After the Omaha Hi-Lo or Better and Dealers Choice events, the third $10,000 Championship on the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) schedule was the classic Limit Hold’em. This event drew 133 players who demonstrated their expertise in the intricacies of this old-school poker variant, generating a prize pool of $1,236,900.
After three days of play, as it’s scheduled for championship events, John Racener emerged victorious, triumphing over Chad Eveslage in a heads-up battle to claim his second WSOP bracelet. Racener entered the final table by far the shortest stack and was down to only two big bets, making a complete comeback in the anything-can-happen world of Limit Hold’em.
This victory marks Racener’s second $10,000 Championship win, adding to his already impressive poker resume, including a win in the $10,000 Dealers Choice event in 2017.
The 38-year-old poker professional from Florida has been a prominent figure on the poker scene for nearly 18 years. It all began on his 21st birthday in 2006, when he entered the WSOP Circuit Championship event in Atlantic City and finished third, earning $103,527. Just two weeks later, he secured his first live tournament victory at a weekly Bellagio event, taking home $27,635.
Over the years, Racener has amassed an enviable list of achievements, including two WSOP bracelets, a WSOP Circuit Ring, a WPT title in the $25,500 High Roller, and a PGT Mixed Event win in Triple Stud Mix in March. Notably, he was also the runner-up in the 2010 WSOP Main Event, where he earned $5,545,955.
With his latest victory and an additional $308,930 in his pocket, John Racener has now surpassed the $12 million mark in live tournament earnings.
Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 |  John Racener | United States | $308,930 |
| 2 | Chad Eveslage | United States | $205,954 |
| 3 | Marco Johnson | United States | $142,245 |
| 4 | Anthony Marsico | United States | $101,062 |
| 5 | Shyamsundar Challa | United States | $73,922 |
| 6 | Justin Kusumowidagdo | United States | $55,715 |
| 7 | Ronnie Bardah | United States | $43,311 |
| 8 | Andrew Kelsall | United States | $34,759 |
| 9 | Maxx Coleman | United States | $28,829 |
FREE $55 Ticket + 100% up to $1,200 Bonus
Sign-up for the best WPTGlobal deal!
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship Final Table Recap
From a starting field of 133 players, 14 returned for Day 3 of Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship. Marco Johnson was leading the charge with 28 big bets, but in Limit Hold’em, fortunes can change quickly. Among the nine WSOP bracelet holders in contention, three had previously won a bracelet in Limit Hold’em events: Marco Johnson, Ronnie Bardah, and Juha Helppi, the 2019 $10,000 Limit Hold’em champion.
Unfortunately for Helppi, he was the bubble boy for the final table as his pocket sevens didn’t hold against Andrew Kelsall’s ace-king, with a classic ace on the river. With the final table formed, Shyamsundar Challa brought the biggest stack, followed by Chad Eveslage and Bardah.
It seemed John Racener was next to go, as he was down to only a couple of big bets, but he made a quick double-up through Maxx Coleman. Coleman was then the first to be eliminated after a cooler when he flopped two pair with K♥Q♣ on a Q♦A♥K♣ board, but Johnson had the upper hand with J♠10♠. The turn and river bricked, and Coleman finished in ninth place.
Johnson took another victim in Bardah after calling his three-bet preflop. Bardah made a c-bet on a 4♠5♥9♥ flop, and they got all the chips in. Bardah showed J♥J♦ for an overpair, and Johnson had Q♥9♠. The turn was 9♦, sending Ronnie Bardah home.
Lots of action followed in the next hand as John Racener opened the pot, Challa three-bet, Justin Kusumowidagdo four-bet, and Eveslage put in a five-bet from the big blind. Only Racener folded, and three players saw a flop of 2♠7♣7♥. Kusumowidagdo put his last bet in here, while Eveslage continued to bet on the 2h turn and Jh river with K♥K♣. Challa called and lost with 9♠9♥, while Kusumowidagdo was knocked out with ace-king.
Shyamsundar Challa was out soon after. His Ah9h didn’t hold against Anthony Marsico’s A♦8♣, despite having lots of outs on a 5♦8♥6♦4♥ board. The river bricked, sending Challa to the payout table. Even with his newfound chips, Marsico was the next to go. He first lost a big pot to Johnson in an unfortunate cooler, flopping a flush with K♥6♥ on a Q♥7♥5♥ flop, but Johnson rivered a nut flush with A♥6♦. Marsico was out on the next hand with pocket eights against Racener’s pocket tens.
More than two hours of play were needed for the trio to lose one of their members. Marco Johnson started slipping after the break, and in his last hand, he flopped a great draw with Q♦9♦ on a J♥4♣10♠ board. Racener put him all-in with J♦5♥, and the turn and river bricked, setting the stage for the heads-up battle for the Limit Hold’em championship.
Even with the chips from Johnson’s elimination, Eveslage had about a 1.5:1 chip lead over Racener, but the tides quickly turned. The $10,000 Dealers Choice champion from 2017 moved closer to another Championship bracelet with each hand. Eveslage survived two all-ins but couldn’t do it the third time. In the last hand, he bet all his chips with eight-three, and Racener called with ten-deuce. With a ten on the flop, Eveslage was drawing practically dead, and the turn sealed the deal. Racener was crowned the new Limit Hold’em champion for 2024.
100% up to $1,000 Deposit Bonus
Join our club for the best KKPoker deal!
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
100% up to $600 Bonus or $100 Free Tickets&Cash
Sign-up for the best GGPoker deal!
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
* Images and hands courtesy of WSOP and PokerNews.
