Home » News » WSOP 2018: Anderson Ireland Claims 1st Live Tournament Score in Style by Winning Event #67- $1,500 PLO Bounty For $141,161

WSOP 2018: Anderson Ireland Claims 1st Live Tournament Score in Style by Winning Event #67- $1,500 PLO Bounty For $141,161

PG News July 9, 2018
8 mins Read

Fielding through a huge battleground of 833 competitors, Anderson Ireland (cover image) won Event #67: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty at the 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $141,161.

Ireland beat WSOP bracelet winner Matt O’Donnell in a long and grueling heads-up match where it seemed like O’Donnell who had entered the final table as the chip leader would take down the event after he scored two bounties in a single hand on Day 2.

But it was not so! Just when the last three levels were left to play, Ireland started putting the pressure on and closed the gap. In the final level he took control, cornering O’Donnell on the third hand and relegated him to the runner-up position.

For Ireland, who scored his first WSOP cash and also his first live-recorded tournament score with this win, poker has been a regular feature in his life for the past two-and-half years now, and this is the 34^th tournament he has played.

“This is my first trip to the World Series. I played the Main. Busted on Day 2,” Anderson said, adding, “I’ve been working on it for a little while. Been playing PLO for eight months now. I have some really excellent teachers who teach me the hard way, by taking my money. They’ll know who they are. I felt very confident the whole way through. Seemed very natural. It is such a better game than Texas Hold ‘em.”

Two Indians, Nipun Java and Navkiran Singh who had entered the tournament ended their runs on Day 2 with Java finishing 86^th for $1,566 (~₹1.07 Lakhs) and Singh in 116th place for $1,421 (~₹97,715).

Earlier in the event, the money bubble popped up right as Day 1 ended, leaving only 125 contenders in the fray, all of them guaranteed a minimum $1,421.

Just as Day 2 rolled on, many notables hit the rail including Robert Mizrachi (83^rd for $1,566), Benny Glaser (89^th for $1,566), Aaron Mermelstein (98^th for $1,477), Sebastian Pauli (101^st for $1,421), Perry Friedman (117^th for $1,421) and Eric Baldwin (118^th for $1,421).

Within the next two levels, the fast-paced action saw 40 more players busting out including Jeff Gross (54^th for $2,384), Mark Gregorich (55^th for $2,088), Ivan Deyra (65^th for $1,862), Justin Young (68^th for $1,862), and Robert Oxenberg (79^th for $1,691).

After the elimination of Tom West (11^th for $7,604), the unofficial final table was drawn and the remaining 10 players bagged their chips for the final day. Apart from O’Donnell, Hai Chu (810,000), Ireland (755,000) and Jameson Painter (685,000) were the other big stacks.

James Morgan was the first one to exit the next day after he lost out to O’Donnell. Morgan flopped a pair of jacks but O’Donnell turned a flush to send Morgan out in 10^th place.

Final Table Recap

One hand after Morgan’s departure, Jameson Painter faced Chu in a hand where he got it in on the flop and as both players tabled their cards, Chu came out with the superior hand holding aces and a better flush draw that improved to a nut flush while Painter hit the rail in ninth place.

The next elimination was Harry Pozefsky in eighth place when he was up against Ireland who held two pairs against the former’s pair..

Jonathan Thomas then opened to 50,000 from late position and Ireland defended his big blind. The flop showed and Anderson check-raised Thomas’s bet of 70,000 to 200,000 and Thomas jammed all in for his last 187,000. The showdown saw Ireland`s vs. Thomas’s . Anderson flopped a straight and for Thomas, there was no help on the turn and river and he was eliminated in seventh place.

Over the next few hands O’Donnell and Ireland tussled for the chip lead. After Ireland won a big pot off O’Donnell with a queen-high flush and doubled up through Chu, he took over the chip lead.

Andrew Holland’s stack had been depleting steadily and now he opened to 100,000 from the cutoff and 4-bet shoved after Chu 3-bet pot from the small blind. Holland turned over and Chu tabled . Chu spiked trip fives on the rundown. railing Holland in sixth place.

Right after he lost a big pot to Ireland, Hai Chu went all in for 75,000 in the big blind with two callers – Park in the small blind and Ireland on the button. On the flop . Ireland called a bet of 50,000 from Park and on the turn, Park fired again for 100,000 and Ireland called. The completed the board and Park bet for a third time for 125,000 and Ireland snap-called. Park held for pocket kings but evidently it wasn’t enough since Ireland had flopped trip sevens with his ! Chu departed in fifth place.

Michal Maryška was the next one out. He 3-bet to 300,000 in the big blind after Ireland opened for 75,000 from the button and Park flatted from the small blind. Ireland wasted no time in folding but Park chose to call to see the flop open . Park bet 200,000 putting Maryška all in and he made the call. Park held against the of Maryška. His flopped straight beat the latter’s aces and his win was confirmed once the turn and the river completed the board., sending Maryška out in fourth place.

Next up, it was Joon Park who bowed out in third place. Ireland led out from the small blind and called Park`s raise of 90,000 from the big blind. On the flop , Park bet 75,000 and Ireland check-raised the pot, pushing in 480,000. After tanking for a few minutes Park moved all in for about a Million and Ireland called. Park showed Ax and Ireland tabled . On the turn, Ireland caught a 2x to make a straight and for Park, the 10x on the river meant his tournament run was over.

The heads-up play between Matt O’Donnell and Ireland saw a lot of back and forth between the two before a champion was crowned. At one point, O’Donnell’s stack dipped below a million but he then caught quads on the river to double up and kept chipping up. However Ireland turned the play in his favor right towards the end of the penultimate level and never looked back. After leaving O’Donnell low and dry on stacks he gave the final push in a hand where he put in 200,000 preflop and O’Donnell matched. The remaining chips went in on the flop with O’Donnell showing against Ireland’s . Ireland was leading and the remaining streets and substantiated his victory, sending O’Donnell out in second place.