who exited in fifth for $23,622. Couden's day ended in a hand of pot-limit Omaha against Phil Hui, who came out ahead in a post-flop trade of raises that left Couden all in and Hui nearly so.
Arthur Morris busted in fourth for $34,328 in a hand of pot-limit deuce-to-seven triple draw against Hughes. Morris was all in with a pre-flop reraise, which Hughes called, and the two then drew through the three rounds. Hughes drew three, then three again, but stayed pat on third and eventually showed . Morris drew two, then one, and he drew one again on the final draw to his , but paired his seven to bust.
Hui busted next after nursing a short stack through most of the final, but took double blow during another round of pot-limit deuce-to-seven triple draw to bust. Hui lost most of his chips to Klein, then sent the rest Hughes' way when he couldn't connect to an while trying to run down Hughes' made . Hui caught a worthless queen on his final draw, sending him to the cashier for $51,436 in third-place money.
That left just Hughes in Klein's path, and the end came in a hand of pot-limit Omaha hi-lo. Hughes opened to 45,000 to start the hand, Klein called, and they saw a flop, which both players checked. Klein led out for 100,000 on the turn and Hughes called. On the river, which made it a high-only hand, Klein bet 250,000, Hughes moved in, and after a few moments, Klein called. Hughes had , but Klein had for a flush and the win.
Event #43, $2,500 Mixed Big Bet, drew 218 entrants to create a $490,500 prize pool. 33 players cashed, with a min-cash worth $3,767.
Others making the money in Event #43 included defending champ Bohlman (8th, $12,240), Ray Henson (9th, $9,234), David Benyamine (11th, $7,197), Ryan Leng (14th, $5,802), Jeff Lisandro (15th, $5,802), Chris Ferguson (20th, $4,843), Layne Flack (22st, $4,843), Alex Foxen (22nd, $4,843), David “Bakes” Baker (24th, $4,843), David Williams (26th, $4,192), Cary Katz (27th, $4,192), Nick Schulman (28th, $4,192), and Dan Smith (30th, $4,192).
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Final-Table Payouts:
1st: Loren Klein, $127,808
2nd: Ryan Hughes, $78,985
3rd: Phillip Hui, $51,346
4th: Arthur Morris, $34,328
5th: Joey Couden, $23,622
6th: Jonathan Depa, $16,746