Scott Davies Defeats Jack Salter To Win 2014 WSOP Asia-Pacific Main Event for $850,000
This past summer, Scott Davies notched six cashes at the 2014 World Series of Poker, which included a fourth-place finish in the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em for $111,942. Davis has since traveled from his home in Canada and headed to Australia for even more bracelet-chasing action, and now he’ll head home with a shiny gold piece of jewelry and AU$850,136 in prize money after topping a field of 329 players to win the 2014 WSOP Asia-Pacific Main Event.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Davies | USA | $850,136 |
| 2 | Jack Salter | England | $516,960 |
| 3 | Henry Wang | Taiwan | $343,805 |
| 4 | Kyle Montgomery | USA | $231,287 |
| 5 | Frank Kassela | USA | $164,089 |
| 6 | Ang Italiano | Australia | $118,769 |
Action resumed in Level 24 (15,000/30,000/5,000) and it didn’t take long for the first elimination of the day to occur. On Hand #14, 2010 WSOP Player of the Year and two-time gold bracelet winner Frank Kassela raised to 90,000. Ang Italiano, the last Australian in the field, called from the small blind. Italiano then moved all in on the Q♣4♣2♦ flop, and Kassela snap-called with the Kassela Q♥10♣. Italiano had the A♦10♦.
Kassela was well out in front with top pair, but Italiano picked up a big draw with the K♦ turn. Unfortunately for her, and the dozens of railbirds supporting her, the K♥ blanked on the river and Italiano was out in sixth place for AU$118,769 — not too shabby considering she qualified for the tournament for AU$65.
Kassela took over the chip lead after that hand, but just six hands later Davies would double through him holding aces. One hand after that, Kassela would fall in fifth when he ran into aces yet again.
Kyle Montgomery was the next to go when his A♥K♣ failed to improve against Davies’ J♠J♦, and then seven hands later, on Hand #38 in Level 25 (20,000/40,000/5,000), Henry Wang followed him out the door in third place when he shoved all in preflop holding the K♠9♠ and ran smack dab into Davies’ A♠A♥.
Heads-up play began fairly even between Davies and Jack Salter, who finished runner-up in the European Poker Tour Grand Final Main Event earlier this year, and the two wouldn’t fluctuate much over the course of the next 47 hands. The stacks were deep, and the players skilled, so it seemed destined to be a long night of poker, barring a big cooler, of course.
That cooler arrived on Hand #85 of the final table, which took place in Level 26 (25,000/50,000). It began when Salter opened for 105,000 and then called when Davies three-bet to 300,000. When the flop came down 6♥10♥10♠, Davies bet 175,000, Salter called, and the 8♠ peeled off on the turn.
Davies bet what appeared to be 330,000, Salter raised to 930,000, and Davies took a moment before three-betting to 1.8 million. Salter thought for nearly two minutes before announcing that he was all in, and Davies snap-called.
Salter showed the 10♣Q♣ for trip tens, and Davies had the 6♦6♠ for a flopped full house.
"I'll use my one time," Salter said, referencing Davies' use of it earlier at the final table. Both players were on their feet with Davies' arm slung over Salter's shoulder. They watched together as the dealer burned one last time and put out the 3♠ on the river.
Salter had missed and would officially finish in second place, which came with a nice consolation prize of AU$516,960. With that, it was Davies, who admitted to almost crying after he won, that would walk away the champion.
"Oh my god, this is amazing!” Davies told the WSOP after he won. "This is the Super Bowl to me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. When I decided I was going to play poker for a living, I just remember Chris Moneymaker winning the Main Event and thought one day I might get a chance to do that."
Not only did Davies get his chance, but he sure delivered.
Congratulations to Scott Davies on winning his first gold bracelet and on becoming the 2014 WSOP Asia-Pacific Main Event champion.
While that does it for PokerNews' coverage from Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia, we've got teams all over the globe, and you can find all your live tournament coverage by checking out the PokerNews Live Reporting section.
And don't forget, the WSOP isn't over yet. On November 10 and 11, the 2014 November Nine will resume play in the WSOP Main Event with Jorryt van Hoof leading the way. The WSOP guaranteed a whopping $10 million to first place in this one, and someone is going to walk away with it., PokerNews will be on hand with exclusive hand-for-hand live updates, so be sure to tune in then!
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