Leon Sturm Tops the $50,000 High Roller to Win His First WSOP Bracelet

The 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $50,000 No-Limit Hold ’em Eight-Max event attracted 124 entrants and had a $5,921,000 prize pool that the leading 19 participants shared. Leon Sturm beat all his opponents to bag the $1,546,024 first-place prize and his first WSOP gold bracelet. The 22-year-old player got into the tournament through the $5,000 buy-in satellite.

Even so, he recently won $1,518,400 at GGPoker in a $10,000 buy-in event. Sturm stated in an interview after the event that this month is promising for him. Besides, this was his second final table to play this year.

His victory earned him 1,122 Card Player Player of the Year (POY) points and improved his position in this year’s POY race to the top 150. Still, he amassed 750 PokerGO Tour (PGT) points and rose to the ninth position in the POY race. Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas hosted the event between June 9 and 11.

The Final Table’s Payouts

  1. Leon Sturm-$1,546,024; 1,122 POY points and 750 PGT points
  2. Bill Klein-$955,513;935 POY points and 573 PGT points
  3. Jans Arends-$694,019;748 POY points and 416 PGT points
  4. Alex Foxen-$512,824;561 POY points and 308 PGT points
  5. Seth Davies-$385,617;468 POY points and 231 PGT points
  6. Justin Bonomo-$295,169;374 POY points and 177 PGT points
  7. Sam Soverel-$230,066;281 POY points and 138 PGT points
  8. Sung Joo Hyun-$182,662;187 POY points and 110 PGT points

How Things Unfolded on Day 3

Justin Bonomo left the tournament in sixth place late on Day 2. Alex Foxen was the stack leader early in Day 3, and Seth Davies got busted in fifth place after his trip fives lost to Sturm’s straight.

Sturm used 8Club Suit6Heart Suit to make a top two pair check at the 8Spade Suit6Club Suit4Heart Suit flop. Foxen used 9Diamond Suit8Diamond Suit to make a top pair wager.

Sturm check-raised, prompting Foxen to go all-in. The former called as the turn revealed ASpade Suit. But, the KHeart Suit busted Foxen in the fourth position.

Bill Klein got the stack lead in a three-handed play after his pocket fours beat Jans Arends’ pocket eights. The latter exited the event in third place with $694,019 when his top pair of nines lost to Sturm’s queen kicker. His live poker career earnings increased to almost $3 million.

Klein clashed with Sturms in a tough heads-up match, having the chip lead. But, the latter won a huge pot after his flush draw landed a pair of fours on the river and dominated the former’s A-K high.

Sturm used QClub SuitJDiamond Suit to make a button raise in the final hand, and Klein used 8Heart Suit5Diamond Suit to call. The flop revealed JSpade Suit8Club Suit3Spade Suit, as Klein checked.

He used a second pair to move all in after the turn revealed 6Diamond Suit. Sturm used the top pair to call as 2Heart Suit landed on the board, sending Klein packing in second place with $955,513.

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