Anthony Marquez Wins WSOP Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'Em 6-Handed
Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'Em 6-Handed came to an end late Saturday night with Anthony Marquez emerging as champion. Marquez defeated Demosthenes Kiriopoulos in heads-up play after taking a massive chip lead when he scored a double knockout to enter the heads-up duel. Kiriopoulos took home $242,978 for his efforts.
In the final hand of the night, Marquez was able to get all of the chips in the middle with K♦10♠ versus Kiriopoulos' J♥10♦ when the flop came ten-high. The board ran out clean for Marquez, and Kiriopoulos was eliminated in second place.
Marquez explained that he has always been a cash game player, predominantly limit, and once the big game dried up in Los Angeles, he turned to tournaments. His total live earnings before this win were just above $150,000, and he has now more than quadrupled that.
"It's every poker player's dream to win a bracelet," said Marquez. He added that he will most definitely be playing in more tournaments now that he's "on a roll."
Marquez steamrolled through the final table, ending up with a five-to-one chip lead against Kiriopoulos when heads-up play began. He ended the tournament with a massive rail of support behind him and was all smiles while surrounded by friends and family.
The tournament started with a total of 1,748 entries, compiling a prize pool of $2,359,800. There were 263 players that made the money and were guaranteed a cash prize of $2,247. The bubble burst early in Day 2 with tons of short stacks being eliminated within the first two levels. Some of the notables to finish in the money include Ismael Bojang (8th place - $46,887), Matt Stout (18th place - $20,434), Layne Flack (23rd place - $15,919), and Justin Bonomo (41st place - $8,187).
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Marquez | United States | $393,273 |
| 2 | Demosthenes Kiriopoulos | Canada | $242,978 |
| 3 | Daniel Weinman | United States | $170,477 |
| 4 | Steven Buckner | United States | $121,114 |
| 5 | Matt Berkey | United States | $87,141 |
| 6 | Ilkin Amirov | Azerbaijan | $63,506 |
Final Table Summary
The final table started with seven players but was soon dwindled down to the final six with the elimination of Royce Matheson (7th place - $46,887). Matheson became the short stack on the table and was at risk in a dominated position against Matt Berkey. He couldn't get lucky, and that set up the official final table.
Just two hands into six-handed action, Ilkin Amirov (6th place - $63,506) busted with A♣10♣ against the A♦Q♠ of Kiriopoulos. There were more than 60 hands until the next elimination, which came at the expense of Berkey (5th place - $87,141). Berkey flopped a combo draw in his last stand but could not overcome Marquez's top pair.
On Hand #97, in what turned out to be the hand of the night, Steven Buckner (4th place - $121,114) and Daniel Weinman (3rd place - $170,477) were eliminated at the same time. Buckner held pocket jacks and Weinman pocket kings, but it was Marquez's ace-king that made a straight on the river. Once the hand was over, Marquez held a massive chip lead going into heads-up play with over 10 million chips.
That wraps up the coverage for this event, but there is plenty more left this summer, so stay here with PokerNews for all the latest updates.
