Jake Schindler Wins First Bracelet and $1,328,068 in Event #12: $50,000 High Roller
In what turned out to be a quick final table at the World Series of Poker at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas, it was Jake Schindler who came out on top in Event #12: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em. Not only did the high-stakes pro capture his first WSOP gold bracelet, but he also pocketed a whopping $1,328,068.
It was another milestone on the resume for Schindler as he defeated Brek Schutten in heads-up play, taking his name off the list of "best players without a bracelet". With over $34 million in live tournament winnings, Schindler is highly regarded as one of the best players in the game.
Despite a black cloud hanging over his head from recent cheating allegations, Schindler has seemed to put that past him. Coming off a runner-up finish in the $25,000 High Roller earlier this week, Schindler has finally claimed the top spot on the podium. The Pennsylvania native declined to speak afterward, but it's hard to dispute that he is one of the best no-limit hold'em players over the past decade.
The last hand of the tournament turned out to be a cooler as both players were dealt premium hands. Schindler held ace-king and was dominating the ace-queen suited of Schutten. A king on the flop put Schindler well out front and Schutten was left drawing dead on the turn.
Schindler put himself in a great position to end the match after making a hero call with top pair just a couple of hands before. As for Schutten, he will have to wait another day to try and win his first WSOP bracelet but will still walk away with more than $820,000 for his efforts today.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jake Schindler | United States | $1,328,068 |
| 2nd | Brek Schutten | United States | $820,808 |
| 3rd | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | $593,481 |
| 4th | Shannon Shorr | United States | $436,412 |
| 5th | David Peters | United States | $326,464 |
| 6th | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | $248,516 |
| 7th | Michael Rocco | United States | $192,570 |
| 8th | Dario Sammartino | Italy | $151,942 |
Final Day Action
The third and final day kicked off with six players returning to their seats with hopes of capturing a WSOP gold bracelet. Andrew Lichtenberger came in as the short stack with roughly five big blinds. That number dwindled down to just two before he finally got his chips in the middle against Schutten. Unfortunately for "Lucky Chewy", he held the inferior ace and was unable to find any help on the runout.
Next on the chopping block was David Peters who was then the short stack with around ten big blinds. In a blind versus blind battle with Shannon Shorr, both players flopped top pair but it was Shorr who had the better kicker. Improving to two pair on the river, Shorr eliminated Peters who was looking for his fifth bracelet and his second this summer.
For the next two hours, the remaining four players passed chips around the table as they jockeyed for position. It was Shorr who accumulated a big chip lead, holding more than half of the chips in play at one point. However, two massive pots against Schindler led to his demise and Shorr would bow out in fourth place. It was a disappointing finish for Shorr who made his 14th WSOP final table but has yet to capture a title.
Just three players returned to the feature table after the first break with Schindler holding a distinct chip lead. However, Schutten managed to wrestle that away with multiple three-bet-shoves over Schindler's raises. Punnat Punsri held on to his short stack for a while but with fewer than 15 big blinds, he finally found two Broadway cards to go with. Unfortunately for him, Schutten held a big ace and Punsri was unable to connect on the board.
That left Schutten as a two-to-one favorite going to heads-up play with Schindler. It was an ill-timed bluff from Schutten that cost him the lead when Schindler called him down with top pair on the river. As the chip stacks flipped, Schindler was the favorite and ended the match just moments later.
That wraps up the coverage for this event, but stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the latest tournament updates throughout the summer.