James Obst Wins 2024 WSOP $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship

For 4 years, James Obst had to wonder if he would ever get this sort of expertise once more, of sitting beneath the intense lights on the primary stage competing towards the perfect poker gamers on the earth. One thing that had been such an enormous a part of his life since he was a teen was not there. However, as we speak on the closing desk of Occasion #42: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, the lengthy wait lastly got here to an finish and Obst was proper again the place he belonged.

The Australian professional, who left poker in 2019 on the age of 28 to try a profession at skilled tennis with the dream of competing at Wimbledon, defeated a subject of 107 of the highest names within the recreation to win his second World Sequence of Poker bracelet and $260,658 prime prize after prevailing in a prolonged heads-up duel with Paul Volpe.

Remaining Desk Outcomes

“A bit of bit overwhelming. Very strung out. It’s been an extended couple of days,” Obst mentioned following his victory. “I can’t actually imagine it simply serious about the week that I’ve had. To be right here with a bracelet is surreal. It’s unreal.”

Obst had been an everyday fixture on the WSOP since 2014, making seven closing tables in a five-year span (together with twice on this identical match). His first bracelet got here seven years in the past within the $10,000 Razz Championship. He was additionally concerned in one of the crucial memorable pots in latest WSOP historical past, when he folded a full home to Michael Ruane’s straight flush deep within the 2016 Important Occasion the place Obst finally completed thirteenth.

Obst was already a star within the on-line poker world when he was nonetheless in his teenagers. Enjoying beneath the title “Andy McLEOD,” Obst received 4 Spring Championship of On-line Poker titles and one World Championship of On-line Poker title and earned hundreds of thousands in profession earnings.

However then he determined to stroll away, even when he spent the whole time dearly lacking the sport that had meant a lot to him. “I by no means actually wished to go away completely. Part of my soul, I feel, lives right here on the World Sequence,” he mentioned.

“It was an extended few years with out it, grinding away in Melbourne via lockdowns and doing different issues. I missed it terribly. In the mean time it’s balancing priorities and simply determining how lengthy I can keep right here and luxuriate in this expertise whereas not shedding sight of doing the opposite issues I wish to do in my life.”

Obst returned to the WSOP final yr, and it was like he by no means left. He made three closing tables in 2023, together with the $50,000 Poker Gamers Championship. Now he’s a two-time bracelet winner, solely the sixth participant from his native Australia with a number of bracelets. The wait proved properly value it.

Day 3 Motion

Day 3 started with 11 gamers remaining, with Iowa businessman Mike Lang holding the chip lead as the one participant with greater than 1,000,000 out of a beginning subject that included 9 bracelet winners. Obst started the day in fourth place with 732,000.

Brazilian celebrity Yuri Dzivielevski was in third place in the beginning of the day as he sought to win his fifth WSOP bracelet, however he took an early hit when Jason Daly made quad jacks on the primary hand. Lang bumped into Volpe’s journey aces to lose the chip lead as Volpe climbed up previous 1,300,000.

Volpe then made a pair of kings to bust Alex Livingston in eleventh place as the primary casualty of the day. Yuval Bronshtein was eradicated in tenth place by Obst, who completed with two pair to set the nine-handed closing desk.

Volpe and Daly led the way in which to start the ultimate desk, with Obst and Lang following behind. A flurry of fast eliminations adopted as Kane Kalas was eradicated in a four-way pot as he held two aces within the gap, however Volpe made kings full to ship him to the rail in ninth place. Dzivielevski’s day got here to an finish by the hands of countryman Andre Akkari, who hit kings and sevens on the river to beat Dzivielevski’s queens and deuces.

Obst moved into rivalry for the chip lead after having three sixes within the gap to go along with the 2 fives on his board for a full home, taking an enormous pot off Daly. Volpe then knocked out Akkari in seventh place with journey sixes towards kings and tens, whereas Juha Helppi fell in sixth place to Obst, who made journey fives to beat aces and jacks.

The remaining 5 gamers then took their seats on the primary characteristic stage for the beginning of the PokerGO stay stream. Robert Mizrachi, already with one bracelet this summer season, was first to depart when Obst had jacks and nines exhibiting by seventh, whereas Mizrachi missed a flush draw to hit the rail in fifth place. Lang, the start-of-day chip chief, was ousted in fourth place by Jason Daly’s flush.

Obst, Volpe, and Daly performed three-handed for greater than three hours as they every took turns holding the chip lead. Daly made a full home in a pot towards Volpe to go away the stacks nearly even, however Obst then known as Daly with a pair of fours as Daly was caught bluffing to fall all the way down to a brief stack.

Daly was finally eradicated in third place as Obst made nines and fives whereas Daly missed a flush draw. Obst led Volpe in the beginning of heads-up play, holding 3,535,000 to 2,890,000.

It will be a grueling battle for the bracelet that lasted into the early hours of the morning. Obst started to drag away when he known as a wager on seventh with two pair, and Volpe mucked to give up the massive pot, giving Obst a 2-1 chip benefit. Obst then picked off a bluff when he known as Volpe with a pair of eights, knocking Volpe all the way down to barely over 1,000,000.

Volpe spiked a straight on the river to take down an enormous pot and climb again as much as 2,100,000, however Obst continued to dominate the match as he picked off one other bluff with only a pair of threes as Volpe fell to 815,000. Obst made kings and threes to go away Volpe with simply two huge bets, and, almost 4 hours after the heads-up match started and on the 255th hand of the ultimate desk, Volpe received in his final 235,000.

Obst completed with a pair of fours, whereas Volpe missed every little thing on seventh to fall wanting his fourth bracelet and end as runner-up.

The lengthy day took its toll on Obst, each bodily and mentally, however he managed to drag via and emerge the champion. “Actually, I’m bodily destroyed proper now,” he mentioned.

“I didn’t sleep a lot in any respect final evening. It’s exhausting to place two and two collectively. However adrenaline received me via. It was very tough, and Paul is a straight-up killer so powerful to play heads-up towards such a terrific participant. It was daunting but additionally exhilarating on the identical time.”

Obst as soon as exchanged shuffling poker chips for gripping a tennis racket. Now, again within the recreation he loves, he has a shiny gold bracelet to place round his wrist.

That concludes PokerNews’ protection of the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship. Keep tuned for extra protection all through the 2024 WSOP.