Event #68: $1,000 Million Dollar Bounty No-Limit Hold'em

Event #68: $1,000 Million Dollar Bounty has concluded, your winner is Quincy Borland (USA), who takes home $750,120 for his first place prize as well as a coveted World Series of Poker bracelet.

Four Day 1 flights across three days drew a massive field of 14,112 players, each buying in for a neat $1,000. Those lucky enough to make it through Day 1 could then play for bounties, onwards from Day 2, with plenty of substantial cash prizes for knockouts available.

It was American professional Matt Glantz who binked the $1,000,000 bounty. Glantz also cashed the event for $20,730 for his 42nd place finish. He gave fellow player Justin Lett $5,000 cash for being the player that he bad beat to get the million-dollar bounty shot.

Plenty of other amazing stories came from the event, one being two brothers, Caio De Almeida and Daniel De Almeida, who made the final three tables together. Though Caio busted 23rd for $31,200, Daniel finished eighth for $96,940.

The GGPoker sponsored Patrick Tardif (known online as Egption) eliminated only two players on Day 2, but both of his bounties unlocked the mystery bounty prizes. The first gave him $50,000 and the second $25,000 to go with his 185th place finish for $5,260.

Notable players busted in Day 2 include two time bracelet winner Nathan Gamble (43rd), Event #51: $400 Colossus winner Paul Hizer (60th), as well as 2021 World Series of Poker Event #83: $1,500 The Closer winner Leo Margets (63rd).

There were no former bracelet winners left in the field on the final day, but notables like Romanian player Florian Duta (26th) as well as No Jumper podcast host Adam "Adam22" Grandmaison (25th) had deep runs. Duta won $25,000 after hitting a mystery jackpot, too.

Mystery Bounty Payouts

German player and second to last lady remaining Natalie Hof, the better half of Brazilian player Felipe Ramos came into Day 3 second in chips, but with the players not being very deep stacked, could only finish 13th after some bad luck. Still, a great showing from Hof, after a eighth place finish in Event #61: Ladies No-Limit Hold 'em Championship. Nellie Park was the last lady remaining, with her bust out detailed below.

It took just 4 hours and 30 minutes to reach the final table of nine after the day started with 34 players. Christopher Doan busting in tenth with nines against kings to set up the final table.

Event #68: $1,000 Million Dollar Bounty Final Table Payouts

Action was thick and fast on the final table. With Brazil's Ramon Kropmanns exiting in ninth for $76,316 after he ran his ace-six into the ace-ten of Kevin Hong and didn't improve. Kropmanns hit a $100,000 bounty earlier in Day 3 to add to his winnings.

In eighth place fell De Almeida, with Arash Asadabadi in seventh after both players were knocked out on the same hand by Wojciech Barzantny. Barzantny sent them both packing after they shoved all in before him and he woke up with pocket kings and held up. De Almeida had a great Day 2, though, when he hit back-to-back mystery bounty jackpots, the first awarding him $100,000 and the second the minimum but still helpful $25,000. De Almeida pocketed $96,940 for eighth and Asadabadi $123,910 for seventh.

The aforementioned Nellie Park was our sixth place finisher after she shoved the small blind into Michael Smith with queen-nine and didn't improve after Smith woke up with ace-king. Park took $159,380 for the finish and some bounties, each $5,000 or less.

In fifth place was Smith after his aces ran into Hong's kings on a king-high flop. He couldn't improve and ended up hitting the rail, unfortunately for him. He cashed for $286,550 plus won two $25,000 mystery jackpots at least.

Barzantny was next out in fouth position. Certainly the most accomplished tournament player left of the four, he moved all in under-the-gun with king-four, only for Borland to wake up with pocket queens on the button. Borland moved all in too and had the slightly bigger stack, and improved to a full house meaning Barzantny was sent to the rail. Barzantny was class tournament-long and collected $268,550 for his finish, as well as one mystery jackpot prize of $25,000.

The third place finisher was David Timmons, who cashed for $351,800, not to mention a $100,000 mystery jackpot bounty. The short-stacked Timmons ended up moving all in with ace-trey against the pocket sixes of Hong. The board didn't give Timmons his ace or straight outs, sending him to the rail and setting up heads-up play.

After Hong started with a 2-to-1 chip lead heads-up, it was flipped after Borland chipped away at him. he moved all in against Hong's 20,000,000 bet, covering Hong. Borland's ace-queen held up against the ace-jack of Hong to win him the bracelet.

Winner's Interview

When asked how he feels, Borland replied "Strange...spacey, it doesn't feel like it's real". Looks like it hasn't quite sunk in yet, nor will it for a while, you could presume.

When asked what was going through his mind throughout the final table, Borland responded, "I was just focused on the bracelet, I didn't care about the money, I didn't even look at the payouts. I just wanted that bracelet", just going to show how important a bracelet is to a poker player, even with $750,120 to play for.

Borland said of the short heads-up battle, "I had been patient all final table, not being too aggressive, but when we got heads-up, I changed up my style. But I also got hands, so...". Borland, who won most hands up, left his opponent Hong frustrated come the end of the final hand. He recognised what he was playing for and, in his mind, put himself in the best position to claim the bracelet by playing how he did. It worked!

The Minnesotan native only pocketed three minimum bounties all tournament. Still, he is the one with the bracelet and first place prize when all was said and done, so congratulations to Quincy Borland, the Event #68: $1000 Million Dollar Bounty champion.

That concludes PokerNews coverage of the event, overall an incredibly successful and enjoyable event, with many players giving great feedback. No doubt it'll return for future WSOP events. There is still plenty of action at the World Series of Poker, with many more bracelets to be won. Main Event coverage continues over the coming days as they play down to a winner of the prestigious event. Keep it live from Bally's and Paris Las Vegas for all updates regarding the main and all other events.

David Timmons moved all in from the button for his final 45,000,000 and Kevin Hong called in the big blind.

David Timmons:   
Kevin Hong:   

The board ran out       and Hong's queens and sixes took down the pot as Timmons left the tournament in 3rd place.

The players are now setting up for heads up play.

Kevin Hong	366,000,000	69,000,000
Quincy Borland	198,500,000	40,500,000
David Timmons	0	-43,000,000

The remaining four players are on a 15-minute break.

Wojciech Barzantny raised to 10,000,000 from the cutoff and in the big blind, Michael Smith defended.

The flop of     saw Smith check-call a bet of 8,000,000 from Barzantny.

The turn of   checked through to the   river which saw Smith lead out for 20,000,000 and Barzantny went into the tank. "That's interesting," Barzantny remarked as he pondered his decision. After a little more time he tossed his hand into the muck and Smith won a much needed pot.

Wojciech Barzantny	132,000,000	-8,000,000
Michael Smith (SK)	120,000,000	30,000,000

Quincy Borland raised to 12,000,000 in the hijack and in the small blind, David Timmons three-bet to 24,500,000. Action folded back to Borland, who moved all in for 57,500,000, which Timmons snap-called.

Quincy Borland:   
David Timmons:   

The board ran out       and Borland's full house was good for the double up and to move up to third in the chip counts.

Quincy Borland	123,000,000	73,500,000
David Timmons	108,000,000	-22,000,000

Action folded to Nellie Park in the small blind who moved all in for her last 20,000,000 or so. She was snapped off by Michael Smith in the big blind and cards were tabled.

Nellie Park:   
Michael Smith:   

It was a standard spot for Park but she was desperately unfortunate to run into such a good hand in the big blind and when the board ran out      , though she did have a gut-shot to a straight going to the river, failed to catch up.

The last women remaining in the tournament is now busted, though Park will pocket $159,380 for her 6th place finish.

Michael Smith (SK)	67,000,000	0
Nellie Park	0	-25,000,000

Wojciech Barzantny raised the button to 8,000,000 and Quincy Borland jammed for 27,000,0000. Barzantny called.

Quincy Borland:   
Wojciech Barzantny:   

Barzantny picked up an open-ended straight draw on the     flop, but the    runout was clean for Borland as he doubled.

Wojciech Barzantny	140,000,000	-23,000,000
Quincy Borland	62,000,000	29,000,000