WSOP 2019: Maximilian Klostermeier Wins Career First Bracelet in $1.5K PLO Bounty

The 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #78: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty returned for the second consecutive year on July 9. A starting field of 1,130 entries ensured the need for an extra day in the three-day-long schedule before a winner was crowned. The honor was eventually bestowed upon Denmark’s Maximilian Klostermeier (cover image) who took down the event to win his career-first gold bracelet.

Klostermeier, who is on his debut run at the WSOP this year, defeated David Callaghan heads-up to bank a paycheque of $109,844. “I feel great, can’t really believe it honestly, I’ve only been playing poker professionally for a little over a year now and I’m already getting a bracelet so soon,” said Klostermeier after winning the bracelet.

He admitted that PLO wasn’t his strongest game. “I’ve only played PLO 20, maybe 25 times. I found myself in some positions that I didn’t really know what to do but it worked out.”

Team India`s performance at the 50^th annual series has been phenomenal, and three of our Indian challengers posted scores in this event. Minissha Lamba, Aditya Sushant, and Kunal Patni had all made it to Day 2 but fell out before the end of the play. Lamba ran the deepest scoring a 64^th place finish for $2,266 (~₹1.55 Lakhs), her second WSOP score. Sushant (113^th for $1,551 – ₹1.06 Lakhs) and Patni (132^nd for $1,469 – ₹1.05 Lakhs) also made it in the money.

Day 2 had 247 survivors starting off the gate, and only 42 among them were still sitting with a stack at the end of the day. The bubble burst mid-way, leaving 170 finishers in the money for at least $1,416.

Toby Lewis (20^th for $5,169), Jeff Lisandro (28^th for $4,254), Daniel Negreanu (42^nd for $3,553), Yueqi Yu (68^th for $2,266), Phil Hellmuth (155^th for $1,416), Jessica Dawley (167^th for $1,416) and Ismael Bojang (170th for $1,416) were the notable scorers in the event.

The final table was formed towards the tail-end on Day 3, and unsurprisingly, Klostermeier was holding the fort in pole position with 6,700,000 in chips.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Maximilian Klostermeier – 6,700,000
2. David Callaghan – 5,900,000
3. Jason Stockfish – 3,500,000
4. Scott Sharpe – 3,100,000
5. Bryce Yockey – 3,100,000
6. Ryan Lenaghan – 1,900,000
7. Tim Seidensticker -1,500,000
8. Joseph Liberta – 1,100,000
9. Heng Zhang – 1,025,000

Final Table Recap

Joseph Libera and Heng Zhang were the first two eliminations on the final table, leaving in ninth and eighth place before the play was halted.

The event ran into the extra unscheduled day 4 where once again Klostermeier was to resume play as the chip leader.

Final Day Chip Counts

1. Maximilian Klostermeier – 10,240,000
2. David Callaghan – 5,250,000
3. Bryce Yockey – 4,315,000
4. Jason Stockfish – 3,150,000
5. Ryan Lenaghan – 2,460,000
6. Tim Seidensticker – 1,810,000
7. Scott Sharpe – 1,010,000

Final Table Recap

Within the first 20 minutes of play, Scott Sharpe ran his ace-queen into Bryce Yockey’s pocket kings to depart in seventh place.

Yockey went on to eliminate Tim Seidensticker next, in sixth place.

One level later, Jason Stockfish moved all-in, but it didn’t end the right way for him, as his two-pairs were run down by Klostermeier’s superior two-pair.

Several hands later, Yockey eliminated Ryan Lenaghan in fourth place. Lenaghan took a brutal beat holding pocket aces against Yockey`s pair of eights that flopped a set.

Despite winning Lenaghan`s chips, Bryce Yockey couldn`t go much further and exited in third place. Klostermeier open raised for 450K on the button and Yockey made it 1.55 Million to call from the small blind. Klostermeier called to see the flop open . Yockey fired a bet of 800K and Klostermeier called. The appeared on the turn and Yockey announced all-in and Klostermeier immediately called.

Bryce Yockey s1]

Maximilian Klostermeier

Yockey’s set of aces kept him in the lead till the river where the completed Klostermeier’s flush, eliminating Yockey.

In the very first hand of the heads-up play, Klostermeier scored a massive double up, leaving David Callaghan with crumbs. It was all over in the next hand, where Callaghan moved all-in and Klostermeier called.

David Callaghan

Maximilian Klostermeier

Callaghan was eyeing a double up, but the rundown saw Klostermeier clipping a pair of jacks on the river to win his career-first WSOP gold bracelet.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Maximilian Klostermeier – $177,823
2. David Callaghan – $109,844
3. Bryce Yockey – $77,893
4. Ryan Lenaghan – $55,939
5. Jason Stockfish – $40,691
6. Tim Seidensticker – $29,987
7. Scott Sharpe – $22,391
8. Heng Zhang – $16,944
9. Joseph Liberta – $12,996

Content & Images Courtesy: World Series of Poker

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