Event 10A/B: $1,675 MAIN EVENT

David Kluchman doesn’t don a hoodie and sunglasses at the table, and to the casual observer he doesn’t resemble the stereotypical poker pro, but after the Lexington, Massachusetts resident took down the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event at Foxwoods Resort on Sunday, perhaps that perception will change.

After all, the $124,370 prize he pocketed isn't even the largest score of his career on the felt – that came back in 2012 in none other than the WSOP Main Event, where Kluchman made a deep run en route to a 63^rd place finish. With his win here at Foxwoods, Kluchman pushed his recorded live earnings to more than $387,000, which isn’t bad for a man who describes his profession as “part-time poker player and full-time Dad.”

Kluchman topped a field of 376 entries to claim his first WSOP Circuit ring, as well as a coveted berth in the season-ending National Championship event in July, but his rise through the ranks was nearly halted a few levels into the first starting flight.

“I didn’t mind spending two bullets,” Kluchman said in the moments after his victory. “Things went badly in the first one, and I flamed out pretty early, but I jumped back into Day 1A in the third or fourth level.”

And he’s glad he did, because after navigating his way to Day 2, Kluchman went on to tear through a field sprinkled with seasoned Circuit grinders and professionals like Greg Himmelbrand (5^th place), Will Failla (10^th place), Christopher Csik (25^th place), and Ryan Eriquezzo (31^st place). By the time Day 2 ended Kluchman had amassed a huge chip lead over his nine remaining opponents, topping the 2 million chip plateau while only one other player had even crossed the 1 million mark. As Kluchman explains, it was a pivotal confrontation with Linsford Geddes late on the second day of play that propelled him to the eventual win – along with a little old fashioned run good.

“The key hand came on Day 2 when I rivered the full house against a flush,” Kluchman remembered. “But I had some luck too. I was all in and covered while behind twice during the tournament. Ran queens into aces, and I knew he had them from how he acted, but I had already committed myself and had to call. I told him ‘I know you have aces, but I’m calling, I just can’t fold… but I’m hitting the queen of hearts anyway.’”

Sure enough, the   arrived right in the window for Kluchman, and it was smooth sailing from there.

During Day 3’s final table action Kluchman put on a clinic in selective aggression, picking his spots wisely and playing the big stack bully role to perfection. He knocked David Grandieri out in 7^th place when his    held over   , before dispatching Seunghwan Lee in 6^th place with the very same hand. Another pocket pair for Kluchman sent a short-stacked Greg Himmelbrand to the rail in 5^th place, as Kluchman’s    faded the world against Himmelbrand’s    on a       board. Spencer Champlin was the next to bow out, and Kluchman did the deed once again, outkicking Champlin’s    with    on the       run out. The heater continued and Kluchman knocked out a player known only as “Blackjack” in 3^rd place, flopping the wheel straight to best “Blackjack” and his pocket eights. Carrying a huge chip lead into heads-up play, Kluchman finished off the win by chipping Michael Thibeau down with a series of small wins, before winning a flip with pocket threes against ace-queen.

Kluchman’s passion for poker was evident during his winner’s interview, and it turns out he takes the game quite seriously, studying the mathematical components of the game with a few friends in high places.

“I grew up playing seven-card stud and five-card draw for pennies really,” Kluchman said. “Played a little bit online in the early 2000’s, but not much. Then I joined a home game and learned from some really excellent people. Can’t disclose any names, but they were members of the MIT blackjack team, so very mathematical types.”

Kluchman also attributed his poker acumen to participating in the Big August Rec.Gambling Excursion (BARGE), a community of like-minded poker players who convened online to discuss game theory, while also meeting annually in Las Vegas for an instructional convention.

“Those are people who really helped my poker development,” Kluchman said. “They started hosting games in 2008 or 2009, and it was a group of us who had sort of a learning game, lots of tournaments and cash games with the focus more on improving than competing.”

Kluchman already had plans to attend this year’s WSOP festivities, having won a satellite to earn a seat into the Main Event, but he says the Foxwoods score may prompt him to play an expanded schedule. In the meantime, Kluchman will head home to his family to celebrate his accomplishment.

“Can’t wait to get back to my kids, Caleb, Alex, and Collin,” Kluchman said. “So thankful for their support, as well as my wife Chris. She’s the best poker wife ever, so we call her B-P-W.”

The player known only as "Blackjack" (although he also goes by "The De-general") opens for 175,000 holding the button.

David Kluchman flats out of the small blind and the flop comes down    .

Kluchman checks it to "Blackjack," who moves all in for 1.1 million. Kluchman immediately calls and tables    for a flopped wheel straight, which is well out in front of "Blackjack" and his   .

The turn brings the   on board to give "Blackjack" a slim lifeline in the form of a gutshot draw, and Kluchman implores the dealer "don't put a seven out there."

The dealer obliges and drops the  , ending the tournament for "Blackjack" and giving Kluchman a huge chip lead entering heads-up play.

David Kluchman - 6,300,000 (105 BBs)
"Blackjack" - Eliminated

David Kluchman opens to 130,000 from under the gun, and next to act, Spencer Champlin three-bet shoves for his last 900,000.

Action folds back to Kluchman and he makes the quick call with the flick of a single chip.

Kluchman:   
Champlin:   

"Come on, let's win one of these dominating spots," says Kluchman, having lost a few big hands during Day 3 when he started the hand in front.

The dealer obliges by delivering a final board of      , and Champlin shakes hands with his former tablemates before heading out.

David Kluchman - 3,900,000
Spencer Champlin - Eliminated

The flop is     and David Kluchman leads out for 60,000. Spencer Champlin flats and the turn comes  .

As has been the custom during the last hour or so, both players slow down by tapping the table, and the river brings the   on board.

Kluchman checks for a second time and Champlin tries to take the pot with a 100,000 bet, but Kluchman looks him up with    for trip tens on the flop. Champlin can only muster queen-eight for a missed straight draw, and the pot is pushed to Kluchman.

David Kluchman - 2,850,000 (39 BBs)
Spencer Champlin - 1,100,000 (18 BBs)

The four players left own similarly sized stacks, and for the last 15-20 hands the action has slowed down considerably.

Smallish pots are the only ones being contested as of late, with most betting rounds going check-check, bet-call, or bet-fold. Raising has been a rare sight, and the final four appear to be feeling one another out with the big payouts now on the line.

After David Kluchman opens to 110,000, and Spencer Champlin flats, Michael Thibeau three-bet shoves for his last 740,000.

Kluchman looks him up and Champlin gets out of the way.

Thibeau:   
Kluchman:   

Thibeau picks a bad time to make his move, running a weak ace into pocket kings, and the flop comes     to leave him drawing extremely thin. Only an ace or running threes will save him, and just like that the dealer burns and turns the  . No king arrives on the river and Thibeau scores a huge double up to pull himself back from the brink.

Michael Thibeau - 1,700,000 (34 BBs)
David Kluchman - 3,300,000 (66 BBs)

With Greg Himmelbrand and Michael Thibeau both riding sub-15 big blind stacks, the ICM implications have forced a slowdown in the action.

Simply put, nobody with a big stack wants to make a big mistake when two players are so close to elimination. That means the last 10 pots or so have been taken down with preflop opens, or c-bets on the flop.

Action folds around to Seunghwan Lee in the cutoff, and he opens to 95,000. Next to act, David Kluchman three-bets to 210,000, and Lee thinks for only 30 seconds or so before flatting the reraise.

On the     flop Lee check calls a 500,000 wager from Kluchman, and the turn comes  .

Lee then leads out with a shove for his last 800,000, and Kluchman sighs while announcing a call.

Kluchman:   
Lee:   

Lee hit his card on the turn, but Kluchman had the goods all the way with two kings in the hole. The river is the   and Lee's tournament comes to an end.

David Kluchman - 3,400,000 (85 BBs)
Seunghwan Lee - Eliminated

John Lyons (pictured) is riding the short stack and he gets the last of it in with queen-seven looking for a steal, but Spencer Champlin can afford a loose call with his   . Somehow Lyons' hand is actually in a dominating spot, but the flop comes     to bring on the likelihood of a chopped pot.

Turn:  

Just like that Champlin takes the lead, and Lyons is dead to the deck's three remaining sevens. The river brings the   though, and Lyons' tournament life is over.

Spencer Champlin - 1,800,000 (45 BBs)
John Lyons - Eliminated