2014 WSOP Event #47 Jesse McEuen Aces Ante-Only NLHE

Jesse McEuen found pocket Aces in the final hand of the Ante-Only NHLE Event to defeat Jonas Lauck heads-up and win the WSOP bracelet and $212,093 first prize.

Event #47 of the 2014 WSOP was an “Ante-Only” NLHE tournament in which the ante increased with every level, and players would enter a pot in multiples of whatever the smallest chip in play was at the time. Thereafter, betting actions were the same as in a “regular” NLHE tournament; but, with antes coming out in every hand, there was no benefit in playing tight aggressive poker – and the action in this tournament was far more animated than in many other WSOP events.

As the only other event to start on the same day as this was the Player´s Championship, Event #47 of the 2014 WSOP got a good turn-out – with 714 players paying the $1,500 buy-in to participate in this unique event. Most acknowledged immediately that a different strategy was needed than for regular tournaments, but no amount of strategy could account for some of the bad beats that took place throughout the opening two days.

Jesse Capps started the ball rolling by being bust out in the first hand of the event after flopping trip Sixes, moving all-in and getting a call from an opponent. The opponent also had trip Sixes, but with an Ace kicker and Capps was the first player to leave the event – before most of the players had even taken their seats. The bad beats continued until just nine players remained to contest the Ante-Only bracelet and $212,093 first prize:

No Hanging Around when Final Table Begins

When the final table got underway, blinds (minimum bets) were 1,000 chips (the smallest denomination chip in play at the time), while every player had to pay an ante of 6,000 chips. Despite nobody being particularly at risk, four players busted within the first three orbits of the button.

Arthur pro was the first player to depart after looking good to double-up with A♥ 10♠ on the board of 9♦ 8♦ 2♥ / A♠ against Rhys Jones´ Q♣ 10♣. Unfortunately for Pro, the J♥ spiked on the River to make Jones a gutshot straight, and Arthur pro was bust in ninth spot.

The next player to be eliminated was Jeremy Joseph. The overnight chip leader had been pretty quite during the first orbit of the button, and had consequently seen his chip stack reduced by 50,000 chips, while Jonas Lauck had chipped up to the top of the leaderboard in a big pot against Ryan D´Angelo.

Joseph´s bust-out hand occurred when he moved all-in with 9♠ 6♠ on the board of 4♠ K♣ 2♠ / J♣. Jonas Lauck made the call with K♦ K♠, and Joseph missed his flush draw on the River (5♣) to bust out of Event #47 in eighth place.

The next two eliminations occurred within three hands, and were far more straightforward – Herbert Yarbrough running his 4♣ 5♣ into Ryan D´Angelo´s A♥ A♣, and then D´Angelo busting in sixth place when his J♣ 10♣ was out-flopped by Simeon Naydenov´s A♦ K♥.

Jonas Lauck Leads Jesse McEuen into Heads-Up

Going into the second level of the day, the two shortest stacks both doubled-up to keep the chip counts relatively level – Adam Levy spiking an Ace on the River to double up against Simeon Naydenov A♦ Q♥ > 3♦ 3♠, and Rhys Jones flopping a pair of Queens to put the brakes on Jonas Lauck A♠ Q♣ > 10♦ 10♥.

Levy and Jones then engaged in a betting war after the flop of Q♣ 8♦ A♦ and were both all-in – with Adam Levy (A♠ Q♦) ahead in the hand with two pairs against Rhys Jones´ (K♦ 4♦) flush draw. Unfortunately for Levy, his luck ran out with the 5♦ on the Turn, and he was sent to the rail in fifth place.

Rhys Jones moved into a commanding chip lead when busting Simeon Naydenov in fourth place A♣ K♠ > A♠ Q♥, but then it all went wrong for the Englishman – who doubled up Jonas Lauck A♥ 9♥ > A♣ 4♥, and was then crippled by Lauck 5♣ 6♠ > J♣ J♦ when Lauck flopped two pairs.

Jones´ demise was completed in the 140th hand of the final table, when he moved all-in pre-flop with A♠ 9♥ and received a call from Jesse McEuen (10♥ 8♥). McEuen hit the flop of K♦ 8♣ 10♦ hard, and although Rhys Jones caught the 9♠ on the River, it was not enough to prevent him from being eliminated in third place – Jonas Lauck taking a 1,970,000 -v- 1,245,000 chip advantage into the heads-up against Jesse McEuen.

Lauck´s Luck Runs Out as McEuen Aces Bracelet

Everything in the heads-up went Jesse McEuen´s way as Jonas Lauck´s luck deserted him. McEuen levelled up the chip counts with a pair of Kings against Lauck´s flopped pair of Nines, and then hit a runner-runner flush for another half million chip pot. A flopped pair of Aces gave Jesse McEuen saw chunk of chips move in his direction and, in the first hand of Level 25, it was all over.

With blinds of 5,000 chips and a 30,000 chips ante, Jonas Lauck raised from the button to 35,000 chips. Jesse McEuen re-raised to 135,000 chips, and Jonas Lauck responded by moving all-in for his last 930,000 chips. McEuen made the call and the cards were on their backs:

Lauck: A♥ 10♦

McEuen: A♦ A♣

The board ran out 2♠ 2♣ 2♦ / 3♠ / 5♥, and Jesse McEuen had won Event #47 of the 2014 WSOP for $212,093 and aced his first WSOP bracelet.