Jeffrey Papola Takes Down First WSOP Bracelet

You know what they say: if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

At the 2010 World Series of Poker, nobody has better exemplified this mantra than Jeff Papola, the 25-year-old law student from New York who took down the $5,000 Six-handed No Limit Hold’em event just days after a second place finish in a similar tournament. The win gave Papola his first World Series of Poker bracelet.

Earlier in the week, Papola had battled to reach the final table of the $2,500 six-handed event, only to lose to Will Haydon after a short heads-up battle. For that effort, Papola took home $391,068.

Only hours later, Papola began play in the $5,000 event, looking to repeat his success in the shorthanded format. Once again, he played his way through the field of 567 players to reach a second consecutive final table. This group included some notable names, including Erick Lindgren and seven-time WSOP bracelet winner Men “The Master” Nguyen.

Unlike the sprint that occurred in the $2,500 event, this final table proved to be a marathon. The six competitors played nearly 17 hours of poker, culminating in a heads-up battle between Papola and Nguyen that lasted more than four hours. Papola entered heads-up play with a significant chip lead, but struggled to put Nguyen away, as his opponent found opportunities to double up every time he found himself becoming short stacked.

Shortly after 5:00 am, Papola called a Nguyen preflop all-in, revealing pocket jacks against Nguyen’s KT suited. Nguyen did not improve, giving Papola his first ever World Series of Poker title. Papola won $667,443 for his first place finish, while Nguyen took down $412, 746.

While Papola had already had some limited success at the World Series of Poker, having cashed in the last two WSOP main events, it was nothing in comparison to what he accomplished this year. His two cashes have earned him over $1,000,000 in prize money at this year’s series, with plenty of time remaining to rack up more winnings. But for now, Papola is happy to revel in what he’s already accomplished.

“It feels really good,” Papola said of his results. “It’s exactly the story I was writing in my head.”