Matthew Alsante Triumphs Over the Pros in $5K 8-Handed No Limit Hold'em ($785,486)
![Matthew Alsante Matthew Alsante](https://pnimg.net/w/articles/4/668/f8b1a97569.jpg)
Table Of Contents
After over eight hours of play on Day 2, Event #87: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'emat the 2024 World Series of Poker concluded, with Matthew Alsante emerging as the winner.
Navigating through a field of 1,041 players and generating a total prize pool of $4,788,600, Alsante defeated Punnat Punsri in a heads-up battle to claim the gold bracelet and a hefty sum of $785,486.
Alsante, whose best-recorded cash was smaller than the tournament's buy-in, pulled off the underdog story that exemplifies the democratic nature of poker. Given the right mix of skill, strategy, and perhaps a bit of luck, anyone with the buy-in can challenge and triumph over established professionals.
His journey serves as an inspiration to aspiring poker players everywhere, showcasing that with dedication and perseverance, one can indeed carve out a place among the elite in this highly competitive game.
Event #87: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em Final Table Results:
Place | Player | Country | Prize |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Matthew Alsante | United States | $785,486 |
2 | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | $523,648 |
3 | Philip Wiszowaty | United States | $372,446 |
4 | Oleg Vasylchenko | Ukraine | $268,407 |
5 | Ramin Hajiyev | Azerbaijan | $196,024 |
6 | Jon Vallinas | Spain | $145,107 |
7 | Hirokazu Kobayashi | Japan | $108,895 |
8 | Patrick Leonard | United Kingdom | $82,862 |
9 | Ueberton De Aquino | Brazil | $62,945 |
Winner's Reaction
Alsante's approach to poker has evolved over the past decade, transitioning from occasional play to a more serious commitment to the game. Unlike most entrants in Event #87, Alsante did not play in the Main Event.
“This I liked because it was a smaller field, and those can be easier to navigate,” he told PokerNews.
Most onlookers were rooting for Punsri once the play got to heads-up, but that didn’t faze Alsante, nor did Punsri's nearly 16 million in tournament earnings. “I think it was fun, they were having fun, and I was dancing.”
![Matthew Alsante](https://pnimg.net/w/articles-attachments/1/668/f8b64d0f20.jpg)
Looking ahead, Alsante plans to continue his poker journey. “I plan to play the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship next. After that, who knows?”
His recent success not only validates his skills but also provides the financial means to pursue more poker opportunities.
Day 2 Action
Although the 88 players who advanced to Day 2 in Event #87 missed out on the tension of the Main Event bubble in the parallel room, they secured a cash prize of at least $9,952 for their efforts.
![Faraz Jaka](https://pnimg.net/w/articles-attachments/1/668/f8b77e5f10.jpg)
Over half the field was eliminated early in the day, leaving 39 players remaining after the first break. Notable names that made the money but did not advance far included Rainer Kempe in 76th place, Faraz Jaka in 75th, and Day 2 chip leader Felipe Boianovsky in 61st place.
$25K Fantasy Draft Sweats
Several $25K Fantasy players cashed in Event #87. Alex Foxen finished in 23rd place when Philip Wiszowaty’s ace-six outflopped Foxen’s ace-nine, and Foxen could not catch up on the turn or river.
![Philip Wiszowaty](https://pnimg.net/w/articles-attachments/1/668/f8b8f182d3.jpg)
Artur Martirosian hit the rail in 18th place when his ace-king lost to Alsante's pocket nines.
Patrick Leonard made the final table but exited in 8th place when he ran his pocket kings into Alsante’s pocket aces.
Punsri entered the final table with the third shortest stack but picked up momentum as his final table mates hit the rail. Punsri used his experience in big money spots to apply pressure when the payouts elevated. He ultimately finished in second place for his efforts, those that had drafted Punsri were hoping for a win but the second place points should help.
Final Table Action:
It took nine levels to reduce the 88 returning players to a final table of nine, securing at least $62,945.
![Punnat Punsri](https://pnimg.net/w/articles-attachments/1/668/f8ba447533.jpg)
Alsante was on fire to start the final table as he eliminated Leonard and Hirokazu Kobayashi. When play was four-handed, Alsante had a crucial double up for nearly 75% of the chips in play when a rivered ten gave him a straight, and Wiszowaty set of tens.
Heads-up play lasted for around an hour. The most crucial hand happened when the money went in on an ace-high flop with Alsante holding second pair to Punsri’s top pair. A seven on the turn flipped the script, giving Alsante two pair. A blank river card gave Alsante a commanding chip lead that led to his first breakout moment.
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