Stephen Chidwick wins first bracelet, $1.6M cash at WSOP

Staff Writer, June 26, 2019 1:14 pm

Stephen Chidwick Crowned 2018 US Poker Open Champion

After numerous heartbreaks and close calls poker pro Stephen Chidwick has finally won his first World Series of Poker bracelet.

Chidwick outlasted a 278-player field in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller tournament to claim his first WSOP win and cash $1,618,417. That was most won at the WSOP so far this year.

It’s been a longtime coming for Chidwick who had previously made it to 14 final tables at the WSOP without a win. That included finishing in the Top 5 in six previous tournaments, with his previous best finish being second place in the Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo Eights or Better tournament in 2015.

At the final table in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller Chidwick faced a formidable group which included three previous WSOP winners, Alex Epstein, four-time winner Robert Mizrachi, and eight-time winner Erik Seidel.

It eventually came down to Chidwick and James Chen heads-up for the tournament title. Chen, like Chidwick, was looking for his first WSOP victory. Chen was also attempting to become the first person from Taiwan to win a WSOP bracelet. He’ll have to continue to wait.

When heads-up play began Chidwick had the chip lead with 25.3 million chips to Chen’s 16.4 million. Chen won three straight pots at one point to get near even with Chidwick, but that would be as close he would get, as Chidwick never surrendered the chip lead. On the very next hand Chidwick would take over 80 per cent of Chen’s stack when his set of Aces was the best hand at the table.

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On the final hand of the tournament Chidwick called a Chen raise to see Kh-7h-6d fall on the flop. After a check-raise by Chidwick, Chen made the call which put him all-in. Chidwick showed Kc-Qd-7d-6s which gave him two pair.

That was better than Chen’s Ac-Qs-8h-8d, which gave him a pair of eights. The turn was the 10c which opened up a gut shot straight draw for Chen. He missed all his outs when the 2d hit on the river giving Chidwick the win.

For second place Chen still received a hefty cash of $1,000,253