2023 WSOP Day 48: Main Event Narrows to Three; Smith and Shum Clinch Maiden Bracelets

The historic 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event began with an unprecedented 10,043 entrants, and now it’s down to just three players. Set in the opulent backdrop of the Horseshoe Las Vegas and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Steven Jones, Daniel Weinman, and Adam Walton are competing for the lion’s share of a mind-boggling $93,399,900 prize pool.

Two other playerse have risen to the occasion to take home the gold on Day 48. Bradley Smith from Canada won his maiden WSOP gold Bracelet in Mixed event, while Pierre Shum entered his first-ever tournament and won it against all odds.

Read more about what went down on Day 48 of the 2023 WSOP:

Battle for the 2023 WSOP Main Event Title with Jones, Weinman, And Walton

The day started with nine ambitious contenders, which circled each other cautiously, not willing to be the first to step out of line. It took 45 hands to witness a first elimination, which opened the gate for a series of rapid knockouts.

The first to depart was Italy’s apple tree farmer, Daniel Holzner, who fell into ninth place. He lost a classic poker coin flip against Steven Jones and earned himself a hefty $900,000 for his efforts.

Daniel Holzner 9th place ($900,000)

Shortly after, Juan Maceiras, the chip leader from Day 7, met his match in eighth place. A tough hand against Toby Lewis, in which his Kh 9c failed to improve against Lewis’ Ad Th, ended his tournament run. Nevertheless, he was able to take home a substantial sum of $1,125,000.

Juan Maceiras 8th place ($1,125,000)

Toby Lewis, who had just knocked out Maceiras, found himself on the receiving end in the next elimination. Steven Jones bested Lewis with a pair of tens, sending Lewis out in seventh place with a commendable $1,425,000 prize. The swift pace of eliminations only added to the tension and excitement in the room.

Toby Lewis 7th place ($1,425,000)

The unfortunate next elimination was Dean Hutchison. The Scotsman found himself outmatched by Jan-Peter Jachtmann in a contest of pocket pairs, which sent him out in sixth place with a handsome $1,850,000 in his pocket.

Dean Hutchison 6th place ($1,850,000)

Ruslan Prydryk, the Ukrainian participant, was the next to bow out. His Main Event journey concluded in fifth place when his Qc Tc couldn’t outflop Daniel Weinman’s As Jd, earning him a payout of $2,400,000. Prydryk’s departure brought Day 9 of the Main Event closer to its conclusion as only one more elimination was needed to finish the day.

Ruslan Prydryk 5th place ($2,400,000)

Jan-Peter Jachtmann was the last to be eliminated for the day as he ran into pocket Aces of Adam Walton, securing fourth place and a cool $3,000,000. The heat turned up in the Horseshoe as the crowd roared with “USA, USA, USA” chants as all three final players are American.

Jan-Peter Jachtmann 4th place ($3,000,000)

Steven Jones, Daniel Weinman, and Adam Walton – the last three standing will not only compete for personal glory and the grand prize of $12,100,000, but they will also represent their country as the US will get their first winner since John Cynn won the WSOP Main Event back in 2018.

As we head into the final day, it’s Steven Jones leading the way with 185 million chips. Not too far behind is Daniel Weinman, holding 160 million. Rounding out the trio is Adam Walton, who, despite being in third place, still wields a considerable 155 million chips stack, ensuring a thrilling final 3-way the battle for the coveted WSOP Main Event Championship title.

The action is set to resume at 1 p.m. local time and PokerGO live stream will start an hour later.

2023 WSOP Main Event Final Table Payouts

Bradley Smith Clinches Maiden Bracelet and $221,733 in Event $87: Mixed

Bradley Smith, hailing from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, overcame a field of 460 entrants and a marathon final table to take home his maiden WSOP gold bracelet. Smith, who confessed to having developed a passion for mixed games as recently as 2017 and has never played a live mixed event before that, was jubilant as he clinched his first major victory in the $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better event, realizing a long-held dream.

“It’s always been my dream to win a bracelet,” said Bradley Smith to WSOP. “Anyone who plays poker, it’s their dream to win a bracelet.” Today, his dream became reality, to the tune of a $221,733 prize.

The $2,500 Mixed event stretched into an unscheduled fourth day and Smith starting as the short stack among three left players. However, his calm demeanor paid dividends as he navigated to the eventual heads-up and.

After a roller-coaster heads-up battle with Nghia “3 Putts” Le that saw Smith’s stack rise and fall, it was the Canadian who prevailed, demonstrating his mastery of his two favorite games, Omaha-8, and Stud-8.

The final hand in Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better saw Le make an all-in move from the big blind, which Smith called. Despite Le landing a pair on the flop, Smith made a top pair on the turn and held onto his lead through the river. With that, Le was eliminated, and Smith’s joy was palpable as he was crowned the new champion.

Event #87: $2,500 Mixed Final Table Results

Pierre Shum Emerges Victorious in His First Ever Poker Tournament

One of the last tournaments of the 2023 WSOP summer, has concluded with America’s own Pierre Shum emerging victorious. While the event may bear the name “The Closer,” for Pierre Shum, this marks a spectacular beginning in his poker journey, as this was his first-ever tournament entry and victory for a cash prize of $606,810.

Shum, in his debut poker tournament, outlasted 258 players on the final day, finally overcoming Peter Nigh in a heads-up match. His luck turned for the best when he found quads with his tournament life hanging by a thread. In the final hand, Nigh moved all in from the button, but after some consideration, Shum called with a covering stack. Nigh held Ass and 8 of diamonds, while Shum had Queen of clubs and 2 of clubs.

As the board ran out, Shum found himself smashing the trips, securing his first WSOP gold bracelet.

During the post-tournament interview, Shum, a software engineer by profession, shared his journey, “I was born in Jamaica, and my parents moved there for work. I’ve played poker for a pretty long time, but mostly with friends. I started playing cash games more recently this year. I came in here today to try and win the tournament. The money wasn’t even in my mind.” When asked about his future plans aside from poker, Shum responded with a simple, “We’ll see!”

Event #88: $1,500 The Closer Final Table Results

Images and hand details courtesy of WSOP/PokerNews.