WSOPE Event #11: No-Limit Hold'em Diamond High Roller

Event #11: €50,000 Diamond High Roller No-Limit Hold’em has come to an end after a Day 2 that lasted a total of 10 hours and saw the 45 entries become one champion.

That one champion was Orpen Kisacikoglu who conquered the field of high rollers to win his first WSOP bracelet and the €748,106 first place prize after using a late final table surge to the chip lead and end with an impressive close out of the tournament.

Kisacikoglu, is a well known high roller regular as he often participates in the biggest buy in tournaments around Europe. This win is the third largest score of his career, just behind a Triton Madrid second-place earlier this year and a PokerStars win here in Rozvadov back in 2019. It also adds to his staggering number of 25 six-figure and above tournament scores.

The €748,106 is just enough to send his total career tournament earnings above the $10 million mark, making him by far the world’s most successful poker player from Turkey.

But despite all the accolades that preceded him this particular win is a bit special because it ended with a bracelet. “ It feels incredibly special. Playing with friends makes things more relaxed at the table but yeah when we got to the final few I was starting to feel anxious about finishing second again (referencing his Triton second place result) “

Kisacokoglu also expanded on what it is like to be amongst friends when he plays the high roller events. “I remember what it was like to be a loner at these events. Trying to go it alone. I really don’t miss those days, “ he said after his win with a little bit of emotion coming through. And made friends he certainly has as many of the players he had just defeated congratulated him on his victory.

 Final Results

1. Orpen Kisacikoglu - €748,106
2. Sam Grafton - €462,363
3. Shaun Deeb - €313,919
4. Nick Petrangelo - €220,045
5. Timothy Adams - €159,413
6. Daniel Pidin - €119,492
7. Daniel Dvoress - €92,787

 Action of the Day

The day began with 22 players with registration still open and a few more jumped in to create the final tally of 45 entries which generated a prizepool of €2,116,125.

The final table would be reached around dinnertime, as two more eliminations would be needed to reach the seven in the money. Jorryt Van Hoof exited first from the final table in ninth place and then the bubble boy became Paul Phua who was unable to parlay his bracelet in the 25K Platinum high roller into a cash in the diamond one.

Daniel Dvoress was the first elimination in the money in seventh place and Daniel Pidun was next in sixth as he was unable to emulate his brother’s bracelet win in the 8-game mix from last night.

Timothy Adams entered the day as chip leader and continued to build from the start of the day as he rode that chip lead into the final table. He had the lead all the way down until five handed before losing a key hand that would ultimately be the catalyst for Kisacikoglu’s victory and one that knocked Adams from his perch down to the short stack where he would last for only a bit longer before busting in fifth place.

Shaun Deeb had a bit of a run during the final table as his string of knocking players out continued as he felled Nick Petrangelo after Petrangelo had been able to manage a short stack from the bubble to a fourth place finish.

Deeb was going for a much-desired sixth WSOP bracelet and for a while it looked as though he was on track for it as he took the chip lead on a few occasions during the final table. However, during three-handed play he would become the victim of a preflop cooler as he ran pocket jacks into the pocket kings of Kisacikoglu to end his bid in third place.

Kisacikoglu would face-off against Sam Grafton heads-up, who laddered his way from a short stack at the start of the final table all the way to the final two. It was a battle between two in-form veteran high stakes players who were both searching for that elusive first WSOP bracelet. But the battle turned out to be a short one as Kisacikoglu would need only a few hands to use his 89 to 24 big blind advantage to deplete Grafton. Culminating when he made a straight on the river on the final hand to end things as the two high roller adversaries and friends embraced after the final card with genuine happiness coming from both players.

That wraps up WSOP.com's coverage of the Diamond High Roller in yet another exciting event here in Rozvadov. Stay tuned for more in the coming days, including from the Main Event. 

Both players traded pots back and forth to start heads-up play, with Sam Grafton chipping up a little bit.

In the next hand, Orpen Kisacikoglu limped in with    and Grafton checked back   .

The dealer fanned the     flop and both players checked to the   turn. Grafton checked again and Kisacikoglu bet 700,000. Grafton folded. 

Orpen Kisacikoglu - 34,000,000
Sam Grafton - 11,000,000

Sam Grafton raised to 800,000 on the button with    and Shaun Deeb three-bet to 2.5 million from the small blind with   . Orpen Kisacikoglu four-bet to 5 million from the big blind with    and Grafton mucked. 

Deeb used a time chip and then moved all in for 16 million. Kisacikoglu snap-called and Deeb was at risk for his tournament life, needing to improve to stay in the game.

The dealer fanned the     flop and Kisacikoglu was still in the lead with kings. The   turn and   river changed nothing. sending Deeb to the rail in third place.

Orpen Kisacikoglu - 35,400,000
Sam Grafton - 9,725,000
Shaun Deeb - Eliminated in 3rd place (€313,919)

Shaun Deeb was in the small blind with    and completed, while Orpen Kisacikoglu checked back    from the big blind.

The dealer fanned the     flop and Deeb led out for 450,000. Kisacikoglu wasn't folding second pair and put in chips to call.

The   turn hit the felt and Deeb led for 950,000 this time. Kisacikoglumucked and Deeb raked in the pot. 

Shaun Deeb - 14,000,000
Orpen Kisacikoglu - 24,000,000

Orpen Kisacikoglu jammed all in with    from the small blind and Timothy Adams called off his stack of 1.8 million with    from the big blind.

The flop came     and it looked safe for Adams to double through. The turn was the   but the river was the   and Kisacikoglu connected to eliminate the start-of-final table chip leader.

Orpen Kisacikoglu - 26,000,000
Timothy Adams - Eliminated in 5th place (€159,413)

Orpen Kisacikoglu raised to 600,000 from under the gun with the   . Shaun Deeb defended his big blind with the   . 

The flop came down    . Kisacikoglu bet 325,000 and Deeb called. Kisacikoglu turned two pair as the   hit. Both players checked.

 The river was the  . Kisacikoglu went big with a bet of 2,300,000 and Deeb snap-folded his small pair.

Orpen Kisacikoglu - 19,000,000
Shaun Deeb - 12,000,000

Orpen Kisacikoglu raised to 600,000 first to act with    and Shaun Deeb defended his big blind with   .

The dealer fanned the     flop and Deeb checked. Kisacikoglu checkd back and the two players went to the   turn. Both players checked top pair again and checked again through the   river and chopped it up.

Orpen Kisacikoglu - 18,000,000
Shaun Deeb - 15,000,000

Nick Petrangelo opened to 625,000 from the button with the   . Shaun Deeb woke up with    in the small blind and three-bet to 1,500,000. Orpen Kisacikoglu then four-bet to 3,100,000 with the    from the big blind. Petrangelo quickly departed. 

Deeb thought for a while and weighed his options before moving all in which got a snap fold from Kisacikoglu and Deeb gathered the nice preflop pot.

Shaun Deeb - 14,000,000
Orpen Kisacikoglu - 7,900,000
Nick Petrangelo - 4,400,000

Shaun Deeb raised to 375,000 from the button with the    whiel Timothy Adams defended the big blind with the   .

The flop landed    . Deeb bet 375,000 and Adams called. The turn was the   and both players checked to the   river where they also checked.

Adams showed his winning pair of queens and won the pot to pull away from Deeb a bit.

Timothy Adams - 16,000,000
Sean Deeb - 11,000,000