Event #41: Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em

Carlos Chang has taken down the 2021 World Series of Poker Event #41: $2,500 Freezeout for $364,589 after a 3.5-hour heads-up battle against Brady Osterman, . His maiden bracelet is the third for Taiwan and the second in 2021. The tournament attracted 896 players during the registration period which yielded a total prize pool of $1,993,600 with the biggest prize going to Chang in the end.

After reaching the final tables of the 2015 Little One for One Drop here in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, the Monster Stack of the 2015 World Series of Europe, and The Closer in 2019, Chang finally managed to grab that elusive title.

"I think this is my biggest cash, yes, this is my fourth final table. I told myself, this year if I make a final table, I will win the bracelet. And it happened! I am pretty excited. I was focused all day and yesterday."

Chang joins the ranks of Pete Chen who won an online bracelet earlier on WSOP.com and James Chen. "I don't know if I can count myself to the greats of Taiwan, I am a hobby player, I'm probably the better non-pro out there." he said with a smile. Pete Chen was actually on his rail together with John Reading who finished in fourth place in the Little One for One Drop back in 2015, one spot higher than Chang but captured a bracelet later on.

Chang and Osterman were joined by familiar names and faces like Adrien Delmas, Sergi Reixach, Arthur Conan, and Sung Joo Hyun on the final table today while Christopher Basile and Uri Reichenstein busted the night before to make it one of the most international final tables of the series up till now.

Event #41: $2,500 Freezeout Final Table Results

From Eight Players to the Heads-Up Battle

Chang came into the final table with the chip lead and had a clear strategy: "At the beginning, I was trying to attack the middle and short stack. I lost a three-bet the first two hands, that got me down to 6 million, lost two flips, down to 2.8 million, the shortest and then I slowly came back. I got lucky when I hit the straight flush draw against the kings. I got lucky on Day 2 too, I started with 8.5 big blinds, won three flips in a row. The strategy I employed this time, just play one hand at a time. That's the key I suppose instead of trying to win immediately. When you know you're losing, it's time to give up, don't try to force any plays that might get you into trouble. If you're losing, just wait for the next hand. That's what I was trying to do, my goal was to win one hand at a time."

It would take almost two hours before Quang Ngo busted to Conan and another two before Gerald Cunniff fell to Reixach. Hyun was the only bracelet winner on the final table but fell to Conan too in sixth place. Just twenty minutes later, Conan ran his lower pocket pair of sevens into the nines of his fellow countryman Delmas.

Four-handed play lasted an hour before Reixach fell victim to Chang who had flopped a straight. Delmas had the biggest and loudest rail of all the players, singing songs from one side to the other but to no avail. Delmas had shoved on the flop with an overpair but Chang had flopped the flush and improved to a straight flush on the turn to get Delmas down to less than a big blind. Chang claimed those chips too to get to the heads-up stage of the tournament.

Hobby Player Wins the Heads-Up Battle

The heads-up battle was a long one with the chips going back and forth for a while.

"I had to pick out some spots. Brady was pretty aggressive and I wasn't getting any cards. He was taking a lot of chips from me. We flipped once with eights versus his ace-king. I doubled up, from there it went back and forth. And finally, the flush helped me. He called. I knew he calls a lot, so I figured out, I'll just go all-in, he'll call. And he really called, because he never folds actually." Chang said while laughing.

Despite many jeers from some of the guys from Osterman's rail, Chang got it done eventually when he doubled with the aforementioned rivered flush and then took the rest when he hit the straight on the final card of the final hand. Chang got up, shook Osterman's hand, and then walked over to Chen and Reading to celebrate. Chen and Chang are planning their bracelet ceremony together at some point during the Main Event when more of their friends have come over to Las Vegas.

This concludes the PokerNews coverage of another Freezeout tournament, but make sure to follow all the ongoing WSOP action on the live reporting hub.

Check out our 2021 WSOP Hub here!

Carlos Chang shoved from the button and Brady Osterman called for the 4,550,000 he had behind.

Brady Osterman:   
Carlos Chang:   

Osterman was ahead but the flop came with the     for Chang to pick up the gutshot to a straight.

The turn was the   to keep Osterman ahead but the   on the river gave Chang the straight for him to win his first bracelet and $364,589.

Osterman finished as the runner-up for $225,333.

Carlos Chang	31,350,000	3,550,000
Brady Osterman	0	-3,550,000

Brady Osterman raised to 1,000,000 from the button and Carlos Chang called. The flop came     for Chang to check-fold to the 500,000 continuation-bet of Osterman. Osterman's rail cheered loudly while one of his supporters was less friendly towards Chang.

On the next hand, Chang limped in on the button but folded to the 1,675,000 raise of Osterman.

A few hands later, Osterman raised to 1,000,000 again and Chang came along to the     flop. They both checked to see the   on the turn. Chang bet 800,000 and Osterman called. The river completed the board with the   and they both checked. Osterman tabled the    for top pair and that would earn him the chip lead.

Brady Osterman	16,975,000	6,475,000
Carlos Chang	14,375,000	-6,475,000

Carlos Chang limped in on the button and Brady Osterman checked. They both checked through the     flop to the   on the turn. Osterman bet 1,500,000 for Chang to fold.

In another hand, Chang limped in again on the button and Osterman opted to check. The flop came    , Osterman bet 500,000 for Chang to call after thinking about it for a few seconds. They both checked through the   on the turn to the   on the river. Action went check-check again. Osterman tabled the    for the rivered two pair to scoop the pot as Chang got up from his chair and started stretching without any attempt to show his hand.

Carlos Chang	18,700,000	-6,150,000
Brady Osterman	12,650,000	6,150,000

Carlos Chang limped in on the button and Brady Osterman opted to check.

The flop came     and Osterman check-raised a 500,000 bet from Chang to 1,575,000 and was called.

The turn was the   and Osterman barreled a bet of 1,400,000 over the line. Chang called again.

The   completed the board and they both checked. Osterman tabled the    for two pair but Chang held the    for the higher ones to claim the pot.

Carlos Chang	22,900,000	3,050,000
Brady Osterman	8,450,000	-3,050,000

Brady Osterman opened the action to 800,000 and Carlos Chang defended in the big blind.

    fell on the flop. Chang checked and Osterman continued for 650,000. He got the call.

The turn card was the  . Once again Chang checked and Osterman sized up to 1,400,000. Chang called the bet.

The   was the river card and Osterman jammed all-in when it was checked to him. Chang didn't take very long to muck.

Carlos Chang	19,850,000	-4,025,000
Brady Osterman	11,500,000	4,025,000

Brady Osterman limped in on the button and Carlos Chang opted to check.

The flop came    , Chang check-called the 500,000 bet of Osterman.

The turn was the   and Chang checked again. This time, Osterman bet 1,500,000 for Chang to call once more.

The   completed the board and they both opted to check. Chang tabled the    for the turned straight to scoop the pot.

Carlos Chang	23,175,000	400,000
Brady Osterman	8,175,000	-400,000

Brady Osterman limped in on the button and Carlos Chang opted to check. The flop came    , Chang check-called the 800,000 bet of Osterman. They both checked through the   on the turn to the   on the river. Chang fired a bet of 1,200,000 into the pot which was enough for Osterman to fold.

On the next hand, Chang limped in and Osterman opted to check but he check-folded when Chang bet 400,000 on the     flop.

Two hands later, Chang limped in on the button again and Osterman checked. They both checked through the     flop to the   on the turn. Osterman bet 400,000 and Chang came along to the   on the river. Osterman bet 600,000 and Chang called but mucked when he saw that Osterman held the    for the flush.

Carlos Chang	22,775,000	3,275,000
Brady Osterman	8,575,000	-3,285,000

Brady Osterman raised on the button to 600,000. Carlos Jammed all-in for 8,135,000. Osterman let out a sigh and called.

Carlos Chang:   
Brady Osterman:   

The board ran out      . Osterman could not improve and Chang doubled up. The remaining two players have close to even stacks.

Brady Osterman	17,275,000	-2,685,000
Carlos Chang	14,075,000	2,675,000