16 Years Later, Patrick Bueno Stands in the WSOP Spotlight Again After 8-Game Triumph

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Oct 03, 2024 5 min read

In 2008, Obama was battling McCain for the leaderboard of the free world, Robert Downey Jr. first donned the Iron Man suit, and French poker pro Patrick Bueno found himself under the bright lights of the final table in one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar.

Bueno finished in eighth place in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship in that year’s World Series of Poker, playing with the likes of Scotty Nguyen, Erick Lindgren, Matt Glantz, and Barry Greenstein. “It was a long time ago. I did very good. It was very nice,” Bueno said, reminiscing back at his run from 16 years ago.

But then Bueno disappeared from the WSOP scene, only to emerge this week at the 2024 WSOP Europe in Rozvadov as the latest bracelet winner when he took down Event #10: €2,000 8-Game for €43,400 and his first gold bracelet.

Event #10: €2,000 8-Game Final Table Results

Bueno hadn’t cashed in a WSOP event since that final table until this week at King’s Resort, but he made his first final table in 16 years count. “I’m very happy. I feel very good. I’m very happy to take it,” he said upon prevailing over the 90-player field.

Bueno has played poker longer than some of his competitors have been alive. His first WSOP cash was 36th place in the 2001 Main Event. Those decades of experience proved fruitful today at the final table.

“My experience helped, for sure, because I played a lot of mixed games in my life. So I have a lot of experience in mixed games,” he said.

Day 2 Action

Day 2 began with 18 players remaining out of 90 entrants, with three-time bracelet winner Anson Tsang in the chip lead with 674,500. Bueno began the day in sixth place with 284,000.

Only the top 14 players would finish in the money and earn a share of the €156,510 prize pool. Aaron Duczak entered with just 21,500 and busted on the first hand, while Dzmitry Urbanovich was left short after losing to Symeon Alexandridis’ jack-low in Razz. Urbanovich, who belongs on the list of best players without a WSOP bracelet, busted shortly after when Sami Bechahed made trip fours in Pot-Limit Omaha to ensure the Polish pro would have to wait another day for his breakthrough.

Fabian Scherle was eliminated in 16th place to bring the field down to the bubble. It lasted just one hand as Jeremy Trojand hit a set of jacks in Limit Hold’em to beat Sebastian Cantzler’s ace-jack.

Bueno eliminated €5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha bracelet winner Dennis Weiss in 14th with a 7-6. Arto Loikkanen fell in 13th to Philipp Krieger as Krieger made a full house on the turn in Omaha Hi-Lo.

Bueno led the field with 740,000 as they went down to the last two tables. Martin Schamaun gave him a slight hit as he doubled up with top two pair, while Daniel Habl made a full house to double off Tsang for 116,500. Tomasz Gluszko then moved all in on the flop with a set of jacks, but Habl spiked a flush on the turn to bust Gluszko in 12th place.

Ilija Savevski had his last chips in the middle with straight and flush draws but he missed everything against Trojand to finish in 11th. Alexandridis was then eliminated in tenth when he shoved for 89,000 with two kings. Tsang called with ace-six and spiked an ace on the flop to win the pot.

Alessandro De Michele also fell during a No-Limit Hold’em round as Trojand flopped top pair with ten-nine to send De Michele to the rail in ninth place. Andreas Bremer then shoved for 40,000 with jack-nine. Tsang had ace-jack, and his ace-kicker played to set the final table of seven.

Tsang was the only player above 1,000,000 at the start of the final table, with Bueno in second place with 870,000. Trojand was quartered by Bueno and left an extreme short-stack before he was eliminated a few hands later by Schaumaun in seventh. Schamaun got his last chips in the middle on a queen-high flop in Pot-Limit Omaha against Bueno, but Bueno rivered two pair to win the pot and bust Schamaun in sixth.

Bueno took a big hit when he ran his ace-king into the aces of Bechahed in Limit Hold’em. Habl then scooped Bueno in Stud Hi-Lo and ended up with an 8-7 against Krieger’s seven-draw. Krieger instead made a pair on the last draw as he was sent to the rail in fifth place.

Bueno had a pair of kings showing to win a Stud hand as he crossed 2,000,000 but doubled up Bechahed as Bechahed made two pair with a low to scoop an Omaha Hi-Lo pot. Tsang doubled up off Bechahed, who was left with just 300,000. Bechahed was eliminated in fourth place when he got his last chips in with queens in Omaha, but Bueno flopped a full house.

Bueno opened up a big lead when he turned a straight against Habl in Limit Hold’em. Bueno then scooped Tsang with a straight and low in Stud Hi-Lo as he controlled nearly 85 percent of the chips in play three-handed. Tsang was eliminated in third when Bueno made a flush on seventh street. Bueno led Habl 4,200,000 to 300,000 at the start of heads-up, and the match wouldn’t last long. In 2-7 Triple Draw, Habl got his last chips in and drew a queen-low, standing pat on the last draw. Bueno took two with a 7-4-2 showing and peeled an eight and a six to win the pot and the tournament.

The end was fitting for Bueno, who describes 2-7 as his favorite game of the mix. “I play a lot of 2-7 in the past. I know exactly how to play this game,” he said.

His last turn in the WSOP spotlight all those years ago proved short-lived, but today, Bueno finally stood atop the field as he can call himself a WSOP bracelet winner.

• Tags Patrick Bueno WSOPE
• Related Tournaments World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE)
• Related Players Patrick Bueno