Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold'em DeepStack
Day 2 Completed
2024 World Series of Poker
Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold'em DeepStack
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
2024 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$600
Prize Pool
$2,688,210
Entries
5,271
Level
40
Blinds
1,300,000 / 2,500,000
Ante
0
Entries
283
Players Left
1
Christopher Moen Wins First Bracelet and $289,323 in Event #64: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack
Level 40
: Blinds 1,300,000/2,500,000, 0 ante
It wasn’t easy for Christopher Moen, but he managed to grind it out over the course of two days and was crowned a champion for his efforts at the 2024 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. To do so, Moen defeated Thomas Kuess in a quick heads-up battle on Day 2 to take down Event 64: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack. In fact, the heads-up showdown only lasted ten hands before Moen emerged as the winner.
Moen won a $289,323 prize and, of course, a WSOP bracelet, the first of his poker career, while Kuess collected $192,809 for his runner-up finish.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Moen | United States | $289,323 |
| 2 | Thomas Kuess | Austria | $192,809 |
| 3 | Cody Chung | United States | $143,258 |
| 4 | August Smrek | United States | $107,289 |
| 5 | John Ricksen | United States | $80,996 |
| 6 | Cal Nailn | United States | $61,642 |
| 7 | Daniel Hirose | United States | $47,295 |
| 8 | Guilherme De Castro | Brazil | $36,586 |
| 9 | Vance Isono | United States | $28,536 |
“That was impressive, wasn’t it?” the Sioux Falls native joked with PokerNews after the fact, “I mean, I really hit that string of cards, and then I really took off,” he said, referring to his late-night heater.
“And, of course, I had to get lucky. I wouldn't even be here if I hadn’t spiked one with pocket tens against queens earlier in the day. It’s just how it is.”
With Moen, it wasn't only luck that was on his side; he was applying maximum pressure to his opponents to stay in the lead and worked it to great success. This combo of luck and skill is what it takes to be a champion, and that is exactly what happened here tonight as he took home his biggest score to date. Moen says he plays poker a lot but still has a full-time job back in South Dakota driving a charter bus and really only came out to Vegas to play a few events with his nephew, who was on his rail despite the fact he was being blinded out in another tournament.
“I had to take time off from work to be here, and I honestly haven’t been able to play anything else since I’ve been here, but I cant really be too mad about that!” Moen laughed when asked what the rest of his WSOP schedule looked like, but also said he had no real plans for his winnings and it was still sinking in.
Action on the Day
After the frenzy of Day 1 of this event, Day 2 was no different. Players put all of their chips into the middle with zero regard for their safety. By the time the first break rolled around, more than half of the field was already lost in desperate attempts to double up or bust.
The action really only slowed down as they approached the final three tables, and even then, they were down to 27 in no time. That’s when the surviving players bagged up and migrated over to the Horseshoe Event Center, aka ‘The Thunderdome’, to join the chaos comprising several coinciding final tables, all with their own massive rails. But before they knew it, they dwindled down to the final two tables, and then Francis Beauregard was eliminated in 11th by John Ricksen to send the surviving members to the final table, with Ricksen leading the charge.
Final Table
Once at the final table, however, it quickly became the Moen show as he and Ricksen chopped to bust out Vance Isono in ninth, followed by Guilherme De Castro in eighth as his ace-jack was no match for Moen’s ace-king. Moen then continued to amass chips and next busted out Daniel Hirose in seventh when he caught a pair of eights on the turn with ace-eight against the ace-ten of Hirose.
Right after that is when things started to go downhill for Ricksen as he first doubled up August Smrek, who held aces against his king-jack and then he doubled up Cody Chung who held ace-king against his jack-ten. After these two rough hands, Ricksen was very short and in survival mode when he got very lucky. A huge hand unfolded between Cal Nailn and Moen when Nailn four-bet jammed with king-three suited and Moen called off with ace-ten offsuit for heaps of chips. Moen drilled a ten on the turn, and the river was a brick to eliminate Nailn in sixth place, earning Ricksen a big pay jump.
Ricksen then proceeded to get it all in on the very next hand against Moen with seven-nine suited, but Moen’s ace-three triumphed and knocked him out in fifth place. Moen then continued the steamroll by knocking out Smrek, who held ace-jack, but Moen’s queen-eight found a pair to send him out in fourth. Kuess then gained some momentum when he doubled through Moen by spiking a straight on the river, and that gave him enough chips to knock out Cody Chung in third when his queen-three bested his ace-eight by making a pair of eights.
Moen and Kuess then entered their heads-up battle, with Moen holding a little over a 2:1 chip advantage over Kuess, but it wasn't long til it was all over.
After checking through the flop in a raised pot, Kuess moved all in and was snap-called by Moen. Kuess flipped over nine-ten for a flopped pair of tens, but Moen had him drawing stone-dead as he had already made two pair with kings and tens. The river ace was just a formality, and the pot was shipped to Moen, declaring him a new owner of a WSOP gold bracelet and giving him a handsome payday of $289,323.
That concludes the coverage of Event # 64: $600 No-Limit Deeptack here at the 2024 World Series of Poker, but keep an eye on PokerNews for all of the updates!
Thomas Kuess Eliminated in 2nd Place ($143,258)
Level 40
: Blinds 1,300,000/2,500,000, 0 ante
Christopher Moen raised to 7,500,000 preflop, and Thomas Kuess called to see a flop of K♣10♥2♠.
Both players then checked and went to the turn 8♦. Kuess then announced he was all in and Moen quickly called to put him at risk, a bracelet on the line.
Thomas Kuess: 9♣10♦
Christopher Moen: K♠10♠
"Wow, I'm drawing dead..." Kuess sighed as he realized the bracelet was no longer within his grasp; Moen already had two pair.
The river was just a formality as it came the A♣ and Moen was shipped the pot for the win while Kuess was named the runner-up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
158,130,000
67,130,000
|
67,130,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Moen Folds to Kuess
Level 40
: Blinds 1,300,000/2,500,000, 0 ante
Thomas Kuess raised from the small blind to 5,500,000, and Christopher Moen called from the big blind.
After seeing the 5♣5♠8♥ flop, the action went to Kuess, who raised to 5,000,000. Moen re-raised to 15,000,000, and Kuess responded with jam for their entire 41,050,000 stack.
Moen took some time but made the fold, and Kuess scooped the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
91,000,000
-10,000,000
|
-10,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
67,000,000
21,000,000
|
21,000,000 |
Heads-Up Play Begins
Level 40
: Blinds 1,300,000/2,500,000, 0 ante
After the elimination of Cody Chung, Christopher Moen and Thomas Kuess have began their heads-up battle, with Moen holding more than a 2:1 chip advantage over Kuess
Cody Chung Eliminated in 3rd Place ($143,258)
Level 40
: Blinds 1,300,000/2,500,000, 0 ante
Cody Chung moved all in preflop and was called by Thomas Kuess to put him at risk of elimination.
Cody Chung: A♥8♥
Thomas Kuess: Q♠3♦
Chung was ahead of Kuess with his ace-high, but the flop of K♠Q♦9♥ put Kuess in the lead with his pair of queens. The turn 7♥ gave Chung some extra outs with a flush draw, but the river 9♣ was a brick that sent him to the rail for a third-place finish.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
101,000,000
-9,000,000
|
-9,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
46,000,000
17,000,000
|
17,000,000 |
|
Busted | |
August Smrek Eliminated in 4th place ($107,289)
Level 40
: Blinds 1,300,000/2,500,000, 0 ante
Christopher Moen raised from the button to 10,000,000, and August Smrek moved all in and got a quick call from Moen.
August Smrek:A♦J♠
Christopher Moen: Q♥8♣
Smrek was head before the board came 10♣6♠8♥10♦7x, giving Moen two pair.
Smrek was eliminated from the tournament in fourth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
110,000,000
29,000,000
|
29,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
John Ricksen Eliminated in 5th Place ($80,996)
Level 40
: Blinds 1,300,000/2,500,000, 0 ante
After securing a $19,000 pay jump, short-stacked John Ricksen got the last of his chips into the middle preflop and was called by Christopher Moen to put him at risk.
John Ricksen: 7♦9♦
Christopher Moen: A♦3♣
Ricksen needed some help to stay alive, but the runout of 4♠K♥2♣8♠3♦ did not do it and he was sent out in fifth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
81,000,000
4,000,000
|
4,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Cal Nailn Eliminated in 6th Place ($61,642)
Level 40
: Blinds 1,300,000/2,500,000, 0 ante
Cal Nailn opened to 5,000,000 and was then three-bet to 17,000,000 by big stack Christopher Moen. Nailn then gave Moen a good staredown before he announced he was all in for over 30,000,000.
Moen asked for a count but even before the dealer could finish he made the call to put Nailn at risk in a massive pot.
Cal Nailn: K♣3♣
Christopher Moen: A♠10♣
Nailn needed to improve to stay alive in this one, but the runout of 8♦5♣Q♠10♦J♠ only improved Moen to a pair of tens and he was sent out in sixth place while the monstrous pot was shipped over to Moen.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
77,000,000
33,000,000
|
33,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level: 40
Blinds: 1,300,000/2,500,000
Ante: 0