Event #93: $10,000 Short Deck No-Limit Hold'em

There were five players who returned for the final day of Event #97: $10,000 Short Deck No-Limit Hold'em at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas and it was the start-of-day chip leader Martin Nielsen who walked away with his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet along with $270,160.

Nielsen overcame a star-studded field of 106 entries, which generated a prize pool of $895,300 in one of the last high-roller events of the series. Although he came back to Day 3 as the chip leader, it wasn't a cakewalk for the Faroe Islands Native as he sat down with some of the best players in the world, including poker Hall of Famer and legend John Juanda. In the end, It came down to a heads-up battle between Nielsen and Hong Wei Yu, and the short-deck specialist found a way to come out on top.

"It's so weird, though, I thought I would be nervous," Nielsen said after his victory, "I don't know, I am a full-time short-deck cash player, but I mostly play online on GG."

The craziest part is this is only his second cash of the series, with his first coming from a min-cash in a $200 Daily Deepstack for $403. When asked what made him register in this high roller, he simply said, "Well I am a short deck player, so this was my most important tournament of the summer, the $200 was just for fun." With this win, this jumps his Hendon Mob live earnings to $300,000, which he says will be the biggest from his home country.

Final Table Results

Day 3 Action

There were five players that returned to the felt at 1 p.m. local time and after a small delay, the cards were in the air. The players waited for him to arrive after pitching the cards on the first hand but it didn't take long after that for the chips to start flying.

Early in the day, Juanda moved all in preflop with queen-ten of hearts and was called by Eric Wasserson with ace-king of diamonds to put him at risk. Wasserson flopped a king and held to eliminate Juanda in 5th place.

After that, the action slowed way down as the players were so deep, with the average stack well over 100 antes for most of the day. Wasserson looked like he was making a run when he became chip leader after winning a big pot against Nielsen but then two hands later lost a big cooler to Ivan Ermin to double him up.

Wasserson then lost most of his stack in a huge pot against Nielsen when he flopped a set of eights on an eight-queen-ace board against the ace-nine of Nielsen. Wasserson almost had him drawing dead but Nielsen hit a miracle runout of seven-six to hit a straight on the river. Soon after that, Wasserson moved all in with king-nine suited and was called by Ermin with king-queen. Wasserson turned a pair of nines to take the lead but Ermin hit a gutshot straight on the river to take the pot and sent Wasserson out in fourth place.

After his exit, it was two full levels before Ermin was sent home in 3rd after getting it in preflop with jack-ten suited against the ace-queen of Nielsen. The flop of ten-eight-queen gave Ermin the lead with a pair of tens but the king-jack runout gave Nielsen a straight on the river to send him out in third.

After this pot, Nielsen came into heads-up play against Yu with a dominating 3:1 chip lead. It only took around 15 minutes of play before the two managed to get it all in the middle with Yu holding jack-ten of spades versus the pocket kings of Nielsen. The queen-eight-six-ten turn with two spades gave Yu a ton of outs to hit, but the blank ten on the river did not do it and he was eliminated as the runner-up while Nielsen was crowned champion and adorned with the gold bracelet.

That wraps up the coverage for this event, and although this was one of the last events, keep an eye on PokerNews for the recap on the $5,000 6-max as well as the last updates on the $1,000 Super Turbo. Have a great summer, and catch more action on the felt real soon!

Ivan Ermin and Martin Nielsen got all the chips into the middle preflop, with Ermin at risk of elimination.

Ivan Ermin:   
Martin Nielsen:   

"Oooohh, 50/50!" Hong Wei Yu said as he watched the dealer spread the flop     to give Ermin the lead with his pair of tens and flush draw.

The turn   changed nothing, but the river   was a gut punch for Ermin as it gave Nielsen the straight and he was eliminated in third place.

Martin Nielsen (FI)	4,500,000	1,200,000
Hong Wei Yu	1,700,000	-300,000
Ivan Ermin	0	-1,000,000

On a flop of    , Ivan Ermin checked to Martin Nielsen on the button who bet 25,000. Ermin tossed out the call and the two went to to the turn  .

Ermin then check-called again after Nielsen fired for 150,000 and they saw the   fall on the river.

After another check from Ermin, Nielsen bombed the pot for 650,000 and after a few seconds Ermin tossed in his cards.

After some prodding from Ermin, Nielsen couldn't help but showing    for the nut flush and his opponents congratulated him on the nice hand as he gathered his new chips.

Martin Nielsen (FI)	2,850,000	230,000
Ivan Ermin	1,750,000	-220,000
Hong Wei Yu	1,700,000	0

Ivan Ermin opened to 160,000 from under the gun and only Martin Nielsen made the call on the button.

The flop came     and Ermin continued for 110,000, which Nielsen came along. The   hit the turn and Ermin slowed down with a check. Nielsen took a few seconds before cutting out a bet of 450,000 and Ermin quickly let it go.

Martin Nielsen (FI)	2,620,000	520,000
Ivan Ermin	1,970,000	-530,000

In a limped pot preflop on a flop showing    , Ivan Ermin bet 75,000 from the cutoff and Hong Wei Yu raised to 375,000 on the button. Ermin made the call and the   hit the turn.

Ermin checked to Yu who announced all in for 1,370,000 and Ermin went deep in the tank. After using several time bank chips, Ermin open-folded    for a flopped set.

Yu revealed the   to keep everyone guessing and scooped the large pot.

Ivan Ermin	2,170,000	-430,000
Hong Wei Yu	2,070,000	270,000

The remaining three players are now on a quick 15-minute break and will return shortly.

Both Eric Wasserson and Ivan Ermin limped in before Hong Wei Yu made it 105,000 to go on the button. Wasserson and Ermin made the call and the trio saw a flop of    .

All three players checked their options to the   turn. Wasserson led out for 80,000 and only Ermin came along. The   hit the river and Wasserson took close to 30 seconds before sliding out a bet of 180,000. Ermin quickly called and Wasserson tabled    for the ace-high bluff.

Ermin rolled over    for a queen-high straight to scoop the sizable pot.

Ivan Ermin	1,820,000	170,000
Hong Wei Yu	1,800,000	-50,000
Eric Wasserson	675,000	-625,000

In a heads-up pot with 120,000 in the middle on a flop showing    , Martin Nielsen bet 60,000 from early position and Eric Wasserson raised to 200,000 from the cutoff. Nielsen took a few seconds before announcing all in for 1,200,000 and Wasserson snap-called.

Martin Nielsen:   
Eric Wasserson:   

Wasserson flopped a set and had Nielsen in rough shape with his top pair. The turn fell the   and Nielsen picked up a straight draw. The river peeled off the   and the straight got there for Nielsen to score a massive double up off Wasserson and leave him short.

Martin Nielsen (FI)	2,500,000	1,040,000
Eric Wasserson	500,000	-1,200,000

Eric Wasserson opened to 100,000 from the cutoff and was called by Ivan Ermin on the button and Hong Wei Yu from under the gun.

The flop came out    . Yu and Wasserson checked to Ermin who bet 115,000, but then Yu check-raised him to 500,000 and Wasserson quickly got out of the way.

Ermin then went into the tank for almost a minute and a half, using two of his time banks before he finally decided to lay it down.

"Show an eight!" Wasserson said to Yu, who then complied by showing the   as he raked in the pot.

Hong Wei Yu	1,850,000	-50,000
Eric Wasserson	1,700,000	-80,000
Ivan Ermin	1,650,000	-50,000

Martin Nielsen opened to 75,000 from early position and only Eric Wasserson made the call in the cutoff.

The flop fanned out     and Nielsen check-called a bet of 65,000 from Wasserson. On the   turn Nielsen checked a second time and Wasserson came with a size of 140,000.

Nielsen took some time, but in the end made the fold and the pot was shipped to Wasserson.

Eric Wasserson	1,780,000	60,000
Martin Nielsen (FI)	1,460,000	70,000