Congratulations to Jose-Luis Velador, Event No. 33 Champion ($260,517)!
Two years ago in 2008, Jose-Luis Velador claimed his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet when he won a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event for nearly $575,000. A few minutes before midnight tonight here in Las Vegas, Velador claimed his second piece of gold jewelry from the WSOP after he defeated David Chiu heads up.
Velador came into the third and final day as the chip leader, slightly edging out Chiu who sat in second place at the start of the day. When it got down to just two players left, it was the two who began at the top to begin with.
Velador's amazing run began a couple hours into the day when he eliminated the biggest threat in Phil Ivey. From there, you just couldn't stop the Velador train. He eliminated player after player en route to victory, making for a rather short final table for what we're used to.
Finishing on top of the 482-player field earned Velador a payday of $260,517 while further cementing his spot in poker history as one of the select few to capture multiple gold bracelets. Congratulations to Velador for taking home the gold and walking away as champion of Event No. 33!
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