Weinman Wins: Jacks Are New WSOP Champion’s Best Friend
Daniel Weinman, from Atlanta, Georgia, is the 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event champion. One of three Americans that reached the final table, the 35-year-old player overcame 10,042 rivals to collect the record $12.1 million first prize on Monday evening.
British players performed exceptionally in the Main Event of the World Series (WSOP). Despite being numerically dwarfed by North American players, five Brits reached the top 20. Andrew Hulme finished 18th, Josh Payne was 14th, and Sachin Joshi took 13th.
Dreams do come true! The World Series of Poker has a new Main Event champion and made eight finalists instant millionaires. ©GettyImages
Southampton’s Toby Lewis – already a big winner at the 2023 WSOP – and Glasgow’s Dean Huchison both made the final table. Lewis, who set out with the shortest chip stack when nine-handed play began, secured seventh for a $1.425 million payday. Huchison walked away with $1.85 million.
Jacks Were Weinman’s Best Friend
After receiving the winner’s gold bracelet, Weinman acknowledged the fickle poker gods played a huge part in his victory. “There’s been three or four hands in this tournament where I got unbelievably lucky,” he exclaimed. “You just kind of feel like maybe it’s my time, whether that’s because I put in the time for close to 20 years now or something else. It feels so incredible.”
A crucial pot came at the end of Day 8, at a point when just 14 players remained. A massive pre-flop all-in confrontation saw him eliminate Joshua Payne and decimate Jose Aguilera’s stack. Weinman was in poor shape with pocket Jacks as his opponents held Queens and Kings.
A blank flop meant the future champion had just an eight percent chance of winning the 60 million chip pot. However, a Jack on the turn changed the entire complexion of the tournament. Weinman joined the final table in the second position in the chip standings. Only the eventual third, Adam Walton had more chips.
The decisive hand saw Steve Jones give Weinman a huge decision when moving all-in on a Jack-5-2-4 board. This protracted duel ultimately led to a call, and when the hands were revealed, Jones was drawing thin with his Jack-8 well behind Weinman’s Jack-King. The three-outer never arrived, and Daniel Weinman became the first American to win the Main Event since John Cynn in 2018.
Stars to Gather in Hamburg
As the 2023 World Series of Poker ended, daytime temperatures in Nevada hovered around 115 degrees Fahrenheit. It is one reason why a Vegas exodus of poker players is inevitable. Those financially wounded will doubtlessly regroup and find new events to play.
An event of interest and a recent addition to the European poker calendar is a Eureka Tour leg in Hamburg, Germany. Played in Casino Schenefeld, the PokerStars-backed event will take place from September 26th until October 3rd, 2023.
Announcing the fourth leg of a six-stop tour, Casino Schenefeld Director Jessica Barke said: “We are very pleased that after 2015 and 2016, Eureka 2023 is finally coming back to Casino Schenefeld near Hamburg. We’re looking forward to welcoming not only many locals but also international guests, and we promise a chilled-out atmosphere, very familial service, and, of course, action at the tables!”
Players can buy into the Eureka Main Event for €1,100 and the Eureka High Roller tournament for €2,200. As usual, online players can win their way into either competition via online satellites at PokerStars online site.
Elsewhere, PokerStars – responsible for 200 billion dealt hands since its 2001 launch – has announced the dates for its World Championship of Online Poker. The festival will run for almost a month, from September 10th until October 4th, 2023.
Last year its Main Event – which boasted a $7 million guarantee, attracted a total of 760 entries, and produced a prize pool of $7,600,000 – was won by Portugal’s Luis Faria. His prize was $1.29 million.
