Event #86: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty
Day 3 Completed
2023 World Series of Poker
Event #86: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2023 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,979
Prize Pool
$2,495,776
Entries
1,417
Level
37
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
9
Players Left
1
Level 37
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Diego Ventura has a long list of accomplishments in his poker career, but a major series title had always eluded the Peruvian all-time money list leader. It took an extra day, but that drought finally came to an end in Event #86: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Ventura outlasted a record-breaking field of 1,417 entries at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, including 15 Poker Hall of Fame members, to score the largest piece of the $2,465,590 prize pool and earn the first live WSOP bracelet for his native country of Peru.
Ventura told PokerNews that he envisioned being the first from his country to step into the winner’s circle in Las Vegas. “I think I always wanted to kind of open that door for other Peruvians to get inspired by that, and hopefully, everyone feels worthy of achieving big things in life”.
The victory over Thomas Kysar earned Ventura the $402,054 top prize along with his first piece of WSOP hardware. “Sometimes I used to doubt myself, because you know, how can I be playing for so long and I haven’t won many live tournaments,” Ventura said after his winner photos, “but then I was like God’s timing is the perfect timing”.
2023 Event #86 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diego Ventura | Peru | $402,054 |
| 2 | Thomas Kysar | United States | $248,502 |
| 3 | Jason James | Canada | $179,593 |
| 4 | Francis Anderson | United States | $131,324 |
| 5 | Jose Nadal | Mexico | $97,174 |
| 6 | Louie Torres | United States | $72,773 |
| 7 | Martin Jacobson | Sweden | $55,165 |
| 8 | Leonid Yanovski | Israel | $42,336 |
| 9 | Jimmy Setna | Canada | $32,897 |
Hall of Fame Field
The field was full of Poker Hall of Famers, with each holding a bounty on their head equalling the year that they were inducted. That list included the newest member Brian Rast, who was the first to be eliminated on Day 1.
Three Hall of Fame members made their way into the money, with Phil Hellmuth and Eli Elezra advancing to Day 2 before hitting the rail. Barbara Enright beat the bubble before exiting with a min-cash on Day 1.
Final Table Action
The final nine returned for action on an unscheduled Day 3, with the slow pace of play from the previous night a thing of the past. Jimmy Setna was the first to hit the rail after running into aces. Israel's Leonid Yanovski finished eighth after moving in against 2014 Main Event winner Martin Jacobson, though those chips didn't last long as Jacobson would fall next when his pocket kings were cracked.
A similar fate awaited Louie Torres, who also his kings come second best to finish in sixth. Ventura and Kysar then took turns eliminating the next three players, with Jose Nadal calling for his tournament life in the big blind before Francis Anderson ran into pocket jacks. Jason James followed by raising into pocket queens to finish in third place.
Kyser took a sizeable chip lead into heads-up play, with both players trading the advantage several times. A break in the action let Ventura shift his focus, taking the lead for good and turning up the pressure. “After the last break I felt like I had a better idea of his strategy,” said Ventura, who let the emotion pour out after winning the final hand.
The Peruvian reflected on the moment after getting his hands on the bracelet. “I was actually getting emotional way before, like when I got to the final table I already wanted to cry. I was like, wait it’s not the moment yet, so I was trying to calm myself down. So when the moment arrived I was like so calm that I couldn’t let my emotions out until, I just started to look back at my life and in that moment I got emotional.”
That concludes PokerNews coverage of this exciting event. Stick with the live reporting team for the rest of the action as the WSOP winds down in Las Vegas.
Level 37
: Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Diego Ventura had been chopping away at Thomas Kysar by continuing to put pressure on his stack throughout the last few hands of heads-up play, via repeatedly moving all-in from the button.
Ventura would do so again in the final hand, but this time Kysar made the call for his remaining 4,300,000 chips.
Thomas Kysar: K?2?
Diego Ventura: A?8?
In a bit of a roller coaster runout, Kysar flopped a pair of deuces on J?5?2? to take the lead.
The board would pair on the J? turn, opening up additional avenues to victory for Ventura.
One of those avenues would materialize on the 5? river, giving both players jacks and fives, but Ventura’s ace kicker would top the king kicker of Kysar and eliminate him in second place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
42,510,000
11,710,000
|
11,710,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level: 37
Blinds: 400,000/800,000
Ante: 800,000
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Thomas Kysar limped and called when Diego Ventura raised to 2,100,000 in the big blind.
Ventura led out for 1,400,000 on the Q?3?7? flop, with Kysar making the call.
The 6? turn saw Ventura fire 5,300,000 to take down another big pot after Kysar mucked his hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
30,800,000
4,600,000
|
4,600,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
11,700,000
-4,600,000
|
-4,600,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
After Thomas Kysar checked the A?5?4? flop, Diego Ventura fired 1,000,000 on the button.
Kysar called to see the 2? turn, checking again before facing a bet of 2,500,000. The call was made to the J? turn, where Kysar checked once more.
Ventura counted out a bet of 7,000,000, producing a fold from Kysar to take the chip advantage again.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
26,200,000
5,450,000
|
5,450,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
16,300,000
-5,500,000
|
-5,500,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Thomas Kysar limped the button and Diego Ventura wrapped the table.
Ventura checked the 7?6?2? flop and Kysar bet out 600,000, with Ventura making the call.
The 6? on the turn paired the board and Ventura took the lead with a bet of 800,000 and Kysar made the quick call.
Ventura slowed down on the 6? river and Kysar stepped up with a bet of 2,200,000.
After some time in the tank, Ventura put in the call and mucked after Kysar showed down A?7? for a full house.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
21,800,000
4,400,000
|
4,400,000 |
|
|
20,750,000
-4,350,000
|
-4,350,000 |
|
|
||
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Diego Ventura limped on the button and Thomas Kysar checked his option in the big blind to the J?J?3? flop.
Kysar checked and called a bet of 600,000 from Ventura. Kysar tapped the table again after the 6? turn before Ventura fired 2,000,000 chips into the middle.
Kysar folded, as Ventura added more chips to his growing stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
25,100,000
1,800,000
|
1,800,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
17,400,000
-1,800,000
|
-1,800,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Thomas Kysar called on the button and called again when Diego Ventura raised to 2,100,000 in the big blind.
Ventura led out for 1,200,000 on the 3?8?Q? flop, with Kysar making the call. Both players then checked the 8? turn.
Ventura fired 2,400,000 on the 8? river, producing a fold from Kysar to take over the chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
23,300,000
4,300,000
|
4,300,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
19,200,000
-4,300,000
|
-4,300,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Diego Ventura limped on the button and Thomas Kysar made it 2,200,000 to go, with Ventura making the call.
Both players checked the 4?K?K? flop and Kysar put out a bet of 2,000,000 on the 8? turn.
Ventura came along and the two players would check the 5? river, with Ventura commenting, "I'm really curious what you have."
Kysar tabled A?Q? for ace-high and Ventura showed down 8?7? for two pair, kings and eights.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
23,500,000
-4,900,000
|
-4,900,000 |
|
|
19,000,000
4,900,000
|
4,900,000 |
|
|
||