Bally's and Paris Las Vegas held Event No. 66:$1,000 Mini-Main No-Limit Hold'em. Its final table's action ended after an hour on Monday afternoon. The event had 5,833 entrants who formed a $5,190,480 prize pool.
Young Sik finished second in a competitive poker tournament and won $203,949. He shocked many people when he won his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and $594,189 in the Mini-Main No-Limit Hold'em.
The poker pro stated after the tournament that he began the final day with ten big blinds and wasn't expecting to win it.
The Hendon Mob indicates that Sik had $716,460 in career poker tournament earnings before his latest victory. He has increased them to more than $1,000,000, thus being in the top 200 Californian poker players' all-time money list.
Sik stated that a player feels additional ICM pressure when an opponent is the shortest stack, and they have to continue playing when they have the least chips.
The Final Table's Results
- Young Sik from the U.S. – $594,189
- Cosmin Joldis from Romania – $367,233
- Kartik Ved from India – $275,593
- Phillip Lee from the U.S. – $208,275
- Kei Nitta from Japan – $158,515
- Theodore Lee from the U.S. – $121,504
- Adam Velez from the U.S. – $93,803
- Keith Littlewood from the United Kingdom – $72,941
- Sergio Ochoa from the U.S. – $57,133
Action on the Final Day
Cosmin Joldis, the stack leader, raised as Kei Nitta went all in with 31 million chips on the raise. The former called as Nitta's pocket fours held Joldis' king-nine. The latter's ten-high straight earned him a pot and busted Nitta in fifth place with $158,515.
Phillip Lee followed him after he placed his remaining stack with ace-nine against Sik's ace-eight. But the flop turned things after an eight emerged.
Still, Lee's flush draw failed to improve, thus making him exit the event in fourth place with $208,275.
Kartik Ved was the remaining bracelet champion, but his stack reduced slowly, and he eventually became a short stack. His pocket fours faced Sik's ace-three offsuit in his final hand. But the flop didn't change either hand's strength, and Sik got a winning pair from the turn ace.
He sent Ved packing in third place with $275,593. Joldis had the most chips at the beginning of the final day and had a 3:1 stack lad over the next stack.
Still, Sik doubled through Joldis several times and had a more than 3:1 lead over him before they played in a heads-up battle. The latter got a double-up that reduced the former's chip lead.
Sik used king nine to make a four-bet shove in the final hand as Joldis used pocket tens to call. The turn gave Sik a black king and gave him the chip lead, but the river didn't change things. So, Joldis finished as a runner-up with $367,233
Sik won his first bracelet in the tournament and took home $594,189. The player wasn't the event's favorite but didn't give up despite facing several talented players at the final table. He hopes to win other WSOP events in the future and will continue honing his poker skills.
