Esfandiari takes the biggest prize in history while UK star Sam Trickett is second for $10m
Well, it’s all over. The biggest tournament in poker history is finished, the lights on the Amazon Room main stage are out and everywhere you look people are catching their breath after Antonio ‘The Magician’ Esfandiari took down the $1m Big One for, wait for it, $18.3m!
The win propels Esfandiari to the top of the all-time money list and marks his second WSOP bracelet win in a career that’s been more recognised for its inconsistency than its brilliance. However, those criticisms will be forgotten in a hurry after the Magician pulled his ultimate trick in Vegas this week.
When the $1m buy-in event was proposed by part-time spaceman and Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberte last summer, people scoffed at it. Critics said it was too big, that it wouldn’t get the runners or that it might damage poker. But after three days of high drama, tears and the sickest bubble of all time, we doubt we’ve seen the last of Laliberte and his seven-figure ambitions.
Just 48 players signed up to play, with billionaire businessmen squaring off against poker pros who’d spent months scrabbling together their buy-ins. From Phil Ivey to Daniel Negreanu, ElkY to Jason Mercier, poker’s best and brightest were in Vegas to take part, but it’s Esfandiari whose name will go down in the history books after seeing of Brit hopeful Sam Trickett heads-up.
Trickett, who pocketed a staggering $10.1m for his runner-up finish, is something of a specialist at super high-limit events, with past wins at the Aussie Millions and several deep runs in high rollers already. Sadly for Trickett and all those cheering him on at home, the Big One and a first WSOP bracelet proved a step too far. After running hot for the first three days, the cards deserted him heads-up, and as Esfandiari was presented with his one-of-a-kind WSOP bracelet, worth a reported $350k, Trickett could hardly watch.
On a final table that continued the pro/amateur theme, Trickett, Esfandiari and pros Phil Hellmuth, Brian Rast and Bobby Baldwin took on Laliberte, businessman David Einhorn and Macau cash gamer Richard Yong. And if the early signs were anything to go by, Trickett could be forgiven for thinking it was his day.
After Yong and Baldwin had bust, Trickett rivered quads to eliminate Rast in sixth place in what was undoubtedly the hand of the day. Esfandiari was a constant thorn in the Retford lad’s side, though, and the duo battled for the chip lead throughout, seeing off the challenges of Laliberte, Hellmuth and then Einhorn between them on a lightning fast final table.
As heads-up began, Esfandiari had opened a comfortable lead, and just when Trickett looked to have cut the deficit with top pair on a queen-high flop, a three-outer on the river only added to the Magician’s stack. A few minutes later and that was that.
In the final hand, Trickett four-bet shoved with Qd-6d on a Jd-5d-5c flop but Esfandiari’s flopped set with 7d-5s held for the win. And as The Magician leaped around the stage, tears in his eyes, before being held aloft by his family and friends, Trickett took the short walk back to his rail, turning once to see the celebrations unfolding behind him.
PokerPlayer was lucky enough to be there to witness the drama first hand, and if you want to see photos and videos from the event, check out our Twitter feed. For now, though, our commiserations go out to Trickett… although $10m is one hell of a wooden spoon.
Here’s how the $1m Big One finished up:
1. Antonio Esfandiari $18,346,673
2. Sam Trickett $10,112,001
3. David Einhorn $4,352,000
4. Phil Hellmuth $2,645,333
5. Guy Laliberté $1,834,666
6. Brian Rast $1,621,333
7. Bobby Baldwin $1,408,000
8. Richard Yong $1,237,333
Check out future issues of PokerPlayer for more from the Big One and all the news from this year’s WSOP.
