The 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has ended as Benjamin Kaupp wins $250,000 in the Tournament of Champions. This was his career best, and he also won his first bracelet after beating Raul Garza in a heads-up match. The runner-up took home $150,000.
The Circuit ring and 570 bracelet champions in this year's WSOP were eligible for the Tournament of Champions. The freeroll had 470 entrants who formed a $1,000,000 prize pool. Some of the players who had deep runs included Yulivan Kolev, Robert Cowen, Eric Bensimhon, and Gregory Wish.
The Final Table's Results
- Benjamin Kaupp from the U.S – $250,000
- Raul Garza from the U.S. – $150,000
- Ryan Messick from the U.S. – $100,000
- Robert Cowen from the United Kingdom – $75,000
- Ali Eslami from the U.S. – $50,000
- Gregory Wish from the U.S. – $37,500
- Yulivan Kolev from Bulgaria – $27,500
- Eric Bensimhon from France – $20,000
- Gianluca Speranza from Italy – $15,000
- Jonathan Woof from Canada – $11,400
Action at the Final Table
The championship's Day 3 started with 16 players who reduced fast to form a single table after several hours. Gianluca Speranza left the tournament in ninth place with $15,000 after Wish's ace-king dominated his ace-seven and lost an opportunity to win his second bracelet.
Kolev got busted in seventh place and won $27,500 after Kaupp's queens beat his pocket eights. Ali Eslami left the table in fifth place, and Kaupp appeared to follow him after Ryan Messick's cowboys held his pocket nines. But the turn revealed a nine that maintained Kaupp's deep run.
Messick traveled to Las Vegas to take part in the championship after he won an online bracelet tournament. Still, he left the Tournament of Champions in third place and took home $100,000 after Kaupp's king-ten beat his ace-four.
Messick's elimination began heads-up action between Kaupp and Raul Garza. Yet, it lasted for four hands as Kaupp had a chip advantage over Garza, which he used to put pressure on him.
The latter won the WSOP Circuit (WSOPC) Cherokee $1,100 Buy-In tournament in February. He won $74,995 and his first WSOP ring. He doubled up and failed to reduce his chip difference with Kaupp.
Garza used king-jack to go all-in in the final hand as Kaupp used ace-six to call. But, none of them improved their cards. Kaupp's ace-high sent Garza packing in second place, thus earning him the second largest score in his poker career.
Kaupp's Reaction After Winning the Championship
Kaupp won $14,954 in the $215 WSOP.com PA Circuit to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. His latest victory earned him 15 times more money than what he won in the Circuit.
The champion stated after the event that he wasn't feeling real as he just wanted to win cash when it began. He added that he began playing poker when he was a teenager and developed an interest in online poker 12 years ago.
Kaupp has played many online Circuit tournaments in the recent past and started spending more time playing poker after Pennsylvania legalized it.
He didn't need a mouse and keyboard to battle it out with notable ring champions to get a six-figure score and his first WSOP bracelet. Also, he admitted that the Tournament of Champions wasn't a walk in the park as each player was tough at the final table.