Eric Baldwin Wins WSOP $1,500 NLHE to Claim 2nd Career Bracelet

Almost a decade after Eric Baldwin captured his first World Series of Poker title, the player affectionately known as “basebaldy” has doubled his bracelet tally following a victory at Event #37: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em. Furthermore, both accolades have now been recorded at the same $1,500 NLHE event.

This year’s tournament proved a popular draw, with organizers having to arrange an extra day of play to accommodate the impressive field of 1,330 competitors. At the end of Day 4, Baldwin then managed to overcome his final opponent, Ian Steinman, heads-up to claim the bracelet, after which he commented:

“It was a lot of hours of poker and a lot of short-handed play, that really sucks your mental energy. But man it’s fun! I wish everyone could experience this. It’s so cool.”

Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin

After cashing in at his first live tournament in 2006, Eric Baldwin claimed his first WSOP bracelet in 2009 following a winning performance at $1,500 No Limit Hold’em for $521,991. In 2010, Baldwin then recorded his biggest score to date after a runner-up finish at the $25,500 NLHE Five Star World Poker Classic for $1,034,715. The two year period also marks his most successful to date having amassed around $3 million in winnings split fairly equally between 2009 and 2010.

The $319,580 Baldwin subsequently collected after his latest WSOP triumph in Las Vegas now takes his career earnings to $6,050,079, placing him at number 21 on Nevada ‘All Time Money List’, and ranking him within the world’s top 100 tournament players.

WSOP $1,500 NLHE

The WSOP $1,500 NLHE event featured a prize pool of $1,795,500, and offered 200 money places. Amongst the recognizable pros seeing a return on their investment was Andy Frankenberger in 51st ($5,462), Mike Sexton in 48th ($5,462), Jake Schwartz in 24th ($9,513), Brandon Hall in 21st ($9,513), Ryan Laplante in 16th ($11,759), and JC Tran in 12th ($18,694). Once the final table got underway, Baldwin took down a huge pot against Aaron Massey in a flush over flush situation, and as he later explained:

“That was an incredible runout for me obviously, just a nasty cooler for him. It definitely propelled me, and I believe it gave me the chip lead.”

Baldwin followed up by eliminating Michael Finstein in 6th, Robert Georato in 5th, and Aaron Massey in 4th, while WSOP Circuit ring holder Ian Steinman (Q-Q) sent Enrico Rudelitz (A-5) to the rail in 3rd to set up a final battle against Baldwin for the bracelet.

Baldwin vs Steinman

Baldwin got off to a shaky start against Steinman, but managed to steady the ship to take the lead after a couple hours of play. As he later explained:

“Heads up did not start well, and I ended up needing to get lucky all-in one time, and then built back up some momentum.”

The two players were then given the option to either keep on playing or alternatively continue their battle the following day. While Baldwin wanted to take full advantage of the change in momentum and stay, Steinman, on the other hand, opted for an overnight break.

On Day 4, Steinman’s decision looked to have been a good one, too, with the Californian player managing to narrow the gap between himself and his formidable opponent. Nevertheless, Steinman’s progress then hit a road block, and after losing a few hand he eventually lost the rest of his chips in a pocket kings versus A-J encounter. The board subsequently rolled out 2-8-10-J-A to secure the win for Baldwin, while Steinman received $197,461 for his runner-up finish.

Eric Baldwin’s victory at the Rio was not only cheered on by his rail of supporters, but also by family members who came to lend him their support. As can be seen, this made for a rather unique photo opportunity, and as Balwin commented following his bracelet win:

“It’s surreal. My mum came out and surprised me. I had no idea she was coming, so it ended up being a blessing that we didn’t finish last night. It gave her a chance to get out here and see it.”

Final Table Result

1: Eric Baldwin $319,580
2: Ian Steinman $197,461
3: Enrico Rudelitz $140,957
4: Aaron Massey $101,819
5: Robert Georato $74,434
6: Michael Finstein $55,077
7: Stephen Song $41,257
8: Gilsoo Kim $31,290
9: Mathew Moore $24,032