Event #33: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Another young German player joined the ranks of World Series of Poker bracelet winners, as 22-year-old Chris Frank conquered a field of 1,698 to win Event #33: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em for $384,833.

Frank had already had quite a bit of success playing live tournaments, racking up north of $1 million in cashes before this win, but he was thrilled all the same, shouting with excitement as the last card peeled off the deck in his heads-up match with Ryan Leng.

"I don't think it really has sunk in yet," Frank said. "It's a very good feeling. I've been playing the live circuit for pretty long, and I've always dreamed of winning something big. Now, I've done it, so that's pretty cool."

Frank came in with one of the bigger stacks at the start of the day, but Leng was the one who dominated for most of Day 3. He had nearly double the chips of second-place Pratyush Buddiga when the unofficial final table got rolling. There was plenty of notable competition, as in addition to Buddiga, Georgios Sotiropoulos, Noah Vaillancourt, Max Pescatori and Michael Gagliano all made the final table.

Leng continued to crush, scoring the first four eliminations at the official final table — including the latter four notables listed above — and amassing nearly half of the chips in play.

"Ryan had good hands and played well and was busting people," Frank said of the early portions of the final table. "We were short-handed pretty quickly. Then, I just ran super good."

Indeed, Frank went on a heater at that point. His trademark move became the snappiest of snap-calls, wherein he'd be facing an all-in bet and splash in chips while turning over his cards in the blink of an eye.

First, it was ace-king against the threes of Grant Denison, hitting an ace on the river. Then, he three-bet aces against Buddiga, who four-bet shoved fours and went bust when neither he nor Frank improved. He made flush over flush and aces up over aces up against Leng to take a good chunk of his chips, as well.

Arkadiy Tsinis was the next victim of the snap-call, as he jammed jack-eight of diamonds and ran into Frank's ace-king of diamonds.

Frank had about a 3:1 lead heads-up against Leng, and it didn't take him long to finish the job, as it was over in about 20 hands, including a huge bluff catch by Frank with second pair.

"I think I played well, but I just had very good situations and spots, and it was pretty easy," Frank said.

The snap-calls, Frank said, are just a normal part of his game, and he characterized himself as an overall fast player.

"I had so many good hands!" he said. "I wanted to put my chips in."

While Leng had a decent-sized rail cheering him on, Frank noted about halfway through the final table that he had naught but ghosts on his side.

When some of the railbirds needled him gently about it, he fired back.

"I guess the reason the Germans have all the money is because they are grinding and not watching," he said.

"I guess these days, the Germans have won so much that an event like this isn't that exciting anymore," Frank said after he finished off Leng. "I have to win something bigger, then I'll get a bigger rail."

With just a hair under $1.5 million in cashes and a WSOP bracelet at age 22, it might not be long before that happens.

Hand #93: Christopher Frank made it 150,000, and Ryan Leng called. Leng check-called 180,000, then 430,000 as the board rolled out      . Finally, he folded to a river bet of 1,000,000.

Hand #94: Leng called on the button, and Frank made it 240,000 in the big blind. Leng called. The flop came    , and Frank bet 200,000. Leng called. On the   turn, Frank slowed down with a check, and Leng bet 375,000. Frank called. On the   river, Frank checked and tank-folded to a bet of 555,000.

Hand #95: Leng got a walk.

Hand #96: Leng made it 175,000 on the button, and Frank called. The flop came    , and Leng bet 210,000. Frank called. The German then check-called 525,000 on the   turn, and the river was the  , completing a couple of draws. Frank checked a final time, and Leng bet 1,250,000.

Frank thought for about 15 seconds and grimaced before splashing in a call.

"You're good," Leng said, flicking    into the middle.

Frank had turned a pair with    and took the pot.

Hand #97: Leng got a walk.

Hand #98: Leng called on the button, and Frank checked. Frank checked the     flop, and Leng bet 65,000. Frank raised to 180,000 and got a quick fold.

Hand #99: Frank raised to 125,000 on the button, and Leng folded.

Christopher Frank	11,135,000	1,700,000
Ryan Leng	1,600,000	-1,700,000

Hand #83: Arkadiy Tsinis moved all in from the button, and Christopher Frank called before Ryan Leng's cards were even in the muck.

Tsinis:   
Frank:   

The flop brought    , pairing Frank and leaving Tsinis in need of a king. The   gave Frank a straight, though, and the river was the  .

Christopher Frank	9,135,000	2,235,000
Ryan Leng	3,600,000	3,150,000
Arkadiy Tsinis	0	-1,200,000

Hand #70: Arkadiy Tsinis raised from the small blind and won the pot.

Hand #71: Tsinis raised on the button, and Christopher Frank moved all in to win the pot.

Hand #72: Ryan Leng raised from the button, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #73: Frank raised and won the blinds and antes.

Hand #74: Leng limped in the small blind, and Frank raised in the big blind to win the pot.

Hand #75: Frank limped in the small blind, and Tsinis checked his option in the big. The flop was    , and a bet of 60,000 from Frank was called. The turn was the  , and it checked through to the   river. Frank bet 110,000, and Tsinis raised 250,000 but mucked when Frank called with   .

Hand #76: Frank made it 130,000 from the button, and Leng called. The flop was    . Frank bet 90,000 out of turn, and Leng called. The turn was the  , where the confusion was realized, and they checked. The river was the  , and Leng check-called another bet of 400,000. He mucked when Frank showed    for a flush.

Hand #77: Tsinis raised and won the blinds and antes.

Hand #78: A continuation bet on the     flop from Frank won a pot from Tsinis.

Christopher Frank	6,900,000	1,125,000
Ryan Leng	4,500,000	-660,000
Arkadiy Tsinis	1,200,000	-985,000

Hand #67: Arkadiy Tsinis raised to 130,000 on the button, and Ryan Leng called in the small blind. Leng led out for 115,000 on the     flop. Tsinis double-checked his holdings and called. On the   turn, Leng check-called a bet of 175,000 from Tsinis. Both players checked as the   river made a flush on board, and Leng showed    for a flopped one to take the pot.

Hand #68: Leng raised to 125,000 on the button, and Frank called in the big blind. On the     flop, Leng bet 130,000, and Frank check-raised to 380,000. Leng called, and they both checked the   turn and   river.

Frank rolled over    for the nut low, and Leng won with   .

Ryan Leng

5,160,000

180,000

Hand #65: Ryan Leng called under the gun, Christopher Frank completed the blind, and Arkadiy Tsinis checked. Action checked to Leng on the     flop, and he bet 85,000. Frank called, as did Tsinis. Frank came out betting 275,000 on the   turn, and only Leng called. Frank fired 540,000 on the   river, and Leng quickly called again.

Frank showed   , besting the    for two pair shown by Leng.

Hand #66: After unknown preflop action, Frank and Tsinis checked down the       board, and the    of Tsinis took the pot.

Hand #47: Arkadiy Tsinis raised to 110,000 in the cutoff, and Ryan Leng called on the button. With the board reading      after three checks, Leng bet 125,000 and won the pot.

Hand #48: Christopher Frank got a walk.

Hand #49: Frank called in the small blind, and Tsinis checked the big. Frank bet 50,000 on the     flop and won the pot.

Hand #50: Frank raised to 110,000 on the button and snap-folded to a three-bet from Tsinis.

Hand #51: Frank raised to 110,000 and won the pot.

Hand #52: Leng raised to 115,000 on the button. Frank made it 440,000 in the big blind. Leng thought a bit and folded.

"You'd kill me if you knew what I just folded," he yelled to Chance Kornuth on the rail.

Hand #53: Pratyush Buddiga raised to 110,000 on the button. Frank called in the small blind and check-folded to a bet of 130,000 on the     flop.

Hand #39: Grant Denison made it 115,000, Christopher Frank called in the small blind, and Arkadiy Tsinis called in the big blind. They checked to the turn of the      board, where Denison bet, and Frank called. The river was the  , and a bet of 185,000 from Frank got a Denison call. Frank had an ace-high flush with   .

Hand #40: Tsinis limped in the small blind, and Ryan Leng checked his option. The flop was    , and a bet from Leng took it.

Hand #41: Tsinis raised and won the blinds and antes.

Hand #42: Frank opened and folded to a Leng three-bet.

Hand #43: Tsinis opened under the gun, and Frank called in the big blind. They went to the river of a       board, where a bet of 400,000 from Frank got through.

Hand #44: Leng raised, and Tsinis called in the big blind. They went to the river of a board reading      . Tsinis bet 200,000, and Leng called. Tsinis showed   , and Leng showed    for a chop.

Hand #45: Leng got a walk.

Hand #30: Ryan Leng shoved from the small blind, and Georgios Sotiropoulos called.

Ryan Leng:   
Georgios Sotiropoulos:   

The board ran out      . Leng claimed another victim and sent Sotiropoulos packing.

Ryan Leng	5,800,000	860,000
Georgios Sotiropoulos	0	-960,000