Dao Bac Wins Event 51 for His First WSOP Bracelet!

At the beginning of day 3 of the WSOP event 51, $1,000 buy in S.H.O.E. tournament, they were down from 730 entrants to the final 8. Adam Geyer came into the final table as chip leader with 293,000 in chips followed by Dao Bac with 266,000, Imre Leibold with 250,000, Raymond Davis with 235,000, Vladimir Shchemelev with 168,000, Michael Craig with 161,000, Patrick Poels with 53,000 and Chip Jett as short stacked with a mere 40,000 in chips left.

Patrick Poels needed his all in moment to get himself back in the tournament and saw his chance in the first Holdem stage when he glanced at his pocket rockets. On the flop, the betting challenge begins. The flop came out K-d, Q-d, 3-c, feeling secure in his aces he begins the bet fight with Dao Bac until he pushes all in. The last thing he wanted to see was Dao's pocket threes, flopping a set but Poels is not drawing dead, any ace and he is good, unfortunately no ace came and Poels was eliminated in 8th place taking home $11,957.

During the Omaha stage of this tournament, Michael Craig goes all in with his A-c, Q-c, Q-h, 7-h on a board of 8-s, 6-d, 6-c, K-c and is called by Vladmir Shchemelev who flips over his A-s, K-d, Q-d, 3-h. Craig's only hope was a Q on the river, but he was disappointed when the river came a 10-s eliminating Michael Craig in 7th place, taking home a cash prize of $15,943!

Vladimir Shchemelev goes all in and gets two callers, both Chip Jett and Dao Bac have him covered. At the end of the hand, Shchemelev has two pair, Dao Bac was on a draw that he didn't hit leaving him with a small pair of fives, neither coming close to Jett's trip 7's. Vladimir was eliminated in 6th place, given his cash prize of $20,793 for his time and sent on his way.

Imre Liebold pushes his chips all in on sixth street, getting a call from Adam Geyer. Liebold has Q-s, 9-s, Q-d, 8-d showing with Q-c, 5-d in the hole (putting Liebold on a full house draw) against Geyer's 10-h, J-d, A-s, K-c showing Q-h, J-h in the hole giving him the broadway straight. On seventh street, Liebold receives a 6-s, missing his full house and taking him out in 5th place with a cash prize of $26,572.

In another Holdem stage of the tournament, Raymond Davis raises $30,000 pre flop and is called by Dao Bac and Chip Jett who were in the blinds. The flop comes out J-d, 8-h, 7-s, both Dao and Chip check to Raymond who pushes all in with his last 7 thousand in chips. Both Dao and Chip call his all in. Bac and Jett both check it down all the way to the river, the last two cards coming out 4-h, 6-h. Davis and Jett both flip over their A-K no pair when Bac flips over 9, 5-s giving him a straight 9-5, the pot and eliminating Raymond Davis in 4th place with a cash prize of $34,012.

In a Stud 8 stage, Chip Jett goes all in with Q,3-c showing and A-h Q-d in the hole on 4th street and is called by Adam Geyer who has A, 8-d showing and 10-s 6-c in the hole. On 6th street, Geyer gets another ace followed by another 10 on 7th street and that is the hand that took out Chip Jett in third place winning a prize of $55,801.

Now heads up, Adam Geyer has Dao Bac covered in chips with his stack of 850,000 to Bac's 625,000. Shortly after heads up had began, Dao Bac had won a little bit of chips here and a little bit there giving him the chip lead. Back in another Holdem stage of this event, Geyer raises in the big bling and Bac calls. The flop then comes 10-s, 7-d, 5-h. Adam bets, Dao raises and Adam calls. The turn came 3-c. Again Adam bets and Dao raises Adam again, this time nearly all in. Geyer thinks for a long time before deciding to move all in getting him a quick call from Bac who shows his 7, 4-s and sees that he is dominated when Geyer shows his A-s 7-h. To win this tournament, Dao needed a 6 or a 4. His prayers are answered when the river comes a 4-h giving him 2 pair and his first gold WSOP champion bracelet!