2024 WSOP: Sweet Redemption For Jared Kingery, Who Wins Maiden Bracelet in Event #44: $2K NLHE ($410,359); Yasheel Doddanavar & Kavin Shah Make India Proud With Stellar FT Finishes

The final day of Event #44: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was electrifying, with two Indian poker stars, Yasheel Doddanavar (cover image – centre) and Kavin Shah (cover image – right), battling amongst the chip leaders. Hearts raced across India as the dream of a WSOP bracelet came within reach.

Both players entered the final day with top-10 stacks, their eyes on the coveted gold bracelet. The felt transformed into a battlefield, each hand a strategic skirmish. Doddanavar and Shah made a determined run, outlasting seasoned veterans and navigating the treacherous field to reach the final table.

While American Jared Kingery (cover image – left) ultimately emerged victorious after an intense heads-up duel with Javier Gomez, clinching his maiden bracelet and $410,359 in prize money, the Indian contingent had plenty to celebrate. Shah, displaying nerves of steel, secured a seventh-place finish, earning $60,317 (~₹50.40 Lakhs). Doddanavar’s relentless aggression propelled him to an even more impressive sixth-place finish, netting him $79,676 (~₹66.58 Lakhs). Though they missed the ultimate prize, both players more than doubled their previous-best WSOP scores, marking significant career milestones.

Congrats to Jared Kingery after his first WSOP win in Event #44: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $410,359! #wsop2024

Read the recap here:https://t.co/XZ24nqCnIO pic.twitter.com/wMN4Y5E1YR

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 20, 2024

Doddanavar’s sixth-place finish is now the second-highest score by an Indian in the ongoing series, narrowly surpassing Santhosh Suvarna‘s 13th-place finish ($79,084) in Event #21: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em (6-Handed). Shah’s seventh-place finish also marks a significant achievement, the fourth-best score by an Indian at the 2024 WSOP. While Kartik Ved still holds the top spot for India with his fourth-place finish ($220,373) in Event #16: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, the performances of Doddanavar and Shah have undoubtedly raised the bar for Indian poker.

Event #44 attracted 1,561 players, generating a prize pool of $2,778,580. This victory marked a breakthrough moment for Kingery, who had come tantalizingly close to WSOP glory before. In 2022, he finished as the runner-up in Event #5: $500 The Housewarming, a tournament that celebrated the WSOP’s move to Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas. Two years later, Kingery has finally achieved his crowning moment at that very venue.

Kingery, a native of Washington, has now won over $800,000 at the WSOP’s new venue. Interestingly, poker isn’t his primary profession. “I’m definitely not a professional player,” Kingery revealed in a post-game interview. “I’m actually a longshoreman back in Washington, so I don’t play that much. That Housewarming score was my first WSOP tournament ever. I was just on a lucky streak.”

Despite a limited window to compete, Kingery seized his opportunity this year. He’s only in Vegas for nine days and missed last year’s WSOP due to the birth of his daughter. Whether it’s a run of good fortune or sheer skill, Kingery has proven to be a formidable opponent at the tables, navigating a tough field to claim the coveted gold bracelet.

Final Day Recap

Day 3 of Event #44 ignited with the swift elimination of the shortest stack and lone bracelet winner, Barry Shulman, who claimed 17th place and $18,095. His elimination paved the way for a new champion to emerge from the remaining field.

The action intensified as Dillon Najor (15th) and Michael Berk (16th) followed Shulman to the rail, each collecting $18,095 for their efforts. Edgard Saliba’s tournament life then came to an abrupt end, his pocket jacks crushed by Yasheel Doddanavar’s pocket kings, relegating him to 14th place ($18,095).

The march towards the final table continued, with Damien Le Goff (12th) and Ali Shahni (13th) falling just short, each earning $22,440. Their dreams of WSOP glory were deferred, but the remaining players pressed on, their eyes fixed on the ultimate prize.

Meanwhile, a storm was brewing at another table. Kavin Shah, a force of nature at the felt, seized control of the tournament. In a heart-pounding hand, he snatched a colossal 480,000 pot from Juan Carlos Vecino, propelling his stack to 3.8 Million. Less than 30 minutes later, Shah unleashed another devastating blow, wielding the same pocket aces to wrest a jaw-dropping 2.775 Million pot from Vecino, leaving the latter reeling in disbelief. This catapulted Shah’s stack to a monstrous 6.575 Million, securing him the second-place position behind Day 2 chip leader Javier Gomez as the final table loomed.

Huihan Wu‘s elimination in 11th place for $28,192 marked the formation of the final table, a ten-handed battleground where dreams of poker glory hung in the balance.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Javier Gomez – 7,450,000
2. Kavin Shah – 7,100,000
3. Yasheel Doddanavar – 6,375,000
4. Jared Kingery- 6,075,000
5. Yunkyu Song – 5,600,000
6. Juan Carlos Vecino – 3,800,000
7. Nicholas Massey – 3,150,000
8. Javier Zarco – 3,025,000
9. Jon Glendinning – 2,850,000
10. Narcis Nedelcu – 2,400,000

Final Table Recap

The final table kicked off with fireworks as the two Indian pros, Kavin Shah and Yasheel Doddanavar, clashed in an early position battle. Shah’s raise was met with a call from Doddanavar in the big blind. The flop of saw Doddanavar check-call Shah’s bet of 200,000. Both players checked the turn and river, leading to a showdown. Doddanavar’s revealed a turned flush, scooping the 825,000 pot and boosting his stack to 7.20 Million, while Shah slipped to 6.40 Million.

Doddanavar’s newfound wealth was short-lived as just a few hands later, he found himself entangled in a hand with Javier Gomez, resulting in a significant chip loss, dropping his stack to 5.15 Million. However, Doddanavar’s aggressive spirit remained unyielding. He was rewarded when he clashed with Nicholas Massey, who raised from the cutoff only to get a call from Doddanavar, who defended his big blind. The flop was checked through, but on the turn, Doddanavar took the lead with a bet, which Massey called. The river prompted a hefty bet of 850,000 from Doddanavar, quickly called by Massey. Doddanavar’s revealed a turned straight, securing the 2.05 Million pot and returning his stack to a commanding 7.20 Million.

The tension mounted as Kavin Shah, limping in from the small blind, faced a raise to 500,000 from Javier Gomez. Shah fearlessly called, and the flop unveiled . After Shah checked, Gomez bet 350,000, which Shah called. The turn brought the , and Shah checked again. Gomez pondered before betting 1.30 Million and got another call from Shah. The river revealed the , and Shah checked once more. Gomez, sensing opportunity, unleashed a massive bet of 3.80 Million, sending Shah deep into the tank. After a tense three-minute pause, Shah made the call, only to be devastated as Gomez tabled for a rivered straight. The monumental 4.25 Million pot slid towards Gomez, leaving Shah crippled with 2.38 Million chips.

Approaching a scheduled 15-minute break, the leaderboard displayed Doddanavar in second place with 6.80 Million, trailing the runaway leader Gomez, who boasted a staggering 15.30 Million. Meanwhile, Shah and Narcis Nedelcu found themselves at the bottom, each clinging to a mere 1.9 Million.

Returning from the break, the tension was palpable. Sensing the urgency, Javier Zarco boldly moved all in preflop, a move met with a swift call from Yasheel Doddanavar, putting Zarco’s tournament life on the line. Zarco held , while Doddanavar turned over . Zarco needed a miracle, and the poker gods delivered. By the turn , he had a plethora of outs, and the on the river completed his flush, securing a dramatic double-up. A jubilant Zarco exclaimed, “Vamos!” as his rail erupted in cheers while Doddanavar’s stack dwindled to 4.20 Million.

The elation was short-lived, as just 17 minutes later, the final table witnessed its first elimination. Short-stacked and blinding out fast, Nicholas Massey moved all-in from early position with . Sitting on the button with , Juan Carlos Vecino made the call. The board ran out a cruel , offering no salvation for Massey, who exited in 10th place.

The ruthless pace continued. Fifteen minutes later, a blind-vs-blind battle ensued between Javier Gomez and Jon Glendinning. Gomez moved all-in with , and Glendinning, at risk, called with . Gomez’s pocket pair held strong throughout the board, sending Glendinning to the rail in ninth place.

The action didn’t stop there. A mere five minutes later, Kavin Shah, desperately needing a double-up, moved all-in from the cutoff with . Narcis Nedelcu, in the big blind with , called, putting himself at risk. The flop favoured Nedelcu, but the turn gave Shah a pair and a flush draw. The river gave Shah trips, cracking Nedelcu’s pocket nines and sending him out in eighth place. This crucial pot boosted Shah’s stack to 4.60 Million.

Despite acquiring Nedelcu’s chips, Kavin Shah‘s dream run ended 17 minutes later. After Gomez opened to 400,000, Shah, in the big blind, moved all in. Gomez snap-called. Shah turned over against Gomez’s . The board ran , sealing Shah’s fate in seventh place.

Four minutes later, India’s bracelet hopes were dashed as Yasheel Doddanavar exited in sixth place. Doddanavar raised to 200,000 from the middle position, and Yunkyu Song three-bet to 700,000 from the cutoff, prompting Doddanavar to call. The flop of saw Doddanavar check, Song bet 500,000, and Doddanavar moved all in for 4.10 Million. “So sick,” exclaimed Song as he made the call, “Aces?” he asked as he got out of his chair.

Yasheel Doddanavar

Yunkyu Song

Song was thrilled to see he was ahead. The turn gave Doddanavar additional outs, but the river ended his run.

Thirty-four minutes later, Vecino raised to 500,000 from the cutoff with , and Javier Zarco moved all in for approximately 3.10 million from the big blind with . Vecino called. The board ran out , and Zarco was eliminated in fifth place.

Four-handed play lasted 2.5 hours before Juan Carlos Vecino exited in fourth place when his couldn’t compete with Jared Kingery’s .

Yunkyu Song was next on the chopping block after his fell short against Kingery’s , who made two-pair on a board, knocking Song out in third place.

The heads-up battle between Javier Gomez and Jared Kingery was swift. Kingery’s massive chip lead carried him across the finish line.

On the final hand, Gomez raised to 1 Million from the button. Kingery three-bet to 3.30 Million from the big blind, and Gomez called. The flop saw Kingery bet 2.50 Million, and Gomez called. The turn prompted Kingery to bet another 8 Million, and Gomez moved all in, which Kingery called.

Javier Gomez

Jared Kingery

Both had top pair, but Kingery held the better kicker. The river sealed the deal, sending Gomez to the rail and securing Kingery his first WSOP gold bracelet.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Jared Kingery – $410,359
2. Javier Gomez – $273,581
3. Yunkyu Song – $197,443
4. Juan Carlos Vecino – $144,176
5. Javier Zarco – $106,537
6. Yasheel Doddanavar – $79,676
7. Kavin Shah – $60,317
8. Narcis Nedelcu – $46,227
9. Jon Glendinning – $35,873
10. Nicholas Massey – $28,192

Content & Images Courtesy: World Series of Poker

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