Career-Best Score and First WSOP Bracelet for $3K HORSE Winner Gary Bolden
Table Of Contents
After three full days of action and a bit of overtime extended to a Day 4 at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, the winner of Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. (8-Handed) is Gary Bolden.
Bolden claimed the top prize worth $206,321 and his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet after outlasting a field of 357 entrants. Two-time bracelet winner John Racener will have to wait for his second gold bracelet of the summer, finishing runner-up to Bolden and will take home $135,877 for his efforts.
Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E (8-Handed) Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary Bolden | United States | $206,321 |
| 2 | John Racener | United States | $135,877 |
| 3 | Travis Trail | United States | $91,547 |
| 4 | David Tarbet | United Kingdom | $63,134 |
| 5 | Luis Velador | Mexico | $44,591 |
| 6 | David "ODB" Baker | United States | $32,274 |
| 7 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | $23,952 |
| 8 | Wooram Cho | South Korea | $18,238 |
Winner's Reaction
When asked about how he felt after winning his first gold bracelet, Bolden responded with "business as usual" and "I was playing against one of my good friends John (Racener), I knew it would be this way" when referring to the back and forth heads up battle.
It was clear Bolden had no lack of confidence in his chances of winning the bracelet despite the more than 2-1 one-chip lead Racener had coming into heads-up play. Bolden said " He (Racener) needed to lead because I wanted to make the story look good". Bolden, who showed up late for the start of Day 3, also mentioned that Racener texted him that cards were in the air, and Bolden responded with, "Good because you're going to need a head start today".
After a grueling back-and-forth heads-up battle, Bolden was asked if his confidence or belief he would win ever wavered. He responded with, "Oh no, I'm never going to lose my confidence," and then said, "Like I told John, I learned this game on the rooftop where the losers jump, but I'm still here, so I'm winning."
When asked about his plans for the last few days of the series, Bolden said, "I already had it planned to go back-to-back in H.O.R.S.E., so I'm going to hop in this 25K later today and see what happens".
Day 4 Action
After playing over three hours of heads-up play on Day 3, Bolden and Racener needed an extra day to decide the winner. Coming back on Day 4 Racener held a more than 2-1 chip lead starting the day with 10,050,000 chips, and Bolden came into the day with 4,275,000.
Bolden wasted no time to chip away at Racer's lead, winning a big pot in Omaha Hi-Lo when play began after making a wheel to get himself within a million chips of Racener.
After that, Bolden saw himself take the chip lead once the game switched to Stud, after forcing Racener to fold on seventh street in a large pot.
The Winning Hand
Unlike on the seesaw battle we saw on Day 3, Bolden looked to finish off Racener right away, which he did when the game switched to Stud Hi-Lo.
John Racener: XxXx/8♣J♠A♦10♥/Xx
Gary Bolden: XxXx/3♦7♣8♥5♥/Xx
Gary Bolden was the bring-in, and John Racener limped in.
Racener bet on fourth street and Bolden raised. Racener called, and Bolden bet again on fifth. Racener called.
Bolden put out another bet on sixth. "This might be it," he said as Racener considered the decision.
"You never catch a bad card," Racener replied.
"I came here early just for you. I'm going to get you to where you want to go. Straight into the six-max. I'm happy it was 10-to-4. I would've been mad if I was chip leader," Bolden added.
Racener eventually called as they went to seventh. "Only if I get something better than I already have. The only way I can bet," Bolden said as he peeled his last card. He then bet.
"Don't stop now, baby," Bolden told Racener, who called off his last chips. "Two pair and a low," Bolden said, turning over 6♦5♣3♠ for fives and sixes. Racener quickly mucked and got up to shake Bolden's hand as he was denied his second bracelet of the summer.
Final Table Recap
Bolden can now put himself in the World Series of Poker history books by winning his first gold bracelet, but he was not the only one to make a bit of history in this tournament. Jeremy Ausmus, who finished seventh ($23,952), tied Phil Hellmuth for the most final tables in a single summer. Ausmus reached his seventh final table in 2024, has a few more days to break the record and get bracelet number seven as well.
The final table also featured legend David "ODB" Baker who finished sixth ($32,274), and two-time bracelet winner Luis Velador who finished fifth ($44,591).
Our fourth and third place finishers were taken out by our final two players, first when Racener won a massive pot to eliminate David Tarbet in fourth place ($63,134). Then Bolden finished off Travis Trail in third ($91,547) when he made trip sevens in a Stud Hi-Lo hand.
This concludes our coverage of Event #91: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. (8-Handed) as Gary Bolden claims the title.
Be sure to follow PokerNews for live coverage and updates on the Main Event, as well as all bracelet events at the 2024 World Series of Poker.
In this Series
- 1 Dong Meng Wins Second Bracelet & $200,000 in WSOP Tournament of Champions
- 2 Jose Garcia Wins Event #2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em for $79,134
- 3 Asher Conniff Wins First Bracelet in Event 1: $5,000 Champions Reunion for $408,468
- 4 Daniel Willis Wins First WSOP Bracelet in Event #3: $500 Kickoff NLHE
- 5 James Chen Wins WSOP Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo ($209,350)
- 6 Darius Samual's 50% Bankroll Risk Pays Off in WSOP $25K Heads-Up Championship
- 7 Mixed Game Legend John Hennigan Wins Seventh Bracelet at 2024 WSOP
- 8 Bryce Yockey BLASTS 25K Fantasy Draft Price After $5K PLO Bracelet Win
- 9 "I'm Only Here to Win Bracelets," says Nick Guagenti as He Captures His Second
- 10 Malcolm Trayner Made a Millionaire in WSOP Mystery Millions
- 11 Great Scott! Seiver Adds to Legacy with Fifth WSOP Bracelet
- 12 David Prociak Conquers The $1,500 Badugi for His Second Bracelet and $129,676
- 13 Simeon Spasov Wins $1,500 6-Max to Claim Second Bracelet for $439,815!
- 14 Robert Mizrachi Joins Brother on Five WSOP Bracelets After $10,000 Dealer's Choice Victory
- 15 20 Years in the Making: TJ Murphy Becomes a WSOP Champion
- 16 Caleb Furth Captures Maiden Bracelet in Event #15: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better for $265,361
- 17 Dylan Weisman Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in Event #18: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha
- 18 Brent Hart Rises From Pack to Win Event #16: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em
- 19 John Racener Spins Shortest Stack Up to WSOP Gold in LHE Championship
- 20 Aaron Cummings Wins His First Bracelet In Lowball Triple Draw Event
- 21 "Feeling Vindicated": Brek Schutten Wins WSOP $25,000 High Roller for $1,405,641
- 22 Sean Troha Completes Hat Trick in $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
- 23 Huge Comeback Inspires Daniel Sepiol to First Bracelet in $1,500 Shootout
- 24 Daniel Vampan Claims First Bracelet and $148,635 in $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Max
- 25 Stephen Winters Defeats 20,647 Players to Win $300 Gladiators of Poker ($401,210)
- 26 Nick Schulman Wins Fifth WSOP Bracelet in $25K High Roller ($1,667,842)
- 27 Gruneberg & Bonnacci Capture First WSOP Pennsylvania Online Bracelets of the Summer
- 28 Evan Benton Goes From Poker Beginner to WSOP Bracelet Winner
- 29 Michael Christ "Gets Lucky" On His Way to Winning Event #27: $1,500 Big O
- 30 Alen Bakovic Laughs His Way to the WSOP Event #30 $600 PLO/NLH Mix Title
- 31 Nicholas Seward Wins His First WSOP Bracelet in $3,000 6-Handed for $516,135
- 32 Phil Ivey Wins His 11th WSOP Bracelet in $10K 2-7 Triple Draw Championship
- 33 Richard Ashby Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in Same Stud Event
- 34 Alex Manzano Ascends to Win Event #33: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha DeepStack
- 35 Antonio Galiana’s Big Bluff Propels Him To First Bracelet in Event #34
- 36 Another Comeback, Another Bracelet For Phillip Hui In $1.5k H.O.R.S.E.
- 37 Timur Margolin Wins Third Bracelet in Event #36: $800 NLHE Deepstack for $342,551
- 38 John Fauver Wins The First Ever $10k Big O Championship For $681,998
- 39 Sergio Aido Wins 2024 WSOP $50,000 NLHE High Roller ($2,026,506)
- 40 Two Bracelets in Two Weeks: Scott Seiver Wins Sixth WSOP Gold in $1,500 Razz
- 41 James Obst Captures Second WSOP Bracelet in $10K Stud
- 42 Xixiang Luo Wins First-Ever WSOP NLHE/PLO Bomb Pot Mix Event
- 43 Magnus Edengren Gets His Crowning Moment in $1,500 Mixed Omaha
- 44 Kingery's Ransom: Longshoreman Ships $2K No-Limit Hold’em for $410,359
- 45 "It Was My Time": Chris Hunichen Captures First Bracelet & $2.8M in $100K High Roller
- 46 Peter Park Wins First Bracelet and $240,724 in Event #51: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty!
- 47 Dominant Performance: Pedro Neves Crushes On Way to WSOP Monster Stack Bracelet
- 48 Extra Special Day for Christopher Vitch As He Wins Event #48: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
- 49 Mostafa Haidary Tears Through the Final Four to Win Event #52: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em
- 50 Third Time's the Charm: Patrick Moulder Captures First Bracelet and $177,045 in $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw
- 51 Frank Funaro Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in $10k Super Turbo Bounty
- 52 Dario Sammartino Wins First Bracelet in Event #61: $2,500 Stud 8/Omaha 8 for $222,703
- 53 Sean Jazayeri Claims First Bracelet in Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em
- 54 We Want the Funk! David Funkhouser Wins First Bracelet in $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball
- 55 Paolo Boi Stages Impressive Comeback to Win Event #60: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em ($676,900)
- 56 Daniel Negreanu Wins 7th WSOP Bracelet in $50,000 Poker Players Championship
- 57 Ben Collins' All Ins Were Unbeatable in Event #67: $500 Salute to Warriors
- 58 Heads-Up Masterclass Propels Elie Nakache to $10K PLO Championship Title
- 59 Determined Scott Seiver Captures 3rd 2024 Bracelet by Winning $10k No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
- 60 Runner-Up No More: Shiina Okamoto Wins Ladies' Event With Fierce Determination and Confidence
- 61 WPT Announcer Tony Dunst Wins Third World Series of Poker Bracelet
- 62 David Eldridge Overcomes the Odds to Claim Second Bracelet in $25k PLO High Roller ($2,246,728)
- 63 VAMOS! Martin Alcaide Claims First Bracelet and $501,250 in Event #70: $400 Colossus
- 64 Matthew Lambrecht Wins $10,000 Mystery Bounty for First WSOP Bracelet
- 65 Team Setna is "On Cloud 9" as the Duo Take Down Event #75: $1,000 Tag Team No Limit Hold’em
- 66 Wing Po Liu Flies High To Win Second Bracelet for $209,942
- 67 Nine Years After Near Tragedy, Arash Ghaneian Wins Second Bracelet in $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship
- 68 First Cash, First Bracelet as Daniel Perkusic Dominates $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha
- 69 Georgios Skarparis Wins Mini Main Event After a Promise to His Student ($554,925)
- 70 Francis Anderson Wins 2024 WSOP $800 Independence Day Celebration ($501,040)
- 71 Dominating Final Table Performance Sees Aditya Agarwal Take Down Event #82: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em ($189,661)
- 72 Chance Kornuth Flips His Way to Fourth Bracelet in Event #85: $1,000 Flip & Go No-Limit Hold'em
- 73 Matthew Alsante Triumphs Over the Pros in $5K 8-Handed No Limit Hold'em ($785,486)
- 74 It’s a Poker Fairytale For Carsten Heidemann, Winner of Event #84: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold’em
- 75 2024 WSOP Online: Watson Becomes Poker's 10th Triple Crown Winner; Prociak Claims Third Bracelet
- 76 Sascha Wilhelm Scores Biggest Career Win in $1k Mystery Bounty PLO
- 77 “This Bracelet is Worth Three”: Calvin Anderson Joins Five-Timer Club
- 78 Joseph Sanders Claims First Bracelet and $269,530 in $1.5k 6-Max PLO
- 79 Jared Bleznick Captures First Bracelet in $50k No-Limit Hold'em High Roller
- 80 Career-Best Score and First WSOP Bracelet for $3K HORSE Winner Gary Bolden
- 81 Inaugural $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship A Huge Success as Clement Richez Wins $1,041,989
- 82 Michael Rocco Caps Off Career Summer by Capturing First Bracelet
- 83 Xixiang Luo Doubles Up with Second Bracelet of the Summer in Event #96: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E.
- 84 Michael Liang Turns the Tables in Heads-Up to Win $777 Lucky 7's for $777,777
- 85 Summer Saved! Alex Livingston Claims Second Bracelet and $390,621 in Event #97: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed!
- 86 Jonathan Tamayo Wins Record-Breaking 2024 WSOP Main Event ($10,000,000)
- 87 Aneris Adomkevicius Wins First WSOP Bracelet in Event #99: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em
- 88 Ching Da Wu Conquers The $1,500 Closer at the 2024 WSOP
- 89 Kyle “BluffNTuff” Lorenz & William “mortyc137” Nunley Win Final WSOP Pennsylvania Online Bracelets
