Thai Ha Takes 1st and $111,170 Prize in 2023 WSOP Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck No-Limit Hold’em

Vietnamese player Thai Ha showcased the best of his skills in the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck No-Limit Hold’em, seizing his first career gold bracelet and a robust $111,170 top prize. Conquering a formidable field of 363 contenders, Ha made his mark in the global poker arena, outlasting the chip leader, David Prociak, in the final heads-up.

Day 2 at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas welcomed back nine competitors, eager to navigate a landscape that seemed to favor deeper stacks and slower elimination rates compared to the initial day. It was a battle of nerves, skill, and a hint of luck.

Adam Adler was the first to bow out of the race. The confrontation preflop with Ryan Laplante’s pocket queens proved too overwhelming for him. The tension on the floor escalated as the participants grappled for a win, with the next elimination unfolding over an hour later.

Marcos Exterkotter, despite experiencing a day filled with highs and lows, couldn’t sustain his luck. A noteworthy win against Ha using pocket aces lost its shine when Matan Gabay doubled up through him. Ha capitalized on this stumble, cracking Exterkotter’s pocket kings with a well-timed straight, thereby signaling the beginning of the official final table.

Gabay and Moses Alosh would be the next ones to surrender their chips. Gabay succumbed to Ha’s pocket kings while Alosh faced defeat against Robert James’s ace-king combo. Meanwhile, Ryan Laplante, a former bracelet winner, found his challenge end at the hands of Ha, who seized the advantage with a pair of queens against Laplante’s tens.

Starting the day with a promising second-highest chip count, James met a series of unlucky rounds, leaving him short-stacked during the four-handed game. A face-off against Prociak’s pocket aces ended his journey despite a promising turn.

The final heads-up play began with Prociak possessing a 2-1 chip advantage over Ha. Prociak continued to assert his dominance by eliminating Wai Kiat Lee, who held an ace-jack against Prociak’s ace-king. Nonetheless, Ha remained resolute. He slowly chipped away at his opponent’s lead and seized control in a pivotal hand where he flopped the nut straight against Prociak.

In a turn of events, Ha managed to catch Prociak bluffing and secured the winning position with a pair of queens against Prociak’s suited king-ten. This nail-biting finish crowned Thai Ha as the undisputed champion of Event #83.

Final Table Results

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