2016 WSOP: Andrew Lichtenberger Wins First Career Bracelet

US pro Andrew Lichtenberger may be one of poker’s most talented players, but until recently the WPT title winner had one coveted item missing from his impressive resume, namely a WSOP bracelet. That all changed on Sunday night, however, after the 28-year-old pro took down Event #52: $3,000 No Limit Hold’em for $569,158. Following a victory which now pushes his live career earnings to $8,279,017, Lichtenberger commented:
“It feels amazing. I’ve been playing the World Series of Poker since 2009 and watching it on TV since I was a kid with the Chris Moneymaker phenomenon, so to be here today and win just feels amazing.”
The $3,000 No Limit Hold’em event featured a prize pool worth $3,071,250, and amongst the notable pros finishing in one of the 169 money places was Dan O’Brien in 48th ($9,644), John Racener in 28th ($13,612), John Hennigan in 27th ($16,536), James Akenhead in 18th ($20,382), and Jay Farber in 15th ($25,485).
After the final table had been set, Lichtenberger subsequently progressed all the way through to heads-up play where he held a roughly 3-to-1 chip advantage over Australian pro Craig Blight. Commenting on his thoughts going into the final battle, Lichtenberger said:
I felt really comfortable coming in. I had no fears or doubts. I kind of thought he would be in the mentality of ’I’ve gotten this far’ and he would be kind of fearless as a result, just trying to go for it.”
Lichtenberger then managed to extend his lead before the deciding hand was played with the US pro moving all-in on a 7-4-2-3 board holding 6-5, only to be called by Blight with 7-4. With a harmless K falling on the river, Craig Blight subsequently had to settle for a runner-up finish worth $351,721, while Lichtenberger picked up his first ever WSOP bracelet. Commenting on the secret to his success, he later stated:
“Nutrition, a healthy lifestyle, and a positive attitude were all integral factors in my victory today. Without adopting these choices, I wouldn’t be here. The human body is simple, but also very deep in its workings. To sit for so many hours and not nourish it, you’re going give yourself more difficulty when the crucial moments come. So, just by doing what I do, I was able to make good decisions that really mattered today.”
Final Table Results:
1: Andrew Lichtenberger $569,158
2: Craig Blight $351,721
3: Christopher Johnson $249,336
4: Mac Sohrabi $179,015
5: Linglin Zeng $130,191
6: Erhan Iscan $95,925
7: Thomas Miller $71,617
8: Roger Teska $54,190
9: Daniel Wagner $41,563