The $3,000 buy-in for a No Limit Hold’em event offers a unique blend of players, some would even argue a perfect one, making it one of the more exciting tournaments at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). With a buy-in that’s significant enough to attract top professionals but not too prohibitive for dedicated poker enthusiasts, Event #49 at the 2024 WSOP drew a diverse field of 1,252 players. The Freezeout format ensured a level playing field, as no one could re-enter after busting out, leading to a more strategic and cautious play throughout.
Players generated a $3,342,840 prize pool, and $523,195 was reserved for the winner. Norwegian Erlend Melsom was the one claiming the top prize and capturing his first-ever WSOP bracelet. This win marks a monumental milestone in Melsom’s live tournament career, which has been relatively quiet apart from a few notable finishes. He previously finished sixth at the EPT Final Table in Tallinn in 2011, earning €45,000, and third at the 2013 Norwegian Poker Championship, pocketing €57,815. However, Melsom’s online poker achievements paint a clearer picture, with over $1 million in winnings and a SCOOP title in a Pot Limit Omaha event.
In the heads-up battle for the bracelet, Melsom faced Bulgarian Nikolay Yosifov, who has more extensive live tournament experience. Yosifov has been participating in WSOP events since 2014 and has secured his seventh cash of the summer. His runner-up finish earned him $348,784, nearly doubling his career live earnings.
The final table also featured two-time WSOP bracelet winner and three-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Maxx Coleman. Despite his decorated poker resume, Coleman finished in sixth place, adding $98,128 to his earnings.
Event #49: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 |  Erlend Melsom | Norway | $523,195 |
| 2 |  Nikolay Yosifov | Bulgaria | $348,784 |
| 3 |  Ben Hoy | United States | $249,005 |
| 4 |  Jonathan Schwartz | Switzerland | $180,127 |
| 5 | David Stamm | United States | $132,053 |
| 6 | Maxx Coleman | United States | $98,128 |
| 7 | Joseph Carden | United States | $73,925 |
| 8 |  Uri Reichenstein | Israel | $56,472 |
| 9 | Morgan Petro | United States | $43,751 |
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Event #49: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Final Table Recap
Thirteen players bagged for the third and final day of Event #49: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout. Ben Hoy led the pack with 61 big blinds, but it was still anyone’s game as other players followed closely, including Joseph Carden with 53 big blinds, Erlend Melsom with 42, and Nikolay Yosifov right behind with 39. Four players needed to be eliminated before the official final table could form, during which the chip power rankings at the top remained essentially unchanged, except for Melsom taking the lead by knocking out two opponents.
John Morgan Petro, the shortest stack at the final table, was the first to be eliminated. He went all-in with ace-three, only to be bested by David Stamm’s ace-queen, which flopped two pair. Uri Reichenstein, who narrowly missed winning his first bracelet in an online event a few weeks ago, remained bracelet-less as Hoy knocked him out in eighth place. It was a flip situation with Hoy’s pocket nines against Reichenstein’s king-queen suited, but the board stayed low, and Hoy’s nines held.
Nikolay Yosifov jumped into a huge lead after a preflop all-in with Joseph Carden. Carden’s ace-jack suited was no match for Yosifov’s pocket kings, and without an ace on the board, Carden finished in seventh place with a career-best $73,925. Maxx Coleman’s quest for a third bracelet ended when his pocket nines were outdone by Melsom’s pocket queens, leaving no bracelet winners in the event.
Jonathan Schwartz, down to just three big blinds, pushed with king-queen from early position. Stamm, holding ace-king, tried to isolate with a three-bet. Melsom, seeing ace-jack, decided to join but was initially wrong. However, the flop brought a jack, putting Melsom ahead. The turn paired a queen for Schwartz, and a blank river meant Stamm was knocked out in fifth place.
Despite tripling up, Schwartz’s run was short-lived. He pushed with 7♥5♠ and was called by Hoy’s pocket threes. The board of K♦6♣A♠4♣ held for Hoy, eliminating Schwartz in fourth place. Hoy, one of the most active players on the final table, experienced swings from chip leader to short stack and back several times during the event. His run ended in third place after a blinds-versus-blind all-in against Melsom. Hoy’s ace-seven suited couldn’t overcome Melsom’s pocket threes, exiting with a remarkable $249,005 prize, his career-best results after cashing $7,000 in an online event.
The heads-up battle between Yosifov and Melsom began with Yosifov holding a 3:2 chip lead. However, Yosifov’s pocket kings were cracked by Melsom’s ace-ten when the board revealed Q♣9♥5♦J♠K♠. This hand gave Melsom a substantial lead and Yosifov couldn’t close the deficit.
The final hand saw Yosifov all-in with A♣7♥ against Melsom’s AdQs. The board ran out 4♥2♣2♠2♥6♦, dramatically eliminating Yosifov and crowning Erlend Melsom as the first-time World Series of Poker champion, celebrating the biggest achievement of his poker career.
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* Images and hands courtesy of WSOP and PokerNews.
