With an astonishing turnaround, Bradley Gafford, who began the day as the lowest stack holder, took home the win in the World Series of Poker’s Event #74, the $1,000 Mini Main Event No Limit Hold’em, pocketing a sum of $549,555. Based in San Diego, California, Gafford’s game picked up momentum despite having only six big blinds at the start of Day 3. This triumph marks his largest cash win to date and a first-ever coveted WSOP Gold Bracelet.
Gafford’s eventful journey included an uphill battle against 5,257 participants over a span of three days. The tide seemed to turn for him when his pocket threes won against Jennifer Abad’s ace-king, thus doubling his hand at the beginning of the day and setting the tone for the entire event.
The game changer was two consecutive instances of Gafford doubling through Josh Reichard. The first was when Gafford’s quad threes flopped, followed swiftly by his pair of aces besting Reichard’s kings. This ignited a momentum Gafford maintained until the very end.
The concluding headsup marked Gafford’s absolute triumph. He made two pair on the turn with a hit of three, consequently knocking out Reichard. Thus, Gafford clinched his first-ever bracelet in the small blind, forcing an all-in Reichard with only three big blinds.
Day 3 witnessed a promising start for Reichard, who swiftly built a substantial chip lead owing to his aggressive gameplay. He notably eliminated Oliver Berens with a flopped set of tens against Berens’ ace-queen.
Despite the enthusiastic support for Jennifer Abad, who had a lively audience at the final table sporting ‘Jenny for the Mini’ t-shirts, she was not as fortunate, finishing fourth after an unsuccessful hand of king-jack against Reichard’s ace-high.
Jeremy Oleon, the overnight chip leader, also had a challenging day. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t gain significant ground and was eventually dismissed in third place after Reichard achieved a flush against his pair of kings.
Although Reichard had managed to eliminate Berens, Abad, and Oleon, he couldn’t halt the unstoppable Gafford. The determined player, who started the day with the least chips, persevered and secured his first-ever WSOP Gold Bracelet.
Final Table Results
| Result | Winner | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Bradley Gafford | United States | $549,555 |
| 2 | Josh Reichard | United States | $339,646 |
| 3 | Jeremy Oleon | France | $255,215 |
| 4 | Jennifer Abad | United States | $193,103 |
| 5 | Oliver Berens | United States | $147,129 |
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