The first to inaugurate the new WSOP stage to receive a bracelet was the American Daniyal Gheba. He overcame a field of 570 players and won the first bracelet of his career. The win happened in Event #2 (US$ 5,000 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed), a result that guaranteed a prize of US$ 502,985.
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Moreover, Daniyal had to overcome a final table full of foreign players to reach the top of the podium. Only he and Casey Hatmaker, who finished in ninth place, represented the United States. The final also featured three Russians and three Chinese among the finalists.
However, the largest share of the US$ 2,622,000 distributed in the competition went to the champion. “It is obviously life-changing money, it’s a lot of money”, Daniyal told PokerNews. He then added: “I think no one at this final table cared about the prize increases, they were all rich”.
Meanwhile, the only Brazilian to enter the payout zone was Vitor Dzivielevski, who finished in 53rd place and received US$ 9,947. Other well-known names also cashed. The Czech Martin Kabrhel finished in 28th place and took home US$ 15,879.
Check out the final table payouts:
| Position | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniyal Gheba | United States | US$ 502,985 |
| 2 | Chenxiang Miao | China | US$ 335,290 |
| 3 | Xiaohu Liu | China | US$ 234,432 |
| 4 | Ren Lin | China | US$ 166,448 |
| 5 | Peter Mugar | United States | US$ 120,035 |
| 6 | Ivan Ruban | Russia | US$ 87,945 |
| 7 | Anatoly Nikitin | Russia | US$ 65,479 |
| 8 | Casey Hatmaker | United States | US$ 49,556 |
Biggest reward of his career
However, the win also represented the biggest prize in Daniyal Gheba’s live circuit career. According to The Hendon Mob, he now accumulates US$ 1,947,718 in live earnings.
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Before this result, the biggest cash of his career had been US$ 185,000, won with a runner-up finish in Event #5 of the Poker Masters.
Additionally, the champion made a point of thanking two important names in high stakes poker: Chance Kornuth and Alex Foxen. “Having them at the edge of the final table, in the photo, was great. It’s important to stay focused in these moments, think about strategy, and play one hand at a time”, he commented.
Finally, Daniyal faced the Chinese Chenxiang Miao in the decisive heads-up. The Asian started the duel with a chip lead but suffered the turnaround. In the final hand, both went all-in on the 622 flop, with two diamonds. Chenxiang had TT, while Daniyal held 54 of diamonds. A diamond on the river completed the flush and confirmed the win of the first WSOP bracelet for the American.
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