Event #56: $50,000 Poker Players Championship 6-Handed

In the end it was a win by submission for Macho Man Dan eight minutes after sunrise.

Having announced he'd "basically already won" the $50,000 Poker Players Championship ahead of the penultimate day's play, Dan "Jungleman" Cates backed up his words with actions and secured his second WSOP bracelet along with $1,449,103 in prize money after defeating Brazilian Yuri Dzivielevski heads-up.

Dzivielevski was looking for his third WSOP bracelet win in four years, and had opportunities in a marathon topsy-turvy heads-up battle in front of a raucous Brazilian rail. However, he fell just short and would have to settle for second-place.

$50,000 Poker Players Championship Final Table Results

Day 5 Recap

Five players returned for the final day of the Poker Players Championship, played in the Bally's Event Center and streamed on PokerGO.

Overnight chip leader Dan Cates was soon surpassed by Benny Glaser, looking to win his fifth WSOP bracelet, while Johannes Becker headed in the opposite direction. He finally got his last chips in the middle in No-Limit Hold'em holding ace-ten against the ace-queen of Glaser to bust in fifth.

Cates had enjoyed a brief spell back in the chip lead, before Glaser returned to the top of the chip counts, but after a hot streak during Limit Hold'em Cates started to open up a considerable gap.

That gap grew wider still after Cates outdrew Glaser in a hand of No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw. With Glaser standing pat with a ten, Cates drew one to make an eight. Glaser called off for half of his remaining chips to fall to the bottom of the counts.

And in the same round of Single Draw, Glaser was out. It was a battle of the pat hands between Glaser and Kihara, with Kihara patting an eight and Glaser unable to break his nine and patting behind to bust in fourth.

There was still clear water between Cates and the other two players, with the gap remaining consistent for an extended period. In the end, it was Kihara who blinked first after check-raising river when his straight draw missed, only to get picked off by Cates' trip jacks.

Three doubles for Kihara would follow — in Limit Hold'em, 2-7 Single Draw and Stud Hi-Lo — but he was eventually eliminated in 2-7 Triple Draw by Dzivielevski who found himself out-chipped by over 3:1 to start heads-up play.

And so, in front of a raucous rail of vocal Brazilians and vociferous Americans trading chants back and forth, as well as the assembled TV personnel and poker media, the two players settled in for an entertaining back and forth heads-up battle that produced many stand-out moments over the course of seven hours.

An early wheel for Dzivielevski in 2-7 Triple Draw along with catching Cates bluffing in No-Limit Hold'em saw him almost draw level in the chip counts, but back came Cates after winning a series of Pot-Limit Omaha hands that had Dzivielevski scrambling to stay alive. In the last hand of the PLO round the chips went in with Dzivielevski dodging straight, flush and even backdoor quad outs to stay alive and prolong the battle.

Cates still held the momentum and, aided by a straight flush in Limit Hold'em, he worked hard to again hold a 2:1 chip lead.

Dzivielevski is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, and this was the Brazilian's sixth WSOP final table and fifth in two years since the WSOP returned from its coronavirus-induced hiatus. So when Cates opened up another lead he didn't blink and worked steadily to close the gap once more.

Then it was Dzivielevski's turn to put his foot on the gas. It felt like he had Cates right where he wanted him and finally had the measure of his opponent. But that's where the Jungleman is most dangerous, and in a blink of an eye — aided by the steadily increasing blinds and limits — the tables had turned and it looked like Cates was inches away from victory.

The two traded pots almost as often as they traded the chip lead. A double for Cates was the first called all in for several hours after Dzivielevski had again had Cates inches away from the exit.

Then the limits simply became too much. Dzivielevski was short after a 2-7 Triple Draw hand, and despite several No-Limit Hold'em doubles to stay alive, Cates was finally able to close out victory shortly before 6 a.m.

Former Poker Players Championship Winners 2006-2022

Yuri Dzivielevski has doubled up again after fading a bag of outs.

Dzivielevski was all-in with    and against the    of Cates. The Brazilian' queen-high reamined best on the     flop. He paired his eight on the   turn, and faded straight draw outs with the river falling the  .

Dan Cates	31,400,000	-800,000
Yuri Dzivielevski	2,200,000	800,000

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw

Dan Cates raised and Yuri Dzivielevski three-bet, which Cates called. Dzivielevski drew one and Cates drew two.

Dzivielevski bet and Cates called, before each player drew one card each.

Dzivielevski bet, Cates raised, and Dzivielevski called.

Both players stood pat. Dzivielevski checked, Cates bet, and Dzivielevski called.

Cates took the massive pot down with      , besting his Brazilian opponent's      .

Dan Cates	33,500,000	8,000,000
Yuri Dzivielevski	100,000	-8,000,000

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw

Dan Cates raised to 1,600,000 with       and Yuri Dzivielevski called with      . Dzivielevski drew three, and Cates drew two.

Both players checked, Dzivielevski drew three again, and Cates drew two. Dzivielevski checked, Cates bet 1,600,000, and Dzivielevski called.

Dzivielevski drew one, as did Cates.

Dzivielevski check-called a 1,600,000 bet and won the pot with       because Cates could only muster      .

Dan Cates	19,100,000	-5,200,000
Yuri Dzivielevski	14,500,000	5,200,000

Pot-Limit Omaha

Dan Cates raised the button with the      and Yuri Dzivielevski came along with the      in the big blind. Both checked the     flop and the   followed on the turn. Dzivielevski checked again and Cates then bet 1,100,000 only to face a raise to 3,500,000.

That sent Cates into the tank but he came along as the   river completed a potential back door flush. Dzivielevski now checked and Cates bet the pot to win the hand without any showdown.

Dan Cates	27,850,000	9,200,000
Yuri Dzivielevski	5,750,000	-9,200,000

Omaha Hi-Lo

Yuri Dzivielevski raised with the      on the button and was called by Dan Cates with the     . Cates check-called a bet on the     flop with his flush and then checked again the   turn. Dzivielevski bet his straight and folded when Cates raised.

Dan Cates	18,050,000	1,800,000
Yuri Dzivielevski	15,550,000	-1,800,000

No-Limit Hold'em

Yuri Dzivielevski raised the button with the    and Dan Cates called in the big blind holding the   . The     flop gave Cates a flush and he checked it. Dzivielevski bet 300,000 and instantly folded when Cates check-raised to 1,700,000.

Dan Cates	17,350,000	600,000
Yuri Dzivielevski	16,250,000	-600,000

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw

Dan Cates raised and Yuri Dzivielevski made it three bets for his opponent to call. Dzivielevski patted and Cates discarded two cards for Dzivielevski to bet and Cates to call. Cates discarded one while Dzivielevski patted it once more and a bet by the Brazilian was met by a call of Cates.

The final draw was once more patted by Dzivielevski and Cates took one. Both checked and Dzivielevski won the pot with his       as Cates had paired his four.

Yuri Dzivielevski	28,950,000	4,700,000
Dan Cates	4,650,000	-4,700,000

2-7 Single Draw

Dan Cates raised to 600,000 with       and Yuri Dzivielevski called with      

Dzivielevski drew one and Cates drew two.

Dzivielevski paired his seven but still bet 400,000. Cates called with       and won the pot.

Yuri Dzivielevski	26,500,000	-1,100,000
Dan Cates	7,200,000	1,200,000

Yuri Dzivielevski    raised and Dan Cates    called.

The flop was     with Cates check-calling a bet. The turn was the   and Cates check-folding to another bet.

Yuri Dzivielevski	24,600,000	2,400,000
Dan Cates	9,000,000	-2,400,000