The Event #87 (US$ 1,000 Mystery Bounty PLO) of the WSOP came to an end after an extra day of competition. However, the best performer was Matthew Shepsky, who overcame a field of 4,764 entries and won the first bracelet of his career. Besides the title, the American pocketed US$ 305,000 for the victory.
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Additionally, Matthew Shepsky also earned more than US$ 20,000 in bounties during the campaign. The tournament distributed a prize pool of US$ 4,192,320, an amount formed from the entries of two qualifying days. Thus, the champion reached the highest prize of his live tournament career.
Meanwhile, the Chilean Alex Manzano came very close to a WSOP second title. He advanced to the heads-up but finished in second place, securing US$ 204,000, in addition to the bounties won throughout the competition. Among the Brazilians, the best was Luiz Daniel, eliminated in 165th place for US$ 2,500.
On the other hand, the result also marked a new chapter in Matthew Shepsky‘s career. With the victory, he raised his live tournament earnings to almost US$ 2 million and surpassed his previous highest career prize, which was US$ 262,300.
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Check out the final table payouts:
| Position | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Shepsky | United States | US$ 305,000 |
| 2 | Alex Manzano | Chile | US$ 204,000 |
| 3 | Jeremy Kerbel | United States | US$ 151,000 |
| 4 | Christopher Vitch | United States | US$ 112,000 |
| 5 | Mark Radoja | Canada | US$ 84,000 |
| 6 | Nick Pupillo | United States | US$ 64,000 |
| 7 | Wojciech Barzantny | Austria | US$ 49,000 |
| 8 | Andre Rieder | United States | US$ 38,000 |
PLO experience was decisive for the title
After the win, Matthew Shepsky explained that experience in the PLO format made the difference during the final table. “I started playing PLO cash games in 2013. Since then, I have practically played only this format”, he said in an interview with PokerNews.
Furthermore, the champion revealed that he used concepts learned in sit and gos to maintain constant pressure on opponents. “I did my best to keep the pressure, even when I had a bad hand”, he highlighted. In this way, he increased his chip lead and controlled the action until confirming the title.
Finally, Matthew Shepsky celebrated winning his first bracelet and did not hide his emotion after the victory. “I am ecstatic. There is no better feeling than winning a tournament”, he declared. Now, the American will return to Chicago, where he intends to celebrate the title with his family.
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