2023 WSOP Day 16: A Quintet of Victories – Ector, Arends, Monnette, Dulaney, and Ioli Take Home Gold

Day 16 was one of the busiest days at the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

The action-packed day saw a storm of victories with Benjamin Ector, Jans Arends, John Monnette, Scott Dulaney, and Mark Ioli each securing prestigious WSOP bracelets in their respective events.

Read on to learn more about these events in our daily WSOP recap.

Benjamin Ector Dominates Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout ($406,403)

After attending the World Series of Poker for the last 8 years, Benjamin Ector finally left a permanent mark on the series, securing his first-ever gold bracelet and impressive $406,403 in prize money in Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout.

The tournament witnessed Ector defeating 2,046 entries, including Germany’s Dietrich Fast, the only former bracelet winner at the final table, who ended up in eighth place, Matthew Hunt, who held the chip lead at the beginning of Day 3, third-place finisher Nick Palma, and finally, Adam Swan in a short heads-up battle.

Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Final Tahle Results

Jans Arends Triumphs Over Elite Field to Claim Event #29: $100,000 High Roller ($2,576,729)

Event #29: $100,000 High Roller concluded on Day 3 with a clash between a PokerGO President, Cary “El Jefe” Katz and online crusher, Jans “Graftekkel” Arends. The former couldn’t overtake his opponent, starting the heads-up battle at 4:1 underdog and the Dutch professional clinched his second gold bracelet, first in the live tournament for a staggering $2,576,729.

“First of all, I enjoy the game a lot, especially when I’m running hot and this year has been absolutely crazy,” Arends told PokerNews. “I’ve never run this hot in my life.”

“It’s completely different live,” Arends said. “Live is more pressure, there’s people around, there’s cameras, live-streamed final table. There’s added pressure. The first one was just an online tourney and basically, all that people saw in the end was who won. So, this is very different. Way more special, I would say.”

The event garnered 93 total entrants, outshining last year’s count of 62 and generating a hefty prize pool of $8,997,750. The entire field was a veritable Who’s Who of poker, featuring renowned figures like Adrian Mateos, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Justin Bonomo, world champions Koray Aldemir and Espen Jorstad, Jeremy Ausmus, and many more.

Event #29: $100,000 High Roller Final Table Results

High Five for John Monnette for 5^th Bracelet in Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw ($145,863)

In intense heads-up showdown against Christopher Chung, John Monnette stole the limelight in Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw, despite being down to only half a bet, making an incredible comeback to win his fifth WSOP bracelet along with $145,863 cash prize.

“It means a lot, that’s why we’re here in these tournaments, just battling. Nothing’s like it; nothing brings the energy that the WSOP does. You get the best players all playing together, battling to just get the bracelet,” said Monnette after the win to WSOP.

Monnette is one of the best mixed games players in the world and now he joins his fellow player Josh Arieh, who secured his 5^th bracelet few days ago, in an exclusive club of WSOP five-timers.

Event #30: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Final Table Results

Firefighter Scott Dulaney Scores Big in Event #31: $600 Mixed Event ($194,155)

Houston firefighter Scott Dulaney started the day in sixth position, gradually making his way up the ladder and ultimately triumphing in a heads-up fight against Sridhar Sangannagari, to claim a victory in Event #31: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack for $194,155 and esteemed WSOP gold bracelet.

Dulaney’s firefighting background seemed to serve him well at the poker table, claiming that it helps him in all the aspects of poker. “I take aggressive firefighting tactics and apply them to the poker table. I’ve always done that and now it’s paying off,” said Dulaney.

“I’m really excited, kinda reeling at the moment,” Dulaney said afterward to WSOP. “But I knew it was gonna happen and I plan on winning multiple Omaha bracelets this week, this year. I think all the best Omaha players in the world come from Houston and I’m trying to prove it this summer.”

The tournament drew a record-breaking 2,758 entries, generating a prize pool of $1,406,580. The final day was quite a rollercoaster of events, with the player count quickly dropping from the starting 122 to the final nine.

Among the standouts was British pro Barny Boatman, who deftly navigated from a modest stack to sit second in chips by the time the event reached its final table. Unfortunately, his luck ran out early and exited the tournament in 8^th place.

Event #31: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em; Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack Final Table Results

Former Magic Player Mark Ioli Clinches His First Bracelet in Event #32: $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em ($558,266)

The $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max in Event #32 of the World Series of Poker saw intense competition among 1,241 players over two days. By the second day, only 58 players remained in a fight for a share of a $3,313,470 big prize pool.

After several near misses, it was Mark Ioli emerging on top and securing his first-ever gold bracelet and career-best $558,266, after being runner-up twice in 2020 and 2021.

“It was a long two days, but it was worth it,” told Ioli to the WSOP. “The two previous times I got heads up for a bracelet, I was a card away from winning. So it feels good to finally win. It’s the one accolade in poker you want no matter what.”

Day 2 of the event saw many notable poker professionals bow out early, including Alex Foxen, John Dolan, Martin Jacobson, Maria Ho, and Noah Schwartz. The unofficial seven-handed final table was reached when Chris Hunichen, the start of the day chip leader, was eliminated in eighth place by Johann Ibanez.

The tournament unfolded in a dramatic, 2.5-hour marathon heads-up battle that saw the lead changing hands multiple times. The turning point arrived when Ioli’s ace-king trumped Ibanez’s pocket eights, giving him a significant lead. In the final hand, Ibanez’s ace-ten was defeated by Ioli’s king-jack, crowning him the champion of the tournament, while Ibanez finished his impressive run in second place, taking home $345,034.

Event #32: $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Final Table Results

Images courtesy of WSOP/PokerNews.