Mike “babyshark33” Kachan Wins WSOP $1k NL (Event #56) For $403k

WSOP Event #56: $1,000 No Limit Hold’em attracted 2,525 players to the Rio in Las Vegas with a total prize pool of $2,272,500 then up for grabs. Three days later and it was Minnesota online poker sensation Mike “babyshark33” Kachan who emerged top of the field to capture his first career WSOP bracelet, in addition to the $403,483 first-place prize.
Following his impressive victory the 30-year-old, who now boasts $414,875 in live earnings to go with the $3,374,492 he has won online, commented:
“When the tournament started I was in northern Utah driving in and got here with 20 [big blinds]. The rest was history I guess. It feels great, it was a tough ride, but it was well worth it. I am really thankful for all of the people I have behind me.”
Event #56 paid out 270 places and amongst the notable pros seeing a return on their $1,000 buy-in was John Hennigan in 69th ($4,499), Alexandre Gomes in 57th ($5,317), David Singer in 52nd ($6,363), Sunny Chattha in 42nd ($7,681), and Matt Salsberg in 10th ($23,202).
At the final table of nine, Mike Kachan (A-J) then proceeded to eliminate Andrew Egan (K-2) in 4th for $128,032, and after Jeff Blenkarn (10-10) did likewise to Eric Shanks (A-3) in 3rd ($177,527), the heads-up phase of the competition got underway between US players Kachan and Blenkarn for the title.
As heads-up play began, both players were fairly even in chips and it would subsequently take another 45 minutes before the defining hand was played with Blenkarn (Q-9) all-in on a J-9-5-6 board. Kachan made the call holding J-6 and after the dealer put out a 10 on the river, Blenkarn had to be content with a runner-up finish worth $250,815, while Mike Kachan was awarded the bracelet.
“It feels great, it was a tough ride but it was well worth it. I’m very thankful for all the people behind me. I play mostly online with long sessions, multiple games and tons of hands. I’m used to the long grind. It was a tough go, a great final table and all the guys were great,” commented Kachan after his win.
Final Table Payouts:
1 Mike Kachan – $403,483
2 Jeff Blenkarn – $250,815
3 Eric Shanks – $177,527
4 Andrew Egan – $128,032
5 Viktor Skoldstedt – $93,490
6 Neo Hoang – $69,084
7 Steve Gross – $51,676
8 Richard Milne – $39,109
9 Ray Henson – $29,951