Scott Blumstein Wins 2017 WSOP Main Event for $8.15M
July 24, 2017 9:15 amScott Blumstein has become this year’s WSOP Main Event champion, after besting a field of 7,221 players over 10 days, including Dan Ott heads-up, to claim tournament poker’s most prestigious title, as well its life-changing $8,150,000 first place prize. Prior to his famous victory, the 25 year-old had $459,188 in career earnings to his name, of which $147,046 was won online playing under the screen name Sblum2711. Now the New Jersey pro is on top of the poker world, and commenting upon how it will change his strategy moving forward, explained:
“Just two weeks ago I was a New Jersey online grinder and nothing has really changed. Having the money, am I going to play a little more live poker? Probably. But I’m probably going to choose where I go based on location and what works for me as opposed to the buy-in of the tournament.”
On Day 10, Blumstein started the action with almost two-thirds of the chips in play, before the three players still in contention got involved in an all-in pot in which Blumstein held A-Q to Benjamin Pollak’s Q-10, and Daniel Ott’s K-9. The latter then scooped the hand after a K-J-3-4-6 board was dealt, while sending Pollak to the rail in 3rd for a $3.5 million payday.
During the heads-up phase, Ott then managed to increase his stack ratio to a 5:1 chip disadvantage, before the deciding hand was played with Ott going all-in preflop holding A-8, and Blumstein making the call with A-2. The J-6-5-7 board which ensued subsequently looked good for another Ott double-up, that is until a 2 was dealt on the river to put paid to his WSOP Main Event hopes this year.
As a result, Daniel Ott had to settle for a runner-up finish, albeit worth a staggering $4.7 million, while top honors went to Scott Blumstein, who will now forever be recorded in the Main Event’s history book. Commenting on the final hand that helped clinched the victory for him, Blumstein stated:
“Is there a better way to win a main event than hitting a three-outer on the river? A normally inconsequential deuce just changes my life,” Blumstein said. “I wish I could say that I was thinking it was coming the whole time, but I was mentally preparing for 40-big blind poker. And somehow.. the river was a deuce, and the rest is history.”
Final Tale Results:
1: Scott Blumstein $8,150,000
2: Daniel Ott $4,700,000
3: Benjamin Pollak $3,500,000
4: John Hesp $2,600,000
5: Antoine Saout $2,000,000
6: Bryan Piccioli $1,675,000
7: Damian Salas $1,425,000
8: Jack Sinclair $1,200,000
9: Ben Lamb $1,000,000