Who knocked out three-time WSOP champion Upeshka De Silva before the game started, how did the final table at the RIO Casino unfold, and how did WSOP European Main Event winner Damian Salas get lost on his way to Vegas?
2020 Bad Beat: Upeshka De Silva Disqualified from WSOP Main Event
The drama, worse than any Brazilian series, unfolded in the poker world in the last days of the outgoing year. No screenwriter could have come up with a plot twist that unfolded before the start of the WSOP 2020 Main Event.
Recall that one of the main events of the WSOP 2020 took place in the summer when the Bulgarian winner Stoyan Madanzhiev won. And in November, the organizers announced another major event because that summer was “not according to the canons”: the buy-in was $ 5K and there was also a flight carriage. Therefore, it was decided to conduct a classic freezeout for $ 10K without a guarantee. The whole world played the $ 10K Main Event at GGPOKEROK, and the Americans at WSOP.com; the final tables agreed to play off-line (in Rozvadov and Vegas), and the winners of the final rounds had to go heads-up against each other for the title, bracelet and $ 1M on December 30th.
On December 28, the American players gathered at the RIO to determine the best. Everyone planned to go, but the three-time WSOP champion Upeshka De Silva was unable to take a seat at the gaming table: the crown intervened. He should have started with an 8 stack of 13 big blinds. The odds of winning were slim, but De Silva is the most skillful competitor in the final table. Since December 10, De Silva has been in quarantine, on December 20 he tested positive, on December 26 his test was negative, and on December 27 he tested positive again. As a result, he was disqualified and automatically took 9th place ($ 98.8K).
De Silva's disqualification caused a stir in the community. Patrick Leonard, on his Twitter account, suggested that the finalists go into the sitout until De Silva's test goes negative. It's funny that in the poll “if you went to the final table and found COVID in one of the finalists, you would go into the situation until he returns, or choose to disqualify him,” the votes were distributed approximately equally.
I wonder how the organizers would get out of the situation if the chip leader was found to have a positive test? Or multiple players? In any case, on December 28 at RIO, the eight finalists took their places.
5 hours 98 hands – fastest WSOP Main Event final table
Faster than the WSOP Main Event champion was determined only by voting. It is now up to ESPN editors to stretch this ending over several episodes. As in the case of the ending in Rozvadov, there was no stream in Las Vegas, but the cameras worked. The show will be shown on TV.
Here's how the final table played out:
Gershon Distenfeld finished 8th. In the fifth hand, he doubled down the shortest Harrison Dobin, losing a fielding with pocket Tens against Queens. It's funny that on the next hand he shoved the rest of his stack with KJs and lost again to the Queens. Gershon Distenfeld will donate all of his $ 125K winnings to charity.
Shawn Stroke finished 7th after 55 hands. He shoved a pocket pair of Threes, got a 3bet from Harrison Dobin with AKo and got called on Ron Jenkins' stack with pocket Queens. For the third time, the Ladies won.
Harrison Dobin was eliminated through the hand in 6th place with the rest of the stack of 3 big blinds with 53o against K2o Hebert.
Tony Yuan took 5th place. With the SB, he introduced 11 big blinds to ATs, Hebert called with a pocket pair of Fours.
Ryan Hagerty finished 4th. He also rolled with SB 9bb on A8o, Ron Jenkins took on AJo.
Michael Cannon took 3rd place. He 3-bet all-in for 16bb with KQo against Hebert's raise with Aces.
The heads-up between Ron Jenkins and Joseph Hebert lasted exactly one hand, despite the fact that Jenkins came in with 50 big blinds, Hebert – 100 big blinds.
Hebert opened, Jenkins raised, Hebert shoved and was called. Showdown: AQ at Hebert and a couple of Ladies at Jenkins. Ace on the flop. An utter disappointment for viewers and broadcast copyright holders, an absolute joy for Joseph Hebert and the PokerNews reporters who covered the event in text format.
The final results of the final table of the Main Event WSOP 2020:
- Joseph Hebert – $ 1,553,256
- Ron Jenkins – $ 1,002,340
- Michael Cannon – $ 529,258
- Ryan Hagerty – $ 387,130
- Tony Yang – $ 286,963
- Harrison Dobin – $ 215,222
- Sean Stroke – $ 163,786
- Gershon Distenfeld – $ 125,885
- De Silva Peshka – $ 98,813
Heads-up between Salas and Hebert postponed until January 3, 2021
But the nasty surprises for the WSOP Main Event are not over. The heads-up between the American and non-American WSOP winners was scheduled for December 30th. After winning Rozvadov, Damian Salas went home to Buenos Aires, took his wife, brother and two friends and went to Vegas. But the trip was canceled twice just minutes before departure.
Salas had fresh test results (negative) on hand. But Salas was not allowed into the United States due to the fact that he visited Europe 14 days before his arrival.
The WSOP organizers have done a very poor job. Salas requested that the heads-up be rescheduled to January 5th or 6th, but it will end up on January 3rd. But now he is calm:
“I am confident that they will let me into the country because I have already been checked 20 times. I am leaving on January 1st.”
Heads-up between Joseph Hebert and Damian Salas kicks off on January 4th at 04:00 UTC.
Why is the 2020 WSOP Online Hybrid Disappointment of the Year?
The community's lack of understanding of the need to host another WSOP Main Event, the lack of depth at the final tables, the disqualification of Upeshka De Silva, and a disgustingly organized trip for Damian Salas are why the $ 10K WSOP 2020 Main Event can easily be called the “Most memorable poker disappointment of 2020”.
Who do you think will win: Hebert Salas? And will a heads-up take place at all, suddenly chance intervenes again? Write in the comments and join the discussion of the article in the Telegram chat.
