Online Event #13: $5,300 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Championship

Sam Soverel spent Monday night playing in one of the live high-stakes cash games to which he is accustomed. At the same time, he was taking to the virtual felt under the name "ApesSonIMHO," again competing against some of poker's elite on WSOP.com.

Two days later, it ended in a second World Series of Poker bracelet for the Florida native. Soverel prevailed over a field of 408 total entries and defeated Hungary's Gergely Kulcsar heads-up at the live final table of Online Event #13: $5,300 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Championship to capture the $393,516 top prize and another piece of coveted gold jewelry.

The win was a long-time coming for Soverel. He earned his first bracelet in a $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event in 2016. In the seven years since Soverel has had near-miss followed by near-miss. He had made eight final tables, finishing in the top five spots five different times. Four of them came in events with a buy-in of $50,000 or greater. Soverel was establishing himself as one of the best high-rollers in the poker world, but further WSOP glory eluded him until today.

Soverel was in his element today when the six-handed final table began at noon local time. He isn't an online player and admits he hadn't played online in nearly three years before this tournament. He likes the live aspect of poker, of being able to look at his opponents in person.

"I much prefer live. I hadn't played online since late-2020," the new WSOP champion said following his win. "Honestly, I don't really trust the online environment. Live's fun. It's more social. It's way better to me."

Soverel's win today pushes his career earnings past $22,000,000 and moves him up to 31st in the all-time ranking. Despite his unquestioned success against the elites of the game, Soverel admits there isn't one thing that sets him apart in these tournaments. "I just play a lot of them," he said.

Final Table Results

Final Table Action

Soverel came into the final table with a chip-leading stack of 2,875,000 and was facing a star-studded lineup that included two-time bracelet winners Yuval Bronshtein and Aleksejs Ponakovs, as well as popular vlogger and high-stakes cash game player Ethan "Rampage" Yau.

But it was Kulcsar, who began the final table with just 525,000, good for 11 big blinds, who made an early move up the leaderboard. He doubled up with aces against the tens of Lingkun Lu, then picked up jacks and eliminated Yau in sixth place.

Kulcsar cracked kings with a turned straight to send Lu out in fifth place as he moved up to second on the leaderboard behind Soverel. Ponakovs soon followed to the payout desk, calling off his last 555,000 with pocket threes against the tens of Soverel.

Kulcsar busted his third opponent at the final table when he moved all in from the small blind and Bronshtein called for his last 1,280,000 with king-six. Kulcsar flopped a set of sevens and dodged Bronshtein's straight draw to send Bronshtein out in third and set up a heads-up duel against Soverel.

Kulcsar led 5,690,000 to 4,510,000 at the start of heads-up, but it was Soverel who struck the first, and ultimately decisive, blow. Kulcsar flopped top pair with ace-king and bet 710,000 on the turn. Soverel, who turned threes and deuces, called before improving to a full house on the river. Kulcsar bet another 1,950,000 and Soverel now moved all in for 3,825,000. Kulcsar spent a few minutes in the tank before mucking as Soverel opened a wide lead.

It wouldn't take much longer before he got the rest of Kulcsar's chips. On the final hand, Kulcsar shoved for 1,680,000 with ten-nine of diamonds and Soverel called with ace-eight. Kulcsar picked up straight and flush draws on the turn, but bricked the river as Soverel finally had his long-awaited second bracelet.

For Kulcsar, it was a bittersweet ending to a spectacular performance at the final table. He had 11 WSOP cashes dating back to 2018, but today was his first appearance under the bright lights of a final table. The $284,784 he earned for his runner-up finish is more than triple his previous best cash. Kulcsar has had more success on the virtual felt, with more than $4,000,000 in career earnings.

It was no surprise that he thrived in an online tournament, but today he was in Soverel's element of a live final table. Soverel had the experience and the cards to come out on top. The tough field was no problem for him: this is what Soverel does every day.

That concludes PokerNews' coverage of Online Event #13: $5,300 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Championed. Stay tuned for more coverage of the Main Event and other bracelet events as the 2023 WSOP soon draws to a close.

Gergely Kulcsar limped in with    and Sam Soverel checked with   .

The flop came     and Soverel checked over to Kulcsar, who bet 120,000. Soverel put in a raise to 265,000 with his trip jacks and Kulcsar now three-bet to 410,000.

Soverel reraised to 600,000 and Kulcsar paused for a moment before folding.

Sam "ApesSonIMHO" Soverel	9,000,000	1,130,000
Gergely "wildace_hun" Kulcsar	1,200,000	-1,130,000

Gergely Kulcsar and Sam Soverel are heading off on a 15-minute break.

The action folded to Gergely Kulcsar in the small blind who moved all in, covering the 1,280,000 remaining for Yuval Bronshtein in the big blind, who made the call for his tournament life.

Yuval Bronshtein:   
Gergely Kulcsar:   

Kulcsar was well ahead, and when the flop came    , the flopped set put Kulcsar even further in the lead. On the   turn Bronshtein picked up a gut-shot straight draw, however, when the river fell the   it was the end of the road for Bronshtein who was eliminated in third place.

Gergely "wildace_hun" Kulcsar	5,690,000	1,280,000
Sam "ApesSonIMHO" Soverel	4,510,000	0
Yuval "Larrybird84" Bronshtein	0	-1,280,000

Gergely Kulcsar shoved all in from the cutoff and Lingkun Lu called in the small blind for his last 680,000.

Lingkun Lu:   
Gergely Kulcsar:   

Lu had woken up with kings and was a big favorite to double up yet again as the flop came    . Kulcsar's rail began chanting for an ace or a nine that would give him a straight, and they erupted in celebration at the sight of the   turn.

The river came the   and Lu was sent to the rail with his cracked kings.

Sam "ApesSonIMHO" Soverel	4,705,000	-245,000
Gergely "wildace_hun" Kulcsar	2,820,000	710,000
Yuval "Larrybird84" Bronshtein	1,570,000	-200,000
Aleksejs "Aponakov" Ponakovs	1,105,000	140,000
Lingkun "CN_23" Lu	0	-840,000

Gergely Kulcsar raised to 175,000 from under the gun as action folded to Ethan Yau in the big blind, who moved all in for 500,000. Kulcsar called to put him at risk.

Ethan Yau:   
Gergely Kulcsar:   

Yau was looking to pair his ace but found no help on the       board as "Rampage" became the first casualty of the final table. Kulcsar, meanwhile, who began the final table at the bottom of the chip counts, has moved up to second with that bustout.

Gergely "wildace_hun" Kulcsar	2,110,000	340,000
Ethan "Rampunts" Yau	0	-700,000

Lingkun Lu was left with 200,000 after doubling up Gergely Kulcsar and moved all in from under the gun. Action folded to Aleksejs Ponakovs in the big blind who called.

Lingkun Lu:   
Aleksejs Ponakovs:   

Neither player connected with the     flop, while Lu made two pair on the   turn. The river came the   and Lu doubled up.

Aleksejs "Aponakov" Ponakovs	965,000	-210,000
Lingkun "CN_23" Lu	520,000	320,000