Mark "NJ_AcesmarkA" Herm Wins WSOP Gold in WSOP.com (NV/NJ) Online Bracelet $500 NL Hold’em BIG 500
After nearly 12 hours of action on WSOP.com, Mark "NJ_AcesmarkA" Herm beat “Skullkid” heads up to claim the second online tournament of the 2021 World Series of Poker’s opening weekend. Herm outlasted 742 players and 325 rebuys to win a WSOP gold bracelet and the top prize of $89,356 from a $480,150 prize pool in the WSOP.com (NV/NJ) Online Bracelet $500 NL Hold’em BIG 500. It marked his second career bracelet.
Among the 742 entrants were a plethora of decorated champions that made their presence felt late in the tournament. WSOP gold bracelet winners Brent "UncleRon" Hanks (24th - $2,593), David "vincevegas" ODB Baker (14th - $3,985), and former main event champion Ryan "BitC0in" Riess (11th - $5,042) all went on a deep run but fell short of collecting more WSOP gold. Six-time WSOP champion Daniel "DNegs" Negreanu chipped up throughout the day but finished in 54th place after faltering in the final stretch.
WSOP.com (NV/NJ) Online Bracelet $500 NL Hold’em BIG 500 Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark "NJ_AcesmarkA" Herm | United States | $89,356 |
| 2 | Steven “Skullkid” Rivero | United States | $55,217 |
| 3 | Matthew “DrDonkitoff” Zazaian | United States | $39,084 |
| 4 | Karina “SwaggyK” Jett | United States | $28,041 |
| 5 | Jeremy "Thekid101" Pekarek | United States | $20,358 |
| 6 | Jesse "Patient0" Yaginuma | United States | $14,981 |
| 7 | Melissa "LuckMgmt" Bryne | United States | $11,187 |
| 8 | Giovanni "John7012" Balistreri | United States | $8,451 |
| 9 | Stephanie “BDub0927” Baker | United States | $6,482 |
Final table action got underway quickly with the elimination of Stephanie “BDub0927” Baker when Matthew “DrDonkitoff” Zazaian turned an ace to bust pocket queens. The final table’s lone WSOP champion Jeremy "Thekid101" Pekarek soon eliminated Giovanni "John7012" Balistreri in eighth place and Melissa "LuckMgmt" Bryne bowed out in seventh after an impressive run.
The turning point for final table chip leaders Herm and Steven “Skullkid” Rivero came when six players remained and Herm busted Jesse "Patient0" Yaginuma with pocket kings. Rivero eliminated Pekarek in fifth place with pocket tens and Herm sent Karina "SwaggyK" Jett to the rail in fourth place with a turned straight.
Herm extended his lead early in three-handed play and soon eliminated Zazaian in third place with a pair of eights on the flop. Rivero started heads up with a deficit and fought hard to gain an advantage over nearly 30 minutes, but Herm fended off the challenge and closed the deal on the WSOP gold bracelet shortly after 5 a.m. PT.
This wraps up coverage of the WSOP.com (NV/NJ) Online Bracelet $500 NL Hold’em BIG 500. Thank you for joining the PokerNews live reporting team and be sure to check back tomorrow to follow all of the action live from the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.
2021 WSOP Online Bracelet Winners
| Date | Tournament | Players | Rebuys | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, October 3 | Event #1: $5,300 NLH Freezeout | 156 | 0 | 156 | $780,000 | Martin "BathroomLine" Zamani | $210,600 |
| Sunday, October 3 | Event #2: $500 NLH BIG 500 | 742 | 325 | 1067 | $480,150 | Mark "NJ_AcesmarkA" Herm | $89,336 |
| Sunday, October 10 | Event #3: $400 NLH Ultra Deepstack | 1,023 | 334 | 1,357 | $488,520 | Pete "PeteChen" Chen | $82,560 |
| Sunday, October 17 | Event #4: $888 PLO Crazy 8's 8-Max | 295 | 227 | 522 | $417,600 | Ryan "Santasbzack2" Stoker | $95,338 |
| Sunday, October 24 | Event #5: $1,000 Championship | 555 | 299 | 854 | $768,600 | Kazuki 'hyahhoo3' Ikeuchi | $152,797.68 |
| Sunday, October 31 | Event #6: $666 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Max | 720 | 309 | 1,029 | $617,400 | John "Relevancy" Ripnick | $114,898.14 |
| Sunday, November 7 | Event #7: $3,200 NLH High Roller 8-Max | 319 | 115 | 434 | $1,319,360 | Jacob "incel4life" Neff | $318,889 |
| Sunday, November 14 | Event #8: $7,777 NLH High Roller | 183 | 47 | 230 | $1,696,710 | Aleksejs "APonakov" Ponakovs | $432,491 |
| Sunday, November 14 | Event #9: $777 Lucky 7's NLH | 732 | 390 | 1,122 | Yuliyan "Dr.Feelg00da" Kolev | $146,162.94 |