WSOP 2023: Ian “IanMa” Matakis Wins Online Bracelet Event #2: $500 No Limit Hold’em Bankroll Builder ($120,686)

WSOP 2023: Ian "IanMa" Matakis Wins Online Bracelet Event #2
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  • Namita Ghosh June 5, 2023
  • 3 Minutes Read

Faribault, Minnesota resident Ian “IanMa” Matakis secured a significant career achievement earlier today by adding a prestigious WSOP gold bracelet to his collection. Matakis won the WSOP 2023 Online Bracelet Event #2: $500 No Limit Hold’em Bankroll Builder, triumphing over a starting field of 1,253 entrants to claim the prized bracelet and the top prize of $120,686.

Talking about how he was multitasking by playing the online event on his mobile while grinding Event #12: $5K NLH Freezeout at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, Matakis said, “I’ve always wanted to win a bracelet. I basically played this tournament on my phone the whole day until the end of the 5k (No-Limit Hold’em Freezout.) I bagged about 50 bigs for the start of day two on that one. When the play ended, my buddy drove me home, and I was able to play the final table on my laptop.”

He added, “I’ll be playing Day 2 of the 5K tomorrow. But after that, this year, I was planning on taking it day by day.”

The tournament created an $873,900 prize pool, and the top 240 players got paid.

Some notables who busted short of the money include Matt “berkey11_S4Y” Berkey, Vanessa “ContainsNuts” Kade, and Online Event #1: $333 No-Limit Hold’em Triple Treys Summer Tip Off champion, Cody “1eggadaymike” Bell.

Among the known names who made the money line included Joey “OnSpectrum” Weissman (8th for $15,031,) John “RiverRace” Racener (20th for $3,670,) Davide “drogonzizi” Suriano (27th for $3,146,) and Phil “HeyGuys” Galfond (34th for $2,622).

Poker coach Chance “BingShui” Kornuth, who fell one place shy of winning a fourth career bracelet in Event #2: $25K High Roller 6-Max last week, registered for two online tournaments at the same time and cashed both. He finished 129th for $1,486 in Event #2.

The eliminations came quickly on the final table, and Matakis orchestrated his rise at four-handed play after winning two big hands against “worldsgrtest.” In the second of these two hands, he eliminated the latter with pocket tens over pocket sevens.

Thomas “Pkrwarrior23” Rosa fell in third place after his pocket nines were cracked by Baruch “QQlove” Forst’s flopped pair of aces.

The heads-up match between Matakis and Baruch “QQlove” Forst lasted all of 20 minutes before Matakis ended it, holding to Forst’s . After limping, Matakis bet on the flop of .

He recalled how the hand played out: “It was a limped pot so that flop is usually better for me. That’s why I bet out.” The turn brought a .

On the turn, I hit two pair and block his two pair, and so I kept betting.” Matakis bet, and Forst moved all in with top pair. “When he jammed, it was a snap call.” The river was a , and Matakis’ hand held, eliminating Forst in second place.

Ian Matakis
Ian Matakis

 

Final Table Results (USD)

  1. Ian “IanMa” Matakis- $120,686
  2. Baruch “QQlove” Forst – $88,089
  3. Thomas “Pkrwarrior23” Rosa – $64,756
  4. “worldsgrtest” – $47,977
  5. Paul “plenkeit2” Lenkeit – $35,480
  6. “Deeznutz” – $26,479
  7. Justin “MadTitan” Turner – $19,837
  8. Joey “OnSpectrum” Weissman – $15,031

 

Content & Images Courtesy: WSOP

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