Tuesday, November 16, 2021 10:40 PM Local Time
Denis Strebkov Wins His Second WSOP Gold Bracelet in Event #74: $2,500 Big Bet Mix
Russia's Denis Strebkov defeated Jerry Wong in heads-up play to win his second World Series of Poker title in Event #74: $2,500 Big Bet Mix at the 2021 WSOP. Strebkov outlasted a field of 212 entries to win $117,898 and the gold bracelet.
This is Strebkov's second WSOP title, the first coming in 2019 in the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. Strebkov found a great deal of success in 2019, making three final tables in mixed formats and winning one.
"I like the mixed format because I play a lot of games," Strebkov told PokerNews after the win. "I play a lot of mixed. I don't like to play hold'em but I like some other games where you can play a lot of hands and have more fun."
Strebkov was eager to build on his 2019 success, but travel restrictions related to COVID-19 made the 2021 WSOP a complicated trip that required a stop in Croatia to get the necessary vaccines.
"This is fantastic. I am glad I can play. I had a problem because the Russian vaccine is not approved here."
Strebkov is taking a moment to celebrate, but after going through the trouble to get to the United States, he plans to make more noise at the 2021 WSOP.
"I am just speechless right now. The second bracelet is very good! I am going to go to the Razz event right now. I am already thinking about the next one. I might play another Omaha tournament, but we will see how it's going."
2021 WSOP Event #74 Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|
| 1 | Denis Strebkov | Russia | $117,898 |
| 2 | Jerry Wong | United States | $72,868 |
| 3 | Pearce Arnold | United States | $48,864 |
| 4 | Richard Bai | United States | $33,583 |
| 5 | Shanmukha Meruga | United States | $23,670 |
| 6 | Patrik Ciklamini | Slovakia | $17,119 |
| 7 | Hooman Nizad | United States | $12,715 |
Day 3 Action
Noah Boeken was the first to hit the rail on Day 3 when Strebkov drew the fourth ten in Five Card Draw High to send him home in 14th place. Amnon Filippi followed right behind in a Pot-Limit Omaha hand where Strebkov made two-pair to beat Filippi's pocket aces.
Shortly after the re-draw to two tables, Asher Lower hit the rail in 12th place in a hand of Pot-Limit 2-7 Triple Draw when he caught a pair of fives on the last draw to lose to the ten-nine of Anthony Ribeiro.
Jordan Siegel was next to go after he got it in with pocket nines against the ace-king of Richard Bai. Bai flopped a straight and Siegel was out in 11th place. Jon Turner went home with a 10th-place finish after he got it in with ace-jack but Patrik Ciklamini looked him up with pocket aces.
Ciklamini went on to bust Scott Bohlman in ninth place when he called Bohlman's shove and caught a pair of twos score the elimination. Riberio was close behind in eighth after running into Wong's two-pair in Five Card Draw.
After the final table re-draw, Hooman Nizad fell in seventh place in a Big O hand when Bai made a pair of aces to beat his pocket kings. Cinkamini was out in sixth after shoving with ace-eight against Strebkov's ace-queen. Shanmukha Meruga managed to ladder up in the process, but he ran out of time after being forced all-in on his big blind, and Bai stepped in to finish the job with tens full of nines in a hand of Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better.
Bai was the next out after tangling with Wong in a hand of Pot-Limit 2-7 Triple Draw. The fourth-place finisher got it in and drew to a seven, but a queen on the third draw lost to Wong's eight-seven. Pearce Arnold finished third after running into Strebkov's nut flush in a hand of Big O.
Heads-up play started with both players close to even, but Wong took a big hit early when he made a failed attempt to bet Strebkov off of a flush. The big moment came just a short time later when Strebkov made three eights in Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better and Wong missed his last chance at a low draw.
Denis Strebkov on Day 3 of the 2021 Big Bet Mix Event.
Congratulations to Denis Strebkov for winning his second bracelet in Event #74: $2,500 Big Bet Mix. Be sure to keep it here throughout the rest of the series for updates on all of your favorite events from the PokerNews live reporting team.
Check out our 2021 WSOP Hub here!
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 9:20 PM Local Time
Jerry Wong Eliminated in 2nd Place ($72,868)
Pot Limit Omaha 8 or Better
With his chip stack now slightly over a million, Jerry Wong raised to 150,000 on the button/small blind and was called by Denis Strebkov in the big blind.
The duo saw a flop of , and Strebkov checked to Wong who bet 350,000. Strebkov check-raised all-in and Wong called.
Jerry Wong:
Denis Strebkov:
Wong's queens were behind Strebkov's trip eights, but he did have a low draw. Unfortunately for Wong, the and fell, giving Strebkov the victory and ending Wong's day in second place.
| Denis Strebkov | 7,420,000 | 1,020,000  |
| Jerry Wong | 0 | -980,000  |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 9:11 PM Local Time
Wong Quarters Strebkov
Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better
Denis Strebkov raised to 120,000 from the button and Jerry Wong three-bet to 360,000. Denis Strebkov placed a column of green chips in the middle to put Wong all-in and he called.
Jerry Wong:
Denis Strebkov:
The board ran out and the players split the high with their kings, while Wong took the low pot to quarter Strebkov.
| Denis Strebkov | 6,400,000 | -120,000 |
| Jerry Wong | 980,000 | 80,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 9:04 PM Local Time
Wong On the Comeback Trail
No-Limit Hold'em
Jerry Wong and Denis Strebkov took a limped pot to a flop of .
Strebkov checked, and Wong bet 40,000 on the button. Strebkov then check-raised Wong to 110,000. Wong called.
The turn brought the and again Strebkov checked. Wong bet again, this time for 75,000. Strebkov just called.
On the river, Strebkov checked once more and Wong moved all-in for his last 395,000. Strebkov faced another tough decision, but this time he opted to fold.
With the win, Wong has crept back toward one million chips.
| Denis Strebkov | 6,520,000 | -530,000 |
| Jerry Wong | 900,000 | 530,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 8:52 PM Local Time
Wong Takes a Big Hit
No-Limit Hold'em
Jerry Wong raised to 90,000 from the button and Denis Strebkov called.
The flop was and Strebkov checked. Wong bet 100,000 and Strebkov check-called.
The turn was and Strebkov checked again. Wong continued for 160,000 and Strebkov check-raised to 460,000. Wong called and the river was .
Strebkov bet 860,000 on the river and Wong went into the tank. After several minutes he shoved with Strebkov covered. Strebkov took his turn in the tank for several minutes before calling with . Wong turned over and Strebkov dragged a huge pot with the flush.
| Denis Strebkov | 7,050,000 | 3,695,000 |
| Jerry Wong | 370,000 | -3,700,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 8:39 PM Local Time
Pearce Arnold Eliminated in 3rd Place ($48,864)
Big O
Denis Strebkov raised to 100,000 on the button and Pearce Arnold called in the big blind with approximately 350,000 behind.
On the flop, Pearce bet the pot, and Strebkov moved him all-in, which Pearce called.
Pearce Arnold:
Denis Strebkov:
The quickly fell on the turn, giving Strebkov the nut flush. Arnold was still drawing live to a low to chop the pot, but the fell on the river, ending his tournament in third place.
After a short impromptu break, Strebkov and Jerry Wong have agreed to pass on taking a dinner break, and will now play it out for the bracelet and $117,898 first prize.
| Jerry Wong | 4,070,000 | -210,000 |
| Denis Strebkov | 3,355,000 | 390,000 |
| Pearce Arnold | 0 | -300,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 8:23 PM Local Time
Richard Bai Eliminated in 4th Place ($33,583)
Richard Bai raised to 120,000 from the button and Jerry Wong bet the pot for 400,000 from the small blind. Bai called and drew two while Wong took one.
Wong bet pot on the first draw for 880,000. Bai shoved his last 1,280,000 and Wong called.
Bai drew one on each of the last two draws while Wong stood pat for both.
Wong turned over . Bai had and he peeled a to lose the pot and hit the rail in fourth place for $33,583.
| Jerry Wong | 4,280,000 | 2,080,000 |
| Richard Bai | 0 | -2,145,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 8:15 PM Local Time
Wong Pressures Pearce
Pot-Limit Omaha
Jerry Wong limped in from the small blind and Pearce Arnold checked his option in the big blind.
The players checked the flop, then on the turn, Wong led out for 80,000. Arnold called, leaving himself about 300,000 in his stack.
The paired the board on the river, and Wong bet the size of the pot, 280,000, which was most of Arnold's remaining stack.
Arnold didn't take long to fold, preserving the shortest stack of the remaining four players.
| Jerry Wong | 2,200,000 | 300,000 |
| Pearce Arnold | 300,000 | 0 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 8:03 PM Local Time
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Tuesday, November 16, 2021 8:00 PM Local Time
Level 26 started
Level: 26
Blinds: 0/0
Ante: 0
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 7:56 PM Local Time
Shanmukha Meruga Eliminated in 5th Place ($23,670)
Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better
Shanmukha Meruga was all-in for 60,000, exactly enough to cover the big blind and the ante. Richard Bai came along from the next seat over while Pearce Arnold and Denis Strebkov called from the button and small blind, respectively.
The flop came and Strebkov bet 45,000. Bai called and Arnold folded.
The turn was and Strebkov checked. Bai bet 100,000 and Strebkov folded to leave Bai alone with Meruga.
Meruga turned over for a pair of kings, but Bai had for tens full of nines. The river was and no help to keep Meruga from being eliminated in fifth place for $23,670.
| Denis Strebkov | 2,965,000 | 65,000 |
| Richard Bai | 2,145,000 | -455,000 |
| Pearce Arnold | 300,000 | -475,000 |
| Shanmukha Meruga | 0 | -60,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 7:43 PM Local Time
Strebkov and Wong Battle With Their Big Stacks
No-Limit Hold'em
Denis Strekov raised to 70,000 in the cutoff and was called in the big blind by Jerry Wong.
On a flop of , Wong check-called a bet of 150,000 from Strebov to see the fall on the turn.
Wong checked again, and Strebkov cranked up his bet size to 375,000. Again, Wong called and a big pot was brewing.
On the river , Wong checked once more and Strebkov didn't stop betting. He pushed forward 500,000, to which Wong quickly folded.
Not long after though, the duo would battle again...
No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw
Wong opened to 100,000 from first position and was three-bet to 400,000 by Strebkov on the button.
Wong then went deep into the tank before moving all-in for a little under 1.3 million chips.
Of note, Shanmukha Meruga was in the small blind with just 60,000 chips, so this bet meant business with potential payout implications.
Strebkov thought for about three minutes before ultimately folding and returning some of the chips from the previous hand to Wong.
| Denis Strebkov | 2,900,000 | -320,000 |
| Jerry Wong | 1,900,000 | 400,000 |
| Shanmukha Meruga | 60,000 | -229,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 7:28 PM Local Time
Patrik Ciklamini Eliminated in 6th Place ($17,119)
No-Limit Hold'em
Patrik Ciklamini shoved his last 260,000 into the middle and Denis Strebkov was the lone caller.
Patrik Ciklamini:
Denis Strebkov:
The board ran out and Strebkov's ace-queen held on to eliminate Ciklamini from the tournament in sixth place for $17,119.
| Denis Strebkov | 3,220,000 | 733,000 |
| Patrik Ciklamini | 0 | -427,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 7:16 PM Local Time
Hooman Nizad Eliminated in 7th Place ($12,715)
Big O
Richard Bai raised in first position to 90,000 and was called by Hooman Nizad directly to his left.
The flop came and Bai quickly bet the size of the pot, 260,000. Nizad thought for about three minutes before finally moving all-in for a little under 600,000. Bai quickly called.
Hooman Nizad:
Richard Bai:
Both players had the nut low draw, but Bai also had a pair of aces versus Nizad's pair of kings.
The turn brought the , and the river came the with Bai's aces and queens winning him a massive pot to vault him well over two million chips.
| Richard Bai | 2,600,000 | 1,475,000 |
| Hooman Nizad | 0 | -848,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:50 PM Local Time
Level 25 started
Level: 25
Blinds: 0/0
Ante: 0
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:41 PM Local Time
Chip Counts At Break
| Denis Strebkov | 2,487,000 | 47,000 |
| Jerry Wong | 1,500,000 | -80,000 |
| Richard Bai | 1,125,000 | -25,000 |
| Hooman Nizad | 848,000 | 458,000 |
| Pearce Arnold | 775,000 | 240,000 |
| Patrik Ciklamini | 427,000 | -83,000 |
| Shanmukha Meruga | 289,000 | -28,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:37 PM Local Time
Wong Takes from Arnold
Pot-Limit Omaha
Jerry Wong raised to 72,000 from the small blind and Pearce Arnold called from the big blind.
The flop was and Wong checked. Arnold bet 100,000 and Wong called.
The turn was and both players checked to see on the river.
Wong checked and Arnold bet 150,000. Wong called quickly and turned over for a straight. Arnold mucked the losing hand.
| Jerry Wong | 1,580,000 | 230,000 |
| Pearce Arnold | 535,000 | -455,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:35 PM Local Time
Player Break
The final seven players are now on their second 15-minute break of the evening.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:26 PM Local Time
Bai Brings the Pressure to Strebkov
Pot-Limit Omaha
In the big blind, Richard Bai called a raise from Denis Strebkov on the button.
The flop came , and the action was checked through. On the turn however, Bai led out for 80,000 but Strebov called.
The river brought the , and Bai fired once more, this time for 240,000. Strebkov took his time to think, but ultimately folded, awarding the pot to Bai.
| Denis Strebkov | 2,440,000 | -150,000 |
| Richard Bai | 1,150,000 | 50,000 |
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:15 PM Local Time
Final Table Seat Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|
| Amazon 406 | 1 | Shanmukha Meruga | 317,000 |
| Amazon 406 | 2 | Richard Bai | 1,100,000 |
| Amazon 406 | 3 | Hooman Nizad | 390,000 |
| Amazon 406 | 4 | Patrik Ciklamini | 510,000 |
| Amazon 406 | 5 | Jerry Wong | 1,350,000 |
| Amazon 406 | 6 | Pearce Arnold | 990,000 |
| Amazon 406 | 7 | Denis Strebkov | 2,590,000 |
| Denis Strebkov | 2,590,000 | 70,000 |
| Jerry Wong | 1,350,000 | -88,000 |
| Richard Bai | 1,100,000 | 285,000 |
| Pearce Arnold | 990,000 | 500,000 |
| Patrik Ciklamini | 510,000 | -15,000 |
| Hooman Nizad | 390,000 | -370,000 |
| Shanmukha Meruga | 317,000 | -278,000 |