Samuel Bernabeu Wins $682,436 in Event #79: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em

Hailing from Elda, Spain, Samuel Bernabeu secured the first-place prize of $682,436 and his inaugural WSOP gold bracelet in Event #79: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em.

Bernabeu, who spent a significant part of his career playing in Spain before moving to Mexico, expressed a profound sense of fulfillment with his win. “I used to play a lot in Spain, but when I moved to Mexico, I took a lot of time off, but I felt like something was missing in my life being away for so long. It just feels amazing to actually win one after everything that has happened,” Bernabeu shared with the press post-victory.

The tournament, spanning over three days, saw a robust field of 2,068 participants, contributing to a substantial prize pool of $4,601,300. Of these, the top 311 players bagged at least $4,002 each in prize money. Day 2 witnessed 310 players resuming their play, which narrowed down to the last 24 standing by the end. Noteworthy performances included those by Nick Palma (21st), Galen Hall (24th), Viet Vo (28th), David Miscikowski (29th), Alex Greenblatt (31st), Eugene Todd (35th), and David Peters (54th).

Final Table Play

On the final table, Daniel Schill became the first casualty, in the first of Bernabeu’s takedowns. Hailing from Houston, Normand, known for his scintillating conversation during the game, came in eighth. Despite a spirited performance with king-nine of spades, he couldn’t surpass Penev’s ace-jack of spades.

The game then saw Bernabeu outplaying a less equipped Ramon Fernandez, who sported ten-three offsuit against Bernabeu’s pocket queens. A gripping power play unfolded between Penev and Anderson as they took turns at the helm, leading the chips. This included a dramatic scenario when Penev dismissed Justin Kindred, whose ace-jack failed to measure up to Penev’s ace-queen.

The tension was palpable, with no eliminations for a considerable period until Bernabeu claimed his third victim on the final table, Sorgatto. Triton high-roller Davies, who had consistently maintained his lead through Day 2 and Day 3, took a severe hit from Anderson, leaving him with minimal blinds. Post dinner, Davies couldn’t hold on for long and was eliminated by Bernabeu.

The spotlight was then on Penev, who had been leading the chips for a significant duration of the final table. A significant setback occurred when he lost to Bernabeu, leaving the former with a 20,000,000 pot. Penev’s downfall came soon after, when Bernabeu overpowered his pocket fives with an ace-queen on an ace-queen-king flop.

The heads-up between Bernabeu and Anderson lasted about 25 minutes. The decisive moment came with pocket kings against an ace-queen, the latter held by Anderson. Unable to find a club, Anderson was bested by Bernabeu, who was glorified as the champion and awarded the WSOP gold bracelet.

Final Table Results

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