2014 WSOP Event #35 Brian Yoon Wins 8-Max with a Day to Spare

Brian Yoon added to his victory in last year´s “Little Drop” Event by taking down the $5,000 buy-in 8-Max NL Hold´em on the third of the four scheduled days.

Event #35 of the 2014 WSOP saw 550 players pony up the $5,000 buy-in to play in the 8-Max NL Hold´em event. The bubble burst during the seventh level of Day 2 when Jeff Masden´s pocket Aces held against an opponent´s K♣ Q♦, and it was Masden who led the twenty-three survivors into Day 3 after an astonishing sequence of bust-outs had decimated the field.

The pace of eliminations did not stop during the early action on Day 3, and Brian Yoon took a massive chip advantage to the final table after doubling up against Masden 5♥ 5♠ > 4♥ 3♥, busting the former chip leader A♥ Q♥ > A♦ 8♥, eliminating Erwann Pecheux and Michael Rocco, before sending Sam Trickett to the rail in eleventh place A♣ 9♠ > 5♥ 5♠.

Mustapha Kanit´s Roller Coaster Dominates Early Play

Despite Brian Yoon´s commanding advantage, it was Mustapha Kanit who was involved in much of the early action. With blinds going up to 10,000/20,000 (ante 3,000), Kanit was reduced to just 1½ blinds after doubling up Josh Bergman Q♥ Q♣ > K♠ K♦ and Tony Cousineau 10♣ 10♦ > K♦ 9♣, but he doubled up against Dan Smith twice (A♥ Q♦ > 10♣ 10♦ and 10♥ 10♣ > A♥ 7♠), and Brian Yoon to finish the first level with 566,000 chips.

Yoon re-established his advantage by busting Tony Cousineau in eighth place K♣ Q♠ > 9♦ 9♠ with a turned Broadway straight, but Kanit continued his sensational recovery when eliminating Timo Pfutzenreuter in seventh place with trip Aces against Pfutzenreuter´s pair of Sevens, and then chipping up over the million chip mark against Dan Smith 7♥ 7♣ > A♦ 10♦ – Smith being sent to the rail in sixth place.

Kanit Comes off the Rails and Arieh leads into Heads-Up

Mustapha Kanit´s roller coaster came off the rails in the first hand of Level 26 (blinds 15,000/30,000 – ante 5,000), when he shoved all-in on a board of A♥ 8♦ 7♠ / 3♠ / K♠ with 6♣ 5♣. Brian Yoon hesitated for a minute before making the call with A♦ Q♠, and Kanit was eliminated in fifth place by Yoon´s pair of Aces. However, Yoon´s domination of the tournament also started to slide, and Josh Arieh doubled-up Q♦ Q♣ > 8♦ 8♠ to move within 600,000 chips of the chip leader.

After giving a few chips back to Yoon when forced off a big pot, Josh Arieh eliminated Ardit Kurshumi in third place A♣ Q♥ > 4♥ 4♦ (Arieh hit runner-runner trip Aces) and Josh Bergman in third place A♣ J♦ > Q♠ 10♥ on a Five-high board, to take a 4.76 million -v- 3.5 million chip advantage into the heads-up against Brian Yoon.

Brian Yoon Wins with a Flopped Flush

The early hands of the heads-up saw Brian Yoon chisel his way back into the chip lead with a series of victories in small pots. He increased his advantage when his 6♥ 4♥ hit a runner-runner flush, and then extended it further when flopping a Jack-high straight with 10♥ 9♥. An A♥ 7♣ > A♠ 5♠ hand in favour of Brian Yoon saw Josh Arieh´s stack reduced to 2 million chips, and these were soon to go into the middle in the final hand of the tournament – which was particularly well played by the winner.

With blinds now at 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000), Josh Arieh opened for 100,000 chips and Brian Yoon made the call. Following the flop of 6♦ 7♦ 9♦, Yoon checked, and then raised Arieh´s 75,000 chip bet up to 240,000. Arieh flat-called, but after the A♦ on the Turn he announced he was all-in and Yoon snap-called.

Yoon: 8♦ 2♦ for a flopped diamond flush

Arieh: A♦ 2♥ for a pair of Aces and four diamonds to a better flush

Any diamond would have given Josh Arieh a double-up to level the chip stacks, but the 6♣ bricked on the River to give Brian Yoon his second WSOP bracelet on only his second WSOP final table.