2024 WSOP: “Magical Nine” on the River Gets Chris Hunichen Elusive Bracelet & Career-Best $2,838,389 in Event #47: $100K High Roller No-Limit Hold’em

Tears streamed down Chris “Big Huni” Hunichen‘s (cover image) face as the dealer revealed the nine of spades – the “magical” river card that secured his first-ever World Series of Poker bracelet. He had done it. After years of near misses, the heartbreak of losing his father, and countless hours at the felt, Hunichen had finally achieved poker’s ultimate dream.

“That nine on the river was pure magic,” Hunichen choked out, his voice thick with emotion. “It’s the most incredible moment of my life.”

Hunichen’s victory in Event #47: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) wasn’t just a win; it was a testament to resilience, dedication, and the unwavering support of his loved ones.

Hunichen found himself heads-up against Jeremy Ausmus, a six-time WSOP bracelet winner. Ausmus had staged a remarkable comeback of his own, hitting a three-outer to double up from a short stack. With the chips nearly even, the tension was palpable.

In the final hand, both players found themselves all-in on a flop of . Hunichen held for top pair, but Ausmus had him outkicked with pocket jacks. The turn was the . It seemed like another near-miss for Hunichen, but the poker gods had a different plan. The dealer revealed the “magical” on the river, improving Hunichen to trips and igniting a scene of jubilation.

This victory was more than just a poker win for Hunichen. It was a tribute to his late father, who had been his biggest supporter.

WE FINALLY FUCKING DID IT!

LOVE YOU DAD

WSOP CHAMPION

— Chris Hunichen (@BigHuni) June 21, 2024

“No one’s ever due in poker,” Hunichen shared in the winner’s interview, “but I feel like I was due. This one’s for my dad.”

The rail played a crucial role in Hunichen’s victory. Their energy was infectious, their cheers echoing through the room with every card Hunichen hit.

“Jeremy is so good-looking!” someone from Hunichen’s camp yelled at one point in the day. “This is the most collectively handsome heads-up match!”

“These are my boys, all my friends. My wife was able to show up after my kid’s soccer camp,” Hunichen said, beaming. “These are all my homies, we live for this shit.”

Hunichen’s poker resume is nothing short of impressive. A six-time online poker triple crown winner, he held the #3 spot in online tournament rankings for an extended period and boasts over $13 Million in live tournament winnings. Yet, the WSOP bracelet had remained elusive.

To be fair, Hunichen has had terrible luck converting deep runs. He boasts several agonizing misses like a runner-up finish in a 2022 online $25K High Roller for $1.30 Million and a third-place finish in the 2022 WSOP $250K Super High Roller for $1.90 Million – yet the coveted WSOP bracelet had remained frustratingly out of reach.

Hunichen’s WSOP track record speaks volumes about his consistency and skill, with 77 cash finishes and a total of $7.97 Million in winnings. His live tournament earnings, a staggering $13.79 Million according to Hendon Mob, solidify his position as one of poker’s elite.

This year’s $100K High Roller event drew a massive field of 112 players—over 20% more than last year`s 93. The prize pool swelled to an impressive $10,932,750, with 17 players walking away with at least $209,346.

Tournament Recap

Hunichen entered the $100K High Roller arena amid a formidable lineup of 112 poker titans. He navigated Day 1, securing a spot among the final 44 contenders with a healthy stack of 2.215 Million chips (55 BBs) – the fifth-highest stack. But the battle was far from over – 17 more entries poured in on Day 2, intensifying the competition.

Big names fell like dominoes as the Day 2 field of 61 stripped down to the final six. Big names like Alex Foxen, Phil Ivey, Nick Schulman, Artur Martirosian, Scott Seiver, and Adrian Mateos left the felts empty-handed.

India’s poker phenom, Santhosh Suvarna, tasted the bitter sting of elimination on Day 2. Despite wielding the sixth-largest stack and the confidence of a champion, a cruel twist of fate sent his dreams of a second high roller bracelet crashing down. His crumbled against Aleksejs Ponakovs’ , eliminating him in 20th place—a heartbreaking three spots shy of the money.

This setback, however, has only fueled his burning ambition. Suvarna, who recently cashed in Event #21: $25K High Roller No-Limit Hold’em (6-Handed) and narrowly missed the money in Event #39: $50K High Roller No-Limit Hold’em, is fast closing in the #1 spot on India’s all-time money list, just $300,000 shy of overtaking Vivek Rajkumar.

Japan’s Masashi Oya and Seth Davies also bust out close to the money bubble. However, Hong Kong’s Danny Tang drew the short straw, falling as the unfortunate bubble boy in 18th place.

❌ The Bubble Burst of @WSOP $100,000 HIGH ROLLER !

The remaining 17 players are battling it out for the gold and the $2,838,389 top prize ????

You can watch the 2024 WSOP all summer long on @PokerGO pic.twitter.com/KDIBPN5CiP

— PokerNews (@PokerNews) June 19, 2024

With the bubble burst, the floodgates opened. A flurry of eliminations ensued, each player succumbing to the pressure and the ever-increasing blinds. Orpen Kisacikoglu (17th for $209,346), Sergio Aido (16th for $209,346), and Johannes Straver (15th for $209,346) – all fell victim to the unforgiving nature of the game.

At this point, Viktor Blom was leading the remaining 14 contenders with 76 BBs, followed by Aleksejs Ponakovs’ 63 BBs, and Chris Hunichen held an average of 33 BBs.

The speed of eliminations did not wane as Henrik Hecklen (14th for $209,346), Nick Petrangelo (13th for $209,346), Andrew Lichtenberger (12th for $209,346), Giuseppe Iadisernia (11th for $219,813), Justin Bonomo (10th for $219,813), were knocked out in quick successions.

Unofficial Final Table Chip Counts

1. Viktor Blom – 17,835,000
2. Chris Hunichen – 14,355,000
3. Aleksejs Ponakovs – 10,250,000
4. Jeremy Ausmus – 7,980,000
5. Justin Saliba – 5,155,000
6. Daniel Aharoni – 4,900,000
7. Isaac Haxton – 3,135,000
8. Chance Kornuth – 1,905,000
9. Michael Jozoff – 1,680,000

During the final two tables play, as the eliminations continued, Hunichen continued chipping up one at a time and reached the unofficial final nine-handed with the second-biggest stack (72 BBS) just behind Viktor Blom (89 BBS).

Towards the end of Day 2’s play, Michael Jozoff (9th for $259,371) was eliminated to form the official final table. Following Jozoff’s elimination, Isaac Haxton ($315,805) and Daniel Aharoni ($396,396) walked towards the rail in 8th and 7th places, respectively, marking the end of the day’s play.

Final Day Chip Counts

1. Viktor Blom – 27,675,000
2. Chris Hunichen – 16,475,000
3. Chance Kornuth – 8,900,000
4. Aleksejs Ponakovs – 6,475,000
5. Jeremy Ausmus – 6,100,000
6. Justin Saliba – 1,575,000

Final Day Recap

The final day started with the last six players. Viktor Blom commanded the chip lead with 92 BBs; however, Chris Hunichen, with 55 BBs, was trailing by some distance with the second-biggest stack.

The $100K High Roller seemed like Jeremy Ausmus’ tournament to win as he doubled through Chance Kornuth, the runner-up in Event #39: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em, in the first hand of the day shortly before sending Justin Saliba out in sixth place. Ausmus with flopped the top two pairs, and Saliba’s couldn’t find any help.

The eliminations were quick, and 20 minutes later, Aleksejs Ponakovs committed most of his stack post-flop with . He picked up calls from Chris Hunichen`s and Chance Kornuth`s .

The flop came , and both Hunichen and Ponakovs checked their options. However, Kornuth bet the flop, Hunichen folded, but Ponakovs made the call with his remaining small blind. The turn and the river did not help Ponakovs’ cause as he walked out to the payout desk in fifth place.

A couple of hands later, Ausmus, who earlier in the week joked on social media about how well he runs at the WSOP, went on to double through Hunichen and ascended to the chip lead despite his being dominated by the eventual champion’s .

Ausmus and Hunichen continued winning a few hands before another player departed to the rail.

Chance Kornuth was out next after facing a bad beat with his . Jeremy Ausmus was running hot and, in a blind vs blind confrontation, jammed from the small blind against Kornuth. There were two kings on the board, and Ausmus was sent packing in fourth place, which was just shy of a million-dollar payout.

During the three-handed play, it looked like everything would go Ausmus’ way as Hunichen found himself all in with against the of lucky Ausmus, who hit an on the turn to leave Hunichen drawing to two outs. But the luck factor shifted as Hunichen hit a on the river as the screams from his rail resonated through the Horseshoe Event Center.

???? | A Big Moment for Big Huni!

Christopher “@BigHuni” Hunichen stays alive in the @WSOP $100,000 HIGH ROLLER! pic.twitter.com/7UVL1meMPM

— PokerNews (@PokerNews) June 20, 2024

“That was insane,” said Hunichen. “I got it in earlier ace-jack off to his queen-jack suited. He hit a straight for a huge pot, it would’ve given me like 65% of the chips in play … It kind of felt like it was his day. Everything was starting to go his way. And then that magical rivered five. The place erupted, and now I have a little bit of life and we’re back in the game.”

Shortly after that massive double-up, Hunichen lost half his stack again. This time, it was a bad beat at the hands of Viktor Blom, who turned a pair with his holding against Hunichen’s .

Coming for the break, it was Hunichen’s turn to return the favour to Viktor Blom. Hunichen`s were up against Blom’s and found an on the river to survive and find a vital double-up. Having found the double-up, Hunichen added more to his stack before the start of the heads-up play.

Viktor Blom was left short after that double-up he gave to Hunichen, and he jammed only to be called off by Hunichen’s . Although Blom made trips on the board, Hunichen had him crushed with the nut flush. And Blom’s tournament life came to an end in the third place as he collected a million-dollar payout.

The heads-up game between Chris Hunichen and Jeremy Ausmus started off with Hunichen in an over 2:1 chip lead. In the starting phase of their battle, Hunichen pulled ahead by almost 3.5:1.

However, Ausmus with managed to spike a three-outer against Hunichen’s to stay alive and eventually took the lead.

Unfettered, Hunichen did not waste any time regaining the lost lead by a narrow margin, after which he did not look back. (Hunichen – 35 BBS| Ausmus – 32 BBs)

On the final hand, that got all in on the flop with Ausmus holding to Hunichen’s top pair with his . The turn kept Ausmus ahead.

“I can’t believe I’m going to get second in another one of these fucking tournaments man,” Hunichen said to his rail, but the rolled off on the river to improve him to trips.

“Oh my God! Holy shit!” said Hunichen, celebrating wildly with his rail.

The dealer verified the stacks, with Ausmus covered to bust in second place.

Hunichen is known for his annual Fourth of July parties and said this year’s festivities, following his seven-figure score, will be the biggest of all.

“It better be,” he said. “Otherwise, I failed at it. If you ain’t coming, you’re missing out.”

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Chris Hunichen – $2,838,389
2. Jeremy Ausmus – $1,892,260
3. Viktor Blom – $1,311,091
4. Chance Kornuth – $932,725
5. Aleksejs Ponakovs – $681,796
6. Justin Saliba – $512,465
7. Daniel Aharoni – $396,396
8. Isaac Haxton – $315,805

Content & Images Courtesy: World Series of Poker

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