Event #67: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty

After ten hours of play on Day 3, including a more than four-hour heads-up battle, Anderson Ireland has won Event #67: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty at the 2018 World Series of Poker. Ireland topped a field of 833 runners en route to claiming his first WSOP gold bracelet and a top prize of $141,161.

If you were to google the New Orleans native, or search for any poker results relating to Ireland for that matter, one would come up empty-handed. This is in fact, Ireland's first WSOP cash and first live-recorded tournament score, ever.

"I've been working on it for a little while. Been playing PLO for eight months now. I have some really excellent teachers who teach me the hard way, by taking my money. They'll know who they are. I felt very confident the whole way through. Seemed very natural. It is such a better game than Texas Hold'em."

Anderson has been playing poker regularly for about two and a half years. This is just his 34th tournament ever according to his records."This is my first trip to the World Series. I played the Main. Busted on Day 2."

When asked about the grueling heads-up match against Matt O'Donnell, Ireland said, "That was very, very difficult. That was probably one of the more difficult poker sessions I've had. He was excellent. He was very, very good. I would argue that he is a better PLO player than I am. But the great thing about PLO is anything can happen. I think I played the best PLO I have ever played and I got a few good breaks. I even got a few bad breaks and came back from those."

"I got him all in three times and I was not all in against him a single time."

Final Table Results:

Day 2 kicked off with the unofficial final table of ten. Eventual runner-up Matt O'Donnell returned as the chipleader with the lion's share of a $1,124,550 prize pool up for grabs. Ireland came into Day 3 with the second-best stack. The official final table would be set midway through the first level when James Morgan flopped top pair and got it in only to see O'Donnell with a wrap. O'Donnell made his flush on the turn and Morgan departed in 10th.

A collision of two of the big stacks saw Jameson Painter exit in ninth. With two clubs on the flop, Painter check-raised a Hai Chu bet and the two got it in. Unfortunately for Painter, Chu had a better flush draw which was completed on the turn and Chu took over the chip lead.

Moments later, Harry Pozefsky put himself at risk against Anderson Ireland. Both had flopped top pair but Ireland also flopped a second pair and it held through the run out to bust Pozefsky in eighth. Ireland would claim his second casualty at the table not long afterward, sending Jonathan Thomas to the rail in seventh place. Thomas was short and moved all-in on a six-high flop but Ireland had flopped the nuts and Thomas' day would come to an end.

Almost two whole levels went by before the field was reduced to five. Each of the short stacks scored a double and Andrew Holland attempted to score another, getting aces in preflop against Chu's kings but Chu turned trip fives and Holland was out.

Chu's elimination came after two hands against Ireland. After the two battled and Ireland came out on top for a huge pot, Chu was left with just two big blinds and Ireland scooped those up a couple hands later.

Less than 20 minutes later, the field was heads up. Michal Maryška, who had been grinding a short stack for most of the day and had rarely been seen in a pot, finally found a hand to get his chips in the middle but with pocket aces in his holding, June Park flopped a straight and Maryška was unable to improve.

Before Park even had the chance to stack his chips, he tangled with Ireland, finding aces of his own. After Ireland check-raised pot on a queen-high board, the two got it in and Ireland turned a straight to narrow the field to the final two. Ireland carried a two-to-one chip lead into the battle but O'Donnell was able to double twice to take the lead.

Ireland closed the gap and would eventually reclaim the lead. The two would exchange pots back and forth with the chip lead coming along with them. Finally, Anderson began to take control and built a greater than five-to-one lead. It took more than four hours of heads-up play for the final hand to be dealt.

Ireland would get O'Donnell down to less than ten big blinds and got his opponent to put his chips in the middle behind and Ireland's queens would hold to eliminate O'Donnell in second place and capture the WSOP gold bracelet.

There is still plenty more to come from the 2018 World Series of Poker including the conclusion of the Main Event and the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop. Stay tuned to the blog as PokerNews will be on the floor providing live coverage of each event until the last card of the summer is dealt.

Anderson Ireland limped and Matt O'Donnell checked his option. The flop came down     and O'Donnell check-called a bet of 125,000 to see the   on the turn.

O'Donnell check-called once more, this time for 300,000 before folding to a bet of 600,000 on the river when the   peeled off.

Ireland showed O'Donnell two sixes, making quads.

Anderson Ireland	5,185,000	85,000
Matt O'Donnell	1,065,000	-85,000

The pair of players are now on a 15-minute break.

Anderson Ireland	3,310,000	135,000
Matt O'Donnell	2,940,000	-135,000

On the button, Anderson Ireland limp-called a bet of 160,000 from Matt O'Donnell and the pair of players went to a flop of    .

O'Donnell check-called a bet of 150,000 and they both saw the   fall on the turn and it checked through.

On the   river, O'Donnell again checked it to Ireland who assembled a hefty bet of 400,000, sending O'Donnell into the tank. After a minute or so of weighing the options, O'Donnell tossed in a single chip to indicate a call and Ireland rolled over      for threes full of twos and O'Donnell's hand sailed into the muck as he counted out the chips.

Matt O'Donnell	4,325,000	-525,000
Anderson Ireland	1,925,000	525,000

Matt O'Donnell raised the button and Anderson Ireland called.

On the     flop, Ireland check-called a bet of 150,000 from O'Donnell. The turn brought the   and O'Donnell fired again for 175,000 which Ireland check-called. The   river completed the board and Ireland checked once and O'Donnell fired another bet out, this time for 300,000, and Ireland didn't contemplate long before tossing his hand into the muck.

Matt O'Donnell	4,350,000	1,050,000
Anderson Ireland	1,900,000	-1,050,000

A limp and a check brought a     flop and Anderson Ireland led for 100,000. Matt O'Donnell raised to 300,000 and Ireland called. Ireland checked the   on the turn and then called a 400,000 bet from O'Donnell.

The   hit the river and Ireland led this time, firing 750,000, which O'Donnell would eventually fold to.

Matt O'Donnell	3,300,000	-450,000
Anderson Ireland	2,950,000	450,000

Anderson Ireland opened to 150,000 and Matt O'Donnell defended the big. A     flop fanned out and Anderson continued with a 150,000 bet which O'Donnell called.

The   hit the turn and Ireland bet 275,000. O'Donnell moved all in for 1,460,000 and Ireland called to put the tournament on the line.

Matt O'Donnell:     
Anderson Ireland:     

The   changed nothing on the river and O'Donnell doubled with his straight.

Matt O'Donnell	3,575,000	1,325,000
Anderson Ireland	2,675,000	-1,325,000

Anderson Ireland has taken down the first two sizeable pots after the break to give himself some breathing room against Matt O'Donnell.

In the first one, O'Donnell opened to 150,000 and Ireland flatted. The flop came down     and O'Donnell check-called a bet of 200,000. The   hit the turn and both checked to see the   on the river.

Two more checks saw Ireland claim the pot tabling the     .

The next one saw Ireland limp-call a raise to 150,000 with a     flop fanning out. O'Donnell bet 150,000 and Ireland called to see the   hit the turn.

Both players checked to bring the   on the river and O'Donnell check-folded to a bet of 300,000.

Anderson Ireland	4,375,000	825,000
Matt O'Donnell	1,875,000	-825,000

Instead of taking the scheduled dinner break, the two finalists have decided to take just a 20-minute break. Here's how they currently stack up:

Anderson Ireland	3,550,000	-550,000
Matt O'Donnell	2,700,000	600,000