One of the most accessible events at this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP), Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout, attracted a massive crowd of 3,485 players, which generated a prize pool of $1,463,700. Originally planned as a two-day event, the tournament extended into a third day, with the final eight players returning on Friday for the final showdown.
It was Daniel Willis, a British businessman and former poker pro, who turned his $500 buy-in into a remarkable $175,578 payday and claimed the coveted WSOP bracelet. “Coming off the first event I played and having a huge win, it’s a dream come true moment,” Willis shared with WSOP.com.
Despite entering the final day as the commanding chip leader, Willis still had some work to do on his way to victory. In the heads-up battle for the win, he overcame two-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael Wang, who took home $117,056 as the runner-up. Willis credited the momentum he had going into the final table for his success.
“The final table seemed to go really smoothly,” Willis said. “Someone shoved all in, and I had kings; obviously an easy call. The same thing happened again, and I had aces. It just kept going like that where I was in those dream scenarios, spots that a lot of poker players would just love to be in and would just appreciate that the luck is on your side.”
This event was Willis’s first participation at the World Series of Poker, but it certainly won’t be his last. He plans to take a few days off to celebrate before entering other events, with a particular eyeing the $1,000 Mystery Millions, featuring a $1,000,000 Mystery Bounty.
The event also saw many notable players making deep runs, including Daniel Negreanu, who finished in 16th place, earning $8,541. For those interested in seeing the $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout from his perspective, check out his legendary 2024 WSOP Daily VLOGS. Other bracelet winners who went deep in the tournament include Ryan Riess (63rd – $2,679), Marco Johnson (47th – $3,805), Jason Wheeler (14th – $8,541), and Hungarian Tamas Lendvai (13th – $10,685).
Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 |  Daniel Willis | United Kingdom | $175,578 |
| 2 |  Michael Wang | United States | $117,056 |
| 3 | Shawn Smith | United States | $86,820 |
| 4 | Steven Borella | United States | $64,920 |
| 5 |  Yoshinori Funayama | Japan | $48,938 |
| 6 | Daniel Sherer | United States | $37,194 |
| 7 | John Marino | United States | $28,501 |
| 8 | David Niedringhaus | United States | $22,022 |
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Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Final Table Recap
A total of 151 players from the starting field of 3,485 returned for the second day of Event #3: $500 WSOP Kickoff No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout. Although play resumed at 11 a.m., eight hours into the day, the tournament was far from over. During the last dinner break, a decision was made to stop play when eight players remained.
Aaron Aldy became the unfortunate final-day bubble boy when his pocket sixes ran into Daniel Sherer’s pocket nines. Heading into the third day, Daniel Willis bagged 47 big blinds, followed by Shawn Smith with 32 big blinds and Michael Wang with 25 big blinds. The remaining players were in immediate danger with much shallower stacks.
David Niedringhaus was the final day’s first elimination. He went all-in with six blinds, holding ace-queen against Steven Borella’s king-jack. A jack on the flop sealed Niedringhaus’s fate.
John Marino was the next to fall, finishing in seventh place. He moved all-in with pocket sevens but ran into Shawn Smith’s pocket tens, which held up. Wang then became a serious contender for his third WSOP bracelet by eliminating Sherer in sixth place and taking a chip lead. Sherer’s king-queen couldn’t outrun Wang’s pocket tens, especially after a ten hit the flop.
The action moved quickly, and it took only 20 minutes for a heads-up to form. First, Yoshinori Funayama moved all-in with jack-eight from under the gun but was called by Willis’s pocket kings. Willis’s momentum continued as he then eliminated Borella in fourth place, with pocket aces holding against king-deuce. In the very next hand, Wang sent Smith to the rail, who three-bet all-in with pocket deuces, but Wang’s ace-ten hit a ten on the flop, ending Smith’s run.
The heads-up battle between Willis and Wang began with even stacks, but Willis quickly took control. In the final hand, Willis opened the pot with Jh9h, and Wang called with A♦5♠. The flop came A♣10♥J♣, and both players checked. After the turn 7♣, Wang bet, and Willis called with his second pair. The river brought a J♠, giving Willis trips.
Willis put Wang all-in after he checked, and after five minutes of contemplation, Wang called and saw the bad news. With this win, Daniel Willis is the third bracelet winner of the 2024 WSOP.
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