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MURILO THIAGO SOUZA FIGUEREDO TRIUMPHS IN $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
Brazil's Figueredo lands mixed-games gold after finishing heads-up comeback
8 June 2019 (Las Vegas) – Penha, Brazil's Murilo Thiago Souza Figueredo has earned his first gold World Series of Poker bracelet and $207,003 by winning Event #14 at the 2019 WSOP, $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
The win marked only the second-ever WSOP cash for Figueredo, who cashed in the main event of the International Circuit stop in Rio de Janeiro last September. This showing marked the largest cash of the 37-year-old Figueredo's live-poker career.
Figueredo's last opponent in Event #14 was Vegas-based pro Jason Stockfish. Stockfish appeared poised to win his own first WSOP bracelet but could not withstand Figueredo's late Day 3 rush, which squared the duel and sent the final into an extra day. Instead, Stockfish logged his fourth runner-up finish in the past four WSOPs, collecting $127,932.
Third place in this H.O.R.S.E. tourney went to Newark, New Jersey's Gary Kosakowski. The $89,730 payday was Kosakowski's WSOP career best, surpassing his previous lifetime WSOP earnings of a little over $77,000.
Prior bracelet winners Phillip Hui and Chris Klodnicki finished in fourth and fifth places, respectively. Hui's fourth-place run was worth $63,860, while one spot lower, Klodnicki earned $46,127.
Figueredo has been one of South America's top online mixed-games pros for over a decade, so his win wasn't as surprising as it might seem given his relative lack of live-event results. Still, between the end of Day 3 and a pitched Day 4 duel, it took over six hours for Figueredo to capture the well-matched duel.
Following the adrenaline rush of the win and the loudest victory celebration of the WSOP to date, courtesy of his large Brazilian rail, Figueredo spoke to the WSOP through an interpreter.
“It's amazing to have all the best players from Brazil here. I've known them for a long time. Some of them I've been playing with for more than 13 years. So, [these players], they are my big friends, and to win here with them watching, I just don't have words to describe it.”
Figueredo also took time during his celebration to join a brief video chat, immediately sharing the news of his breakthrough live win with his mother, girlfriend, sister, nephew, or as he put it, “Basically all my family in Brazil.”
“It was tough,” he shared, “regarding his extended battle against Stockfish for the title, which saw him pull back from the edge of elimination on two different occasions. “I lost a lot of chips against a very good opponent heads-up. But I never lost hope, because I knew when I would be all in, the good cards would come. So I just played my game and hoped for the best.”
Figueredo admitted he's always had the dream to play in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, yet he wasn't willing to commit to it yet this series, despite the big score. In true grinder fashion, he cited bankroll management as the possible concern, though he plans to continue competing at the table throughout the series.
Twenty-eight players returned on Day 3, with the $207,003 winner's payday waiting at night's end. Event #14 reached its eight-player final table in the late afternoon, when Jason Acosta busted.
Danny Woolard was the first to bust the official final, exiting in eighth place during a round of seven-card stud. Woodward had the bring in and committed the last of his chips early in a hand against Souza, in which Chris Klodnicki also played through fifth street before folding. Woolard ended up with 
/ 
, finally hitting the 
on seventh for a high pair. Souza had 
/ 
, and he also hit on seventh, catching the 
for two pair and the knockout.
Joseph Aronesty followed not long after, also busting in a stud hand with Kosakowski doing the knockout work and trimming the field to sixth. Aronesto pocketed $25,181, while Woolard earned $19,040.
The carnage during stud continued when Alex Dovzhenko busted, also against Kosakowski. Kosakowski bet every street, with Dovzhenko calling all the way through seventh, when he was all in. Both players showed single-pair hands, with Kosakowski's 
/ 
/ , for a pair of aces, holding up against Dovzhenko's 
/ 
/ 
pair of tens.
The two prior bracelet winners in this final, Chris Klodnicki and Phillip Hui, bowed out in fifth and fourth places, respectively. Klodnicki exited in a razz hand against Figueredo, where the last of Klodnicki's chips went in before fourth street was dealt. Klodnicki ended up with 
/ 
/ 
for a nine-eight, but that hand was dead against Figueredo, who made an eight-six on sixth, showing 
/ 
/ .
Hui followed next, after the game rotated back to stud. Hui busted in a hand against Stockfish after getting the last of his chips in on sixth street. At that point, Hui had / 
for a pair of tens and a gutshot draw, while Stockfish had / 
for a pair of sixes and a similar inside draw. Hui blanked on seventh, but Stockfish caught the to make the straight and send Hui to the cashier in fourth.
Three players remained, but Stockfish continued to surge while Kosakowski's stack dwindled. Kosakowski's bustout came in a hand of Omaha hi/lo, where he moved the last of his chips in on a board showing 
. Kosakowski showed 
for plenty of draws but nothing made, while Stockfish opened 
, for a pair of sixes. The river was the , hitting both players, but it gave Stockfish two pair and the knockout on a no-low board.
That set the stage for the extended duel between Stockfish and Figueredo. Figueredo began the duel well behind and was near elimination on a couple of occasions, but as the duel entered its second hour he suddenly surged, to the delight of his loud rail. Figueredo took a 2:1 lead himself, only to see Stockfish claw back again. Halfway through an extra level of play and with Figueredo slightly ahead, the two agreed to call it a night and return for a Day 4 conclusion.
Early on in Day 4's roughly four hours of play, Stockfish appeared set to put Figueredo away, but he never landed that knockout blow. Instead, to the delight of his loud and jubilant rail, Figueredo finally surged ahead as the rising blinds shortened the two players' stacks.
The end came in a hand of Omaha hi-lo after Stockfish had already survived one all-in minutes earlier. The last of Stockfish's chips went in on the turn, with the board showing 
, and when the players turned up their cards, Figueredo had a lock on the high with for quad fours. Stockfish had and he needed a low card to split, but the river brought the instead to send the bracelet Figueredo's way.
Event #14, $1,500 H.O.R.S.E., attracted 751 entries to create a $1,013,850 prize pool. 112 players made the money with a min-cash worth $2,252.
Other Notables:
Among those cashing in this event were Keith Sexton (10th, $14,625), Mark Gregorich (14th, $9,056), Yueqi Zhu (15th, $7,303), Ron Ware (16th, $7,303), Valentin Vornicu (19th, $5,990), Tony Ma (20th, $5,990), Andre Akkari (26th, $4,997), Anthony Zinno (29th, $4,997), Chris Tryba (33rd, $4,242), Ralph Perry (37th, $4,242), David Bach (39th, $4,242), David Brookshire (41st, $3,666), and Daniel Zack (47th, $3,666).
Click here for Full Results.
Click here for live updates from Event #14.
Final Table Payouts:
1st: Murilo Thiago Souza Figueredo, $207,003
2nd: Jason Stockfish, $127,932
3rd: Gary Kosakowski, $89,730
4th: Phillip Hui, $63,860
5th: Chris Klodnicki, $46,127
6th: Alex Dovzhenko, $33,832
7th: Joseph Aronesty, $25,181
8th: Danny Woolard, $19,040
