Who has never heard the poker maxim of “a chip and a chair”? That’s exactly what happened to Naoya Kihara in Event #17 (US$ 10,000 NL 2-7 Single Draw). After attempting a bluff at the end of Day 1, he was left with just one chip. However, he managed an impressive comeback, overcoming 198 entries and winning US$ 428,923.
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Thus, Naoya Kihara won his second career bracelet. Before this result, he won Event #34 (US$ 5,000 PLO 6-Handed) at the 2012 WSOP. On that occasion, Kihara became the first Japanese player to win a world champion’s jewel at the Las Vegas series.
However, Kihara’s journey in the tournament was far from smooth. During the final day, he faced great poker pros. Furthermore, Phil Hellmuth, WSOP bracelet record holder, almost reached another final table. The “Poker Brat” fell in 9th place precisely to Kihara and secured US$ 41,656.
In addition, the Japanese player also faced another WSOP Main Event world champion. John Cynn, winner of the 2018 edition, finished in third place and received US$ 198,302. Meanwhile, David Lin completed the podium by finishing in second place and pocketing US$ 288,711.
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Check out the final table payouts:
| Position | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naoya Kihara | Japan | US$ 428.923 |
| 2 | David Lin | United States | US$ 288.711 |
| 3 | John Cynn | United States | US$ 198.302 |
| 4 | Ryutaro Suzuki | Japan | US$ 139.038 |
| 5 | Shaun Deeb | United States | US$ 99.557 |
| 6 | Dan Shak | United States | US$ 72.834 |
| 7 | Per Hildebrand | Sweden | US$ 54.467 |
A battle on the final day
However, the last day of play lasted for approximately 14 hours. When the heads-up began, both finalists were already showing fatigue. Even so, Kihara maintained the same level of performance. “Even if I get tired, my game is the same, nothing changes”, said the champion in an interview with PokerNews.
However, the main topic of the interviews was the incredible comeback of the Japanese player after being left with just one chip. “I tripled up, doubled up, tripled up again, and managed to come back and win the tournament”, stated Kihara, still not believing the feat. “I had never seen that before, now it happened to me, it’s truly incredible”, he added.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Naoya Kihara has been playing WSOP tournaments since 2011. In addition, his profile on The Hendon Mob records over US$ 2.8 million in winnings in live circuits. His biggest career reward came at the 2022 WSOP, when he finished third in the US$ 50K High Roller and received US$ 639,257.
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