Benjamin Kaupp Wins Tournament of Champions to Close Out 2022 WSOP ($250,000)
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The 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has concluded and Pennsylvania's Benjamin Kaupp has secured the final bracelet after taking down the Tournament of Champions for a career-best $250,000. Kaupp, who takes home his first bracelet, defeated Raul Garza after a brief heads-up battle to resign the runner-up to a $150,000 conslation prize.
The Tournament of Champions was exclusively available to the 570 bracelet and Circuit ring winners from the 2022 WSOP season. A total of 470 players entered the freeroll in an attempt to win a piece of the $1,000,000 prize pool.
Players who made deep runs in the event include Robert Cowen (4th - $75,000) and Yuliyan Kolev (7th - $27,500), both of whom won their second bracelets earlier in the series, as well as ring winners like Gregory Wish (6th - $37,500) and Eric Bensimhon ($20,000).
WSOP Tournament of Champions Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | COUNTRY | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
| 1 | Benjamin Kaupp | United States | $250,000 | |
| 2 | Raul Garza | United States | $150,000 | |
| 3 | Ryan Messick | United States | $100,000 | |
| 4 | Robert Cowen | United Kingdom | $75,000 | |
| 5 | Ali Eslami | United States | $50,000 | |
| 6 | Gregory Wish | United States | $37,500 | |
| 7 | Yuliyan Kolev | Bulgaria | $27,500 | |
| 8 | Eric Bensimhon | France | $20,000 | |
| 9 | Gianluca Speranza | Italy | $15,000 | |
| 10 | Jonathan Woof | Canada | $11,400 |
Kaupp qualified for the Tournament of Champions after winning a $215 WSOP.com PA Circuit event for $14,954. He now takes home more than 15 times that as he adds a second piece of WSOP hardware to his arsenal.
"It doesn’t feel real yet. It just hasn’t sunk in quite yet," Kaupp told PokerNews after the victory. "Before this tournament (started), I was going to be just happy to cash.”
The Pennsylvanian player said he started playing poker 15 years ago with friends and discovered online poker about 12 years ago.
“I’ve just been grinding online for the last couple of years, taking it pretty seriously," he said. "I play a lot of the Circuit events online ... I didn’t really play poker for a while until the last couple of years when it was legal in Pennsylvania again.”
Even without a keyboard or mouse, Kaupp had no trouble getting through a field of accomplished bracelet and ring winners to earn his first bracelet and the six-figure score.
“It was very tough," he said about the tournament. "The final table, everyone was very tough, very aggressive, great with live reads, it seemed. And things went my way, and here I am.”
Final Table Action
Day 3 began with 16 players and moved down to a single table within the first few hours of play.
Gianluca Speranza fell in ninth place for $15,000 when his ace-seven was dominated by the ace-king of Wish to end the Italian's run for a second bracelet. Later, the KFC bucket-sporting Kolev went out in seventh for $27,500 when he ran pocket eights into the queens of Kaupp.
After Ali Eslami's elimination in fifth place for $50,000, it looked like Kaupp would be going out in fourth when he moved in with pocket nines against the cowboys of Ryan Messick. However, a nine appeared on the turn to keep Kaupp's tournament dreams alive.
Messick, who immediately flew to Las Vegas to play the event after winning an online bracelet event at the 11th hour, ended up falling in third place for $100,000 when his ace-four couldn't hold up against Kaupp's king-ten.
Heads-up play lasted just four hands as Kaupp used his dominant chip advantage to put pressure on Garza, who won a WSOPC Cherokee $1,100 buy-in event in February for his first ring and $74,995. The Texan managed to double up once but ultimately couldn't overcome the chip deficit.
In the final hand, Garza moved all-in with king-jack, and Kaupp called with ace-six. Neither player improved their holdings. Kaupp's ace-high was good enough to send Garza out in second for $150,000, his second-largest score to date.
That wraps the PokerNews live reporting team's coverage of the final event of the 2022 WSOP. Check out the WSOP hub to see any tournament action from the summer you may have missed.
In this Series
- 1 Can't Stop Kopp: Katie Kopp Wins First Bracelet of the 2022 WSOP
- 2 David Peters Wins 2022 WSOP Event #2: $100K High Roller Bounty for 4th Gold Bracelet
- 3 Scott Seiver Wins 4th Bracelet in 2022 WSOP Event #3: $2,500 Freezeout NLH ($320,059)
- 4 For a Higher Cause: Brad Ruben Wins 4th Bracelet in 2022 WSOP Event #4: $1,500 Dealer's Choice
- 5 Dan Smith Captures 1st Bracelet; Wins 2022 WSOP Event #6: $25K Heads-Up Championship
- 6 Norbert Szecsi Captures The Third Bracelet of his Career at the 2022 WSOP
- 7 Manig ''Ohio77'' Loeser Wins Second Online Bracelet in as Many Years
- 8 Amnon Filippi Wins First WSOP Bracelet in Event #7: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better ($252,718)
- 9 Chad Eveslage Wins 2022 WSOP Event #8: $25,000 High Roller ($1,415,610)
- 10 Alex Livingston Wins 2022 WSOP Event #9: $1,500 Seven Card Stud ($103,282)
- 11 Henry Acain Wins 2022 WSOP Event #5: $500 The Housewarming ($701,215)
- 12 Raj Vohra Wins His First Bracelet at the 2022 WSOP; Takes Down the $600 Deepstack
- 13 Ben Diebold Wins 2022 WSOP $10,000 Dealer's Choice 6-Handed Championship ($299,488)
- 14 Jake Schindler Wins First Bracelet and $1,328,068 in Event #12: $50,000 High Roller
- 15 First Time's the Charm: Michael Moncek Wins Event #13: $1,500 Limit Hold'em
- 16 Frenchman Leo Soma Wins First WSOP Bracelet in Event #14: $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em ($456,889)
- 17 Dominick Sarle Wins 2022 WSOP Event #17: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball ($164,243)
- 18 Bryan Schultz Wins 2022 WSOP Event #18: $1,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em ($330,057)
- 19 Stefan Lehner Wins First Bracelet in Event #16: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em ($558,616)
- 20 Denis Nesterenko Wins Event #20: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw ($108,250)
- 21 Tong Li Wins $1,467,739 and First Bracelet in Event #19: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller
- 22 Adam Friedman Wins Fifth WSOP Gold Bracelet in Event #22: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
- 23 Brian Altman Captures His Maiden WSOP Bracelet in the Online $400 Ultra Deepstack
- 24 Christopher Chatman Flips to Win First WSOP Bracelet in Event #24: $1,000 Flip & Go
- 25 Rob Wazwaz Ships Event #25: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstacks For $358,346
- 26 Mike Jukich Wins the $1,500 Monster Stack at the 2022 WSOP For $966,577
- 27 K9 & Canine Lucky for Jonathan Cohen in Event #26: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship ($245,678)
- 28 Michael Simhai Hits the Mark in 2022 WSOP Event #27: Shootout NLH ($240,480)
- 29 Robert Cowen Wins Bracelets in Back-to-Back Years; Binks $50K PLO High Roller for $1.4M
- 30 Maxx Coleman Wins Elusive First Bracelet in the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
- 31 15 Years in the Making: Daniel Weinman Nabs 1st Bracelet in Event #30: $1,000 PLO
- 32 Nino Ullmann Wins His First WSOP Bracelet in the $3K NLHE 6-Max Event
- 33 Brian Hastings Captures Sixth Bracelet in Event #31: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship
- 34 Musician Steve Albini Wins (And Breaks!) Second Bracelet in 2022 WSOP $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
- 35 Lok Chan Wins 2022 WSOP Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet on First Trip to WSOP ($144,338)
- 36 Ali Eslami Takes Down Event #36: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better for $135,260 and Maiden WSOP Bracelet
- 37 Justin Pechie Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in the $1,500 Freezeout
- 38 Pedro Bromfman Is Triumphant in Event #38: $10,000 2-7 Single Draw Championship
- 39 Ramsey Stovall Wins First Bracelet In 2022 WSOP $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty ($191,223)
- 40 Matt "PmpknHead" Szymaszek Wins WSOP Online Bracelet Event #4: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Max
- 41 Aleksejs Ponakovs Defeats Phil Ivey to Win Event #42: $100,000 High Roller for $1,897,363
- 42 Zack Wins Second Bracelet of the 2022 WSOP; $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship ($324,174)
- 43 David Perry Defeats Chris Moorman in the 2022 WSOP $500 Freezeout ($241,729)
- 44 Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! KFC Fan Kolev Wins 2022 WSOP Millionaire Maker ($1,125,141)
- 45 Phil Hui Mounts Comeback to Win Third Bracelet In $1,500 PLO at the 2022 WSOP
- 46 Andrew Yeh Rides to Victory in Event #44: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship ($487,129)
- 47 Frenchman Jonathan Pastore Wins 2022 WSOP Event #46: $5,000 6-Handed NLHE ($771,765)
- 48 First Bracelet for Cyprus; Menikos Panagiotou Wins 2022 WSOP Event #48: $1,500 Eight Game Mix
- 49 Alex Foxen Goes Wire-to-Wire in $250K Super High Roller on Way to Maiden Bracelet ($4,563,700)
- 50 Simeon Spasov Completes Come-From-Behind Win in Event #49: $2,000 NLH ($527,944)
- 51 Joao Simao Takes Down Second Bracelet For $686,242 In $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha
- 52 WSOP Rookie Kijoon Park Wins Event #52: $2,500 Nine-Game Mix 6-Handed ($219,799)
- 53 William "swaggyb" Corvino Captures First Bracelet in the $600 Online Deepstack Championship
- 54 Eric Smidinger Full of Emotion After Winning 2022 WSOP Seniors Event ($694,909)
- 55 James Todd Wins 2022 WSOP Event #54: $500 Salute to Warriors ($161,256); $74,809 Raised for USO
- 56 Written in the Stars: Paul Hizer Outlasts the Field in the 2022 WSOP Colossus ($414,490)
- 57 Martin "115FTW" Stoyanov Wins The $500 WSOP Bracelet Turbo Deepstack
- 58 Patrick Leonard & Espen Jørstad Win 2022 WSOP Event #55: $1,000 Tag Team ($148,067)
- 59 Lawrence Brandt Wins $1,500 PLO8 After Gruelling Final Day ($289,610)
- 60 Shota Nakanishi Wins His First Bracelet in Event #60: $10,000 Short Deck ($277,212)
- 61 Tamas Lendvai Wins Event #57: $600 Deep Stack Championship No-Limit Hold'em ($299,464)
- 62 Do It for Dari: Dash Dudley Wins 3rd WSOP Gold Bracelet for Daughter After Coming Back from 3BB Short Stack
- 63 Dan Cates Makes History; Wins Back-to-Back $50,000 Poker Players Championship ($1,449,103)
- 64 Come Back Kid: Massoud “CBK” Eskandari Wins First Bracelet in Super Seniors for $330,609
- 65 Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra Wins Fifth WSOP Bracelet in $10K PLO-8 Championship ($611,362)
- 66 Konstantin Angelov Wins 2022 WSOP Event #64: $600 PLO Deepstack ($199,466)
- 67 Nacho Barbero Takes 2022 WSOP $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty Bracelet Back to Argentina
- 68 Austria's Jessica Teusl Wins 2022 WSOP Ladies Championship ($166,975)
- 69 Young Sik Comes From Behind To Win The Mini Main Event For $594,189
- 70 Sean Troha Completes Comeback and Wins the $10K PLO Championship ($1,246,770)
- 71 Quincy Borland Crowned Champion of Event #68: $1,000 Million Dollar Bounty ($750,120)
- 72 Bradley Anderson Wins 2022 WSOP Event #72: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo ($195,565)
- 73 Daniel Strelitz Wins His Second WSOP Bracelet in Event #73: $1,500 Razz
- 74 Harry "timexCNT" Lodge Wins His First Bracelet in the $7,777 Lucky 7's Online High Roller ($396,666)
- 75 Pei Li Crowned Champion in Event #74: $1,500 Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha ($190,219)
- 76 Yevgeniy "Kazak132" Minakrin Wins Online Event #9: $1,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship ($238,315)
- 77 Former Professional StarCraft Player Jinho Hong Wins Poker Hall of Fame Bounty
- 78 Julien Perouse Captures Bracelet In Online $3,200 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller 8-Max ($324,767)
- 79 Mike Allis Potentially Going Out on a High After Winning the One Drop ($535,610)
- 80 Canada's Sebastien Aube Takes Down Event #78: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em ($499,636)
- 81 Gregory [Removed:372] Wins 2022 WSOP Event #75: $777 Lucky Sevens ($777,777)
- 82 Romans Voitovs Wins 2022 WSOP Event #80: $600 Mixed NLH/PLO ($158,609)
- 83 Julien Martini Wins His Fourth Bracelet In Razz Championship for $328,604
- 84 Mo Arani Wins Event #81: $5,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em ($665,459)
- 85 Richard Alsup Wins Event #82: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack ($272,065)
- 86 João Vieira Outlasts Lander Lijo to Win Second WSOP Bracelet ($1,384,415)
- 87 Espen Jorstad Wins 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event for $10,000,000
- 88 Michael Wang Stages a Heads-Up Comeback to Win His Second Bracelet
- 89 Lawrence Brandt Wins Second Bracelet of 2022 in $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. ($205,139)
- 90 Gianluca "InMyHouse" Speranza Claims Maiden Golden Bracelet
- 91 Jaspal Brar Tops Field In Event #88: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em For First Gold Bracelet ($190,731)
- 92 Minh Nguyen Saves Bad Summer w/ Victory in 2022 WSOP $1,500 The Closer ($536,280)
- 93 Gregory Jensen Wins 2022 WSOP Event 86: $10,000 6-Handed Championship ($824,649)
- 94 Benjamin Kaupp Wins Tournament of Champions to Close Out 2022 WSOP ($250,000)
