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Less than two weeks after winning his second-career bracelet in Event #15: Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, Daniel Zack (cover image) laid his hands on his second bracelet (his third overall) at the 53rd annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) on Tuesday. And like his last win, Zack ran through a grueling eight-hour heads-up battle before taking down Event #40: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Championship at Bally’s and Paris in Las Vegas to win $324,174. David Funkhouser finished runner-up for $200,356.
American pro Daniel Zack won his first bracelet in June 2019 when he took down Event#6: $2,500 Limit Mixed Triple Draw for $160,447. This was his 88th WSOP cash, including his three bracelet wins – each in a different format – and a WSOP ring victory, which boosted his lifetime WSOP tally to $2,170,761.
According to his Hendon Mob profile, this was his second-biggest live tournament score, pushing his live tournament scorecard to $2,190,237.
The victory has catapulted Zack to the top of the WSOP Player of the Year standings. He has already cashed five events at this year’s series and made three final tables, including the two bracelet victories.
After the win, an elated Zack said, “I’m really happy, much happier, and I feel more energetic than the last bracelet,”
He attributed much of his success and level-headedness in these long stretch heads-up matches to his long nights at cash games. “I’ve had a lot of marathon matches heads-up,” and added, “You just learn through experience to take it one hand at a time and do your best.”
The $10,000 buy-in Stud Hi-Lo Championship logged in 137 entries, generating a $1,277,525 prize pool. The top 21 places walked past the money line with a min-cash worth $16,358.
Day 3 of the event began with 15 players.
Notable eliminations on the final day included PJ Cha (10th for $25,010), Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson (11th for $25,010), GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu (12th for $20,448), Eric Wasserson (13th for $20,448), four-time bracelet winner John Monnette (14th for $17,892), and GGPoker Team Brazil Ambassador Felipe Ramos (15th for $17,892).
Unofficial Final Table Chip Counts
Long Tran’s elimination (9th for $31,003) got the official final table underway.
Final Table Recap
The short-stacked Steven Loube was the first player to be eliminated from the official final table in eighth place.
Soon after that, the six-time bracelet winner Brian Hastings crashed out in seventh place. Hastings’ //[
The next player to fall was the Event #8: $25K High Roller champion Chad Eveslage in sixth place. His pair of fives holding //[
Twenty-seven minutes later, the five-time bracelet winner Shaun Deeb was sent packing in fifth place. Deeb’s / fell short against Eric Kurtzman’s /[
The four-handed play went on for over three hours before David Funkhouser sent Eric Kurtzman packing.
After Kurtzman’s elimination, the tournament was paused, with the three finalists bagging one last time.
Heading into the final day, David Funkhouser (3,455,000) held a significant chip lead over Ziya Rahim (2,545,000) and Daniel Zack (2,230,000).
Final Day Recap
Just an hour into play, Ziya Rahim was eliminated in third place. Rahim`s //[
David Funkhouser (5,725,000) was in command at the start of his heads-up match with Daniel Zack (2,525,000), holding onto a 2.2:1 advantage.
The heads-up battle stretched over eight hours, during which Zack claimed the chip lead four times and lost it every time. But Zack regained it for the fifth time before the final hand was dealt. Funkhouser made for a pair of aces but Zack had him beat as he tabled for a pair of aces and deuces to close out the grueling match, winning a well-deserved third WSOP bracelet and $324,174 in prize money.
Final Table Results (USD)
Content & Images Courtesy: PokerGO, PokerNews & WSOP
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