Jonathan Pastore is the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event No. 46: $5,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em (NLHE) champion. Its final table started at 3:00 p.m. PT.
The event had 920 entrants who formed a $4,243,500 prize pool. But, 138 players only shared the pool. The money bubble was late in Day 2, during which notable players like Dmitry Yurasov, Norbert Szecsi, Daniel Negreanu, Robert Mizrachi, and Anthony Zinno won money.
Final Table Results
- Jonathan Pastore from France – $771,765
- Stephen Song from the U.S. – $476,990
- Tamer Alkamli from Canada – $331,503
- Elio Fox from the U.S. – $234,036
- Paraskevas Tsokaridis from Greece – $167,882
- Patrick Sekinger from the United Kingdom – $122,395
Jonathan Pastore's Reaction
Pastore won the largest cash in his poker career and the first WSOP bracelet in the $5,000 Six-Handed NLHE. He almost missed the tournament as he wanted to play other events. But he opted to buy in and try his luck.
The poker player told PokerNews reporters that his rail motivated him. It was comprised of poker players from Malta and his close friends. He came from France's amateur poker circles, and he combined the two worlds.
Pastore was among the top 10 players in chip standings on the evening of Day 2. Still, he had up and down moments on Day 3 before he began climbing steadily and advanced to the final table, having the third-largest stack.
Stephen Song had the most chips on Day 3 and lost half of them while playing a heads-up battle with Pastore, thus giving him the chip lead. The former dominated for most of the day but later lost the bracelet.
Pastore got in a few tricky spots against Song, but things started favoring him. He praised Song and was glad to face him in the battle. Besides, he praised the poker pro and wishes that the poker community would have more players of his caliber.
The player said that he intends to remain focused on playing each event that is on his schedule. He will invest his winnings rather than increase his buy-ins. Also, Pastore wants to gain more knowledge about mixed games.
The Final Day's Action
Patrick Sekinger finished sixth after Tamer Alkamli eliminated him on Day 3's final hand. The other five players returned and continued playing at 3:00 p.m. PT.
Paraskevas Tsokaridis lost to Pastore and exited the tournament in fifth place with $167,882. Elio Fox followed Tsokaridis after Song eliminated him through a full house knockout in a preflop all-in.
Three-handed play began with Tamer Alkamil being the short stack. He went all-in in a coin flip against Pastore that he lost and left the table in third place. Yet, many poker fans predicted that Alkamil would beat Pastore.
Pastore placed three-quarters of his stack on the final hand against Song. The latter aggressively wagered every street and got his last chips on the river. Pastore tanked for a while before calling using a pair of queens.
He caught Song off-guard with a five-high bluff before running to his huge trails while celebrating. Song finished as the runners-up and took home $476,990.
