WSOP 2022: Benjamin Kaupp Bags Last Bracelet of the Series in Tournament of Champions ($250,000)

The 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is officially over, with the former WSOP Circuit ring champion Benjamin Kaupp (cover image) taking down the Tournament of Champions for a career-best $250,000. He overcame a star-studded 470-entry field and defeated Raul Garza (2nd for $150,000) in a quick heads-up match to collect his maiden WSOP gold bracelet.

Pennsylvania`s Benjamin Kaupp qualified for the Tournament of Champions after winning the Online Circuit Event #7 – $40K GTD PKO NLH 2x Re-entry on WSOP.com in February for $14,954. He later informed that he started his poker journey 15 years ago by playing the game recreationally with friends and discovered online poker almost 12 years ago.

Open exclusively for the 570 WSOP bracelet and circuit ring winners from the 2022 WSOP season, the tournament was a $1 Million freeroll for all 470 participants who entered the tournament.

“It doesn’t feel real yet. It just hasn’t sunk in quite yet. Before this tournament started, I was going to be just happy to cash,” Kaupp said in the post-match interview.

“I’ve just been grinding online for the last couple of years, taking it pretty seriously,” he said. “I play a lot of the Circuit events online … I didn’t really play poker for a while until the last couple of years when it was legal in Pennsylvania again.”

“It was very tough,” he said about the tournament. “The final table, everyone was very tough, very aggressive, great with live reads, it seemed. And things went my way, and here I am.”

The ten-handed final table was replete with bracelet winners like Raul Garza (2nd for $150,000), Ryan Messick (3rd for $100,000), Robert Cowen (4th for $75,000), Ali Eslami (5th for $50,000), Gregory Wish (6th for $37,500), Yuliyan Kolev (7th for $27,500), Eric Bensimhon (8th for $20,000), Gianluca Speranza (9th for $15,000), Day 2 chip leader Jonathan Woof (10th for $11,400).

Other bracelet winners who ran deep enough to cash were Dominick Sarle (13th for $9,100), Antoine Vranken (15th for $7,400), Ivan Deyra (17th for $7,400), Eric Smidinger (19th for $6,200), Daniel Strelitz (29th for $5,300), and the 2022 WSOP POY Dan Zack (55th for $3,500).

Two Indians, PokerGuru Ambassador Ashish Ahuja and two-time bracelet winner Nipun Java took on to the felts on Day 1; however, they busted before the end of the day`s play.

Day 3 began with 16 players and quickly wound down to the final table.

Erik Bauer bubbled the final table (11th for $11,400), leaving ten finalists to battle it out for the gold bracelet and the $250,000 in first-place prize money.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Raul Garza – 2,905,000
2. Robert Cowen – 2,200,000
3. Benjamin Kaupp – 2,150,000
4. Ali Eslami – 1,590,000
5. Gregory Wish – 1,225,000
6. Ryan Messick – 1,150,000
7. Yuliyan Kolev – 830,000
8. Jonathan Woof – 810,000
9. Gianluca Speranza – 575,000
10. Eric Bensimhon – 515,000

Final Table Recap

Five minutes after the final table redraw, Ali Eslami opened to 75,000 from the cutoff, and Day 2 chip leader Jonathan Woof three-bet jammed for 815,000 from the button. Eslami snap-called when the action folded around to him.

Jonathan Woof

Ali Eslami

“The implosion continues,” Woof complained after seeing Eslami`s cowboys.

The board ran out , and Woof was eliminated for a consolation $11,400 in 10th place after starting the final day as the chip leader.

“What a f***in’ implosion. F***,” Woof said as he left the tournament area.

In the first hand back from the break, Gianluca Speranza moved all-in from under the gun for the last seven and a half blinds. Gregory Wish matched his bet from the button.

Gianluca Speranza

Gregory Wish

The weaker ace found no help from the cards that hit the board , and Speranza collected $15,000 in ninth place.

The game slowed down a bit as over an hour went by without incident before Eric Bensimhon open-shoved for 400,000 from the hijack. Raul Garza isolated by re-shoving from the small blind, and others folded.

Eric Bensimhon

Raul Garza

Garza`s pocket aces held through the runout, eliminating Bensimhon. By this time, Garza had almost one-third of the chips in play.

It took another two hours before Yuliyan Kolev was sent to the rail. On his final hand, Kolev opened for 125,000 in the hijack and Benjamin Kaupp three-bet to 415,000 in the small blind. Kolev then four-bet jammed for 1,580,000, and Kaupp snap-called.

Yuliyan Kolev

Benjamin Kaupp

This time, the Bulgarian was dominated and found no help forthcoming from the community cards to become the seventh place finisher.

Just four minutes later, Gregory Wish fell out when Raul Garza raised to 125,000 on the button and then instantly called Wish shove from one seat over for 600,000 (total) from the small blind.

Gregory Wish

Raul Garza

Garza was on the backfoot but flopped a pair on the board to send Wish packing in sixth place.

The elimination spree continued as just five minutes later, Ryan Messick raised to 120,000 with , and Ali Eslami called out of the big blind with . On the flop, Eslami check-called a bet worth 60,000 to see the turn card open . Eslami bet 480,000 with just one chip behind, and Messick snap-called and revealed the nuts without realizing Eslami was not all in. Knowing he was drawing dead, Eslami folded and saved his last 5,000.

On the very next hand, Ali Eslami was all-in for his remaining 5,000 out of the big blind. Raul Garza limped in the cutoff, as did Robert Cowen on the button, while Messick checked the option in the big blind. It checked to Cowen on the flop, who bet 160,000 and got Garza to fold.

Ali Eslami

Robert Cowen

While Eslami had some outs even after the turn, the river gave Cowen a ten-high straight for the win. Eslami departed in fifth place.

The game slowed considerably, and the four-handed action went on for three hours before Robert Cowen busted. Ryan Messick was the initial aggressor and raised to 200,000 in the cutoff. Cowen then three-bet jammed his short stack of 1,780,000 in the big blind. A quick call by Messick followed, and the rail started shouting.

Robert Cowen

Ryan Messick

The community cards brought , confirming Cowen`s exit in fourth place.

The final three continued for almost two hours before Ryan Messick open-shoved for 1,900,000 in the small blind, and Benjamin Kaupp reluctantly called in the big blind with the words, “I don’t know if I am supposed, feel like you are tight for a reason.”

Ryan Messick

Benjamin Kaupp

The board rolled out , and Messick, failing to receive a piece of it, was eliminated in third place.

After a brief twenty minutes of heads-up play, the final hand of the series was dealt. Raul Garza pushed all-in for 2,150,000 on the button, and Benjamin Kaupp asked for a count in the big blind before making the call.

Raul Garza

Benjamin Kaupp

The last board of the series came declaring Benjamin Kaupp the champion!

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Benjamin Kaupp – $250,000
2. Raul Garza – $150,000
3. Ryan Messick – $100,000
4. Robert Cowen – $75,000
5. Ali Eslami – $50,000
6. Gregory Wish – $37,500
7. Yuliyan Kolev – $27,500
8. Eric Bensimhon – $20,000
9. Gianluca Speranza – $15,000
10. Jonathan Woof – $11,400

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerGO, PokerNews & WSOP.

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