Rami Boukai Wins Event #23: $1,500 8-Game Mix ($177,294)
Rami Boukai has captured his second career WSOP bracelet, closing out the heads-up battle against John Evans in Event #23: $1,500 8-Game Mix and taking home the first-place prize of $177,294. Wednesday��s action lasted just 40 minutes, as Boukai started Day 4 with a commanding chip lead and closed the deal quickly, securing the six-figure payday.
Boukai, whose previous bracelet win came at the 2009 WSOP in the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha/Hold��em event, said the money is most important thing to him.
��It��s 170 thousand, so yeah, it��s a big deal,�� Boukai said. ��I��m here for the money.��
The event spilled over into an unscheduled Day 4, with Day 3 play ending in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The tournament restarted at 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon with just Boukai and Evans remaining, and Boukai holding a three-to-one chip lead.
By 2:40 p.m., the day was done. Boukai steadily eroded Evans�� stack throughout rounds of no-limit hold��em, seven-card stud and Omaha hi-lo, and sealed the victory on the first limit hold��em hand of the day.
Boukai said the extension into the extra day didn��t play any factor in the way the tournament played out.
��I don��t sleep too well in the city anyway,�� Boukai said. ��I just didn��t want to [mess] things up. I had a big chip lead, so it was as good of a spot as I could see myself in.��
Mixed-Game Masters at the Final Table
Boukai emerged through a final table that included a number of successful mixed-game players. Philip Long, the defending champion in this event, finished fourth ($49,531), while Allen Kessler ($34,329) came up just short of his first WSOP bracelet.
Chris Klodnicki ($72,933) posted his second top-five finish in a mixed-game event at the 2019 WSOP, finishing third in the $1,500 8-Game Mix on the heels of a fifth-place finish in $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. It looked like Klodnicki would advance to the extra day and make it a three-way fight to the finish on Day 4, but he was eliminated just before the end of play on Day 3.
Evans posted the biggest cash of his career ($109,553), coming in second among the starting field of 612 players. Evans came up short in his quest for the bracelet, and he was up against tough competition in Boukai, who��s a veteran of the 8-game format.
��I��ve been playing 8-game mix for at least 10 years, all the tournaments are the same for the most part,�� Boukai said.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rami Boukai | United States | $177,294 |
| 2 | John Evans | United States | $109,553 |
| 3 | Chris Klodnicki | United States | $72,933 |
| 4 | Philip Long | United Kingdom | $49,531 |
| 5 | Allen Kessler | United States | $34,329 |
| 6 | Donny Rubinstein | United States | $24,292 |