Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship
Day 4 Completed
2024 World Series of Poker
Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship
Day: 4
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
2024 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$3,000
Prize Pool
$8,482,590
Entries
3,177
Level
39
Blinds
1,000,000 / 1,500,000
Ante
1,500,000
Entries
17
Players Left
1
Level 39
: Blinds 1,000,000/1,500,000, 1,500,000 ante
It is a French takeover here at the end of the 2024 World Series of Poker. Shouts of "Allez!" reverberated around a cavernous Horseshoe as Clement Richez was draped in "Le Tricolore" flag of France while his rail chanted his name moments after he conquered 3,177 runners in Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em to win the massive first place prize of $1,041,989.
"I'm shaking all over," Richez said afterward to French media as he described the emotion of his win, "I didn't think this would give me so many emotions. I was on the verge of crying during the winner's photo, and I'll probably cry after this because I need to release all the pressure."
$3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clement Richez | France | $1,041,989 |
| 2 | Adam Owen | United Kingdom | $694,714 |
| 3 | Alec Torelli | United States | $517,525 |
| 4 | Dong Chen | China | $388,519 |
| 5 | David Uvaydov | United States | $293,950 |
| 6 | Taylor Black | United States | $224,152 |
| 7 | Andrey Pateychuk | Russia | $172,285 |
| 8 | Boris Kuzmanovic | Croatia | $133,479 |
| 9 | David Brehme | United Kingdom | $104,248 |
Prior to this seven-figure payout, the French pro's biggest career score had been $188,000 when he finished 50th in last year's Main Event, where he spent a decent amount of time on feature tables to make a bit of a name for himself than with his distinctive tattoos and memorable fearless play.
But despite the visible emotion coming out of him afterward, Richez says he was steely and focused throughout the tournament. "I was very focused and didn't feel any doubt. I did not even check what first-place money was. I was just playing hand by hand and trying to play well."
And play well he did, as he entered the day fourth in chips and remained one of the big stacks through the day, where he would then reach his first career final table.
"My first final table was already a dream; the more players went down, and then suddenly I was heading up. It was even more of a dream. It's amazing, every poker player dreams to have a bracelet. It was not even my goal, but once I won, I realized that all this time, it was my goal."
Richez was sure to shout out his fellow Frenchmen as well as part of this late French takeover at the WSOP. "The dream is not over yet; it continues because Malo Latinois plays in the final table of the Main Event tomorrow, so if he wins, it would be crazy," he added as a teaser for tomorrow's Main Event extravaganza. Not to mention, Alexandre Reard, who had just won a big pot in the $10,000 6-Max Championship to take the chip lead there as Richez watched on following his win.
One final thing that made it special for Richez was that his wife was able to witness it. She arrived in Vegas from France just in time to watch the final table and share in his win. The two of them shared an emotional embrace following his winner's pictures and interview.
Action of the Day
The record field of 3,117 was the largest ever recorded field for a $3,000 tournament, and the day began with plenty of action as the 17 who started the day converged on the unofficial final table of ten in just two hours right as the first break hit.
From there, the action would be speedy at first as Stefan Dimitrov and David Brehme quickly departed within the first few minutes to bring the table down to eight. At eight-handed play there would be some dynamic changes with big all-ins that flipped the chip counts, most notably between Adam Owen and Alec Torelli.
Owen's downward momentum would be stymied when he hit a much-needed river card to bust Boris Kuzmanovic to boost himself back up into contention and bring the field down to six where start of day chip leader Taylor Black would meet his demise after he was unable to really get anything going at the final table.
David Uvaydov more than tripled his previous career-best score with a fifth-place finish for $293,950 as he fell victim to Torelli. Dong Chen was the next to go in fourth as he was able to ladder up his short stack into a fourth-place finish after being short for much of the final table.
Three-handed play began with three relatively even deep stacks. Torelli made some aggressive plays as he had the chip lead at the start of it, but ultimately, he lost a few pots and then went out to Owen when his straight flush draw could not get there. This result became the second best of Torelli's poker career, only behind his 11th place finish in the Main Event last year.
Heads-up play began with Owen holding the chip lead after taking out Torelli, but Richez quickly took control, winning multiple pots in a row through showdown and forcing folds. After about an hour, he had Owen down to around 15 big blinds, where the Brit would double once to climb close again but then lose on the second time, asking just a few hands later to confirm the Frenchman as the bracelet winner.
It was a somewhat bitter pill for Owen to swallow despite the large monetary score. It was the second time he had been runner-up for his first bracelet at this WSOP, as he was denied second place in Event #32: $1,500 Seven Card Stud, both times entering as the heads-up chip leader. But regardless, this result is good for the third-largest cash of his career.
That wraps up the PokerNews coverage of the inaugural and very successful Mid-Stakes Championship. Stay tuned for the final few days of the 2024 WSOP, which will all be covered right here on the site's live reporting tab.
Level 39
: Blinds 1,000,000/1,500,000, 1,500,000 ante
Adam Owen jammed all in from the button after Clement Richez had raised to 5,500,000 from the big blind. The dealer counted it out it out to be 43,300,000. Richez took a couple of moments and put down the chips to call.
Adam Owen: Q♠3♠ 
Clement Richez: K♥9♥
The French rail exploded with the chance for their man to get the bracelet while the British rail called for a queen. The flop came 7♦K♦6♣ to put a stranglehold on the hand. The turn was the J♦ and the river came the 10♠ and Richez was the mid stakes championship champion as Owen once again finished runner-up for a WSOP bracelet.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
127,200,000
35,000,000
|
35,000,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 39
: Blinds 1,000,000/1,500,000, 1,500,000 ante
Clement Richez limped from the button, Adam Owen moved all in and Richez made the call.
Adam Owen: K♠6♠
Clement Richez:Q♣9♣
The 6♥K♦5♣ flop came Owen's way, giving him two pair, and Richez missed the clubs on the 3♥3♠ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
92,200,000
-16,600,000
|
-16,600,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
35,000,000
16,600,000
|
16,600,000 |
Level: 39
Blinds: 1,000,000/1,500,000
Ante: 1,500,000
Level 38
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
The players are now on a 15-minute break.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
108,800,000
8,800,000
|
8,800,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
18,400,000
-9,600,000
|
-9,600,000 |
Level 38
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Adam Owen limped from the button and Clement Richez checked.
The A♣2♥10♣ flop was checked to by Richez and Owen raised to 1,700,000.
The 4♣ came on the turn and Richez made another snap check. Owen also checked, taking the players to the Q♦ river.
Both players checked to showdown and Richez showed 10♠5♠. Owen opted to muck, giving the pot to Richez.
After a few hands, players chipped away at each other, without getting past a flop, leaving Owen still behind in the counts.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
104,200,000
4,200,000
|
4,200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
23,000,000
-5,000,000
|
-5,000,000 |
Level 38
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Adam Owen limped the button and Clement Richez checked.
The flop came 3♦J♠9♥ and Richez check raised to 4,000,000 after Owen bet 1,600,000. Owen made the call.
The 3♠ turn prompted a check from Richez and Owen raised to 1,700,000. Richez called taking them to the 9♣ river.
Richez checked, Owen moved all in and Richez folded. Handing a sizeable pot to Owen.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
100,000,000
-6,000,000
|
-6,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
28,000,000
6,000,000
|
6,000,000 |
Level 38
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Clement Richez limped the button, Adam Owen raised to 3,800,000 and Richez called.
The flop came 10♦5♣J♥. Richez called a bet of 4,500,000 from Owen.
The turn was the K♦, both players checked.
The river was the 8♣. Owen put together a bet of 11,000,000 and slid it forward. Richez thought for about a minute before announcing all in which got a snap-fold from Owen to give Richez the commanding lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
106,000,000
19,000,000
|
19,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
22,000,000
-19,000,000
|
-19,000,000 |
Level 38
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
After a few small hands of heads up play, the action really began as it was picked up on a hand where the board read A♠3♦4♥3♣. From the button, Clement Richez bet 2,500,000 and Adam Owen called.
The river was the 6♣. Richez overbet 14,000,000 into a pot of 11,500,000. Owen considered it for about 30 seconds before he called.
Richez tabled the A♥J♠ and Owen mucked to take the chunky pot.
--
A couple of hands later, Richez limped the button. Owen raised to 4,000,000 and Richez called. The flop came down 6♣K♦10♦. Richez called the bet of 4,500,000.
The turn was the 7♣. Richez bet 11,0000,000 which got a fold from Owen.
--
The rush continued as the next hand, Richez called the 3,500,000 flop bet from Owen on a flop of J♥5♥6♥. Both players checked the turn 7♠.
Richez bet 3,500,000 and Owen folded as Richez took the significant chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
87,000,000
49,500,000
|
49,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
41,000,000
-48,000,000
|
-48,000,000 |