Jesse Yaginuma (Maybe) Wins $1.5K Millionaire Maker as Two $1M Finalists Investigated

Seven Returned With Glory on Their Minds.

A small field of seven returned to the hallowed felt at the Horsehoe and Paris, all guaranteed a very solid score of $245,320 for their efforts in navigating what will be one of the largest fields the WSOP will see this year. 

Yaginuma came into the day 2nd in chips, with a stack worth 46 big blinds. Josh Reichard was the chip-leader, with 70 big blinds, a decent gap between the 1-2 spots. The rest of the field saw a more even chip distribution, with only Brazil’s Jacques Ortega and the formerly named players above the 30 big blind mark. 

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman

The sole European and only player whose name didn’t begin with J, Alejandro Ganivet, came in with 24 big blinds, which left only eventual runner-up Carroll below him in the counts with 20 big blinds. Ganivet also had the smallest amount of tournament earnings at the final table, with around $45,000 according to Hendon Mob. That number is now a lot bigger courtesy of a seventh-place finish, which yielded a score of $245,430.

The Spaniard was the first casualty of the day’s play as his ace-four suited was bested by the ace-ten suited of Reichard. Ganivet flopped top pair and a wheel draw and called Reichard’s shove on the turn. He couldn’t find a deuce or four to win, and no chop outs emerged, and he was eliminated.

The sole European and only player whose name didn’t begin with J, Alejandro Ganivet, came in with 24 big blinds, which left only eventual runner-up Carroll below him in the counts with 20 big blinds. Ganivet also had the smallest amount of tournament earnings at the final table, with around $45,000 according to Hendon Mob. That number is now a lot bigger courtesy of a seventh-place finish, which yielded a score of $245,430.

Photo Credit: Austin Currington

The Spaniard was the first casualty of the day’s play as his ace-four suited was bested by the ace-ten suited of Reichard. Ganivet flopped top pair and a wheel draw and called Reichard’s shove on the turn. He couldn’t find a deuce or four to win, and no chop outs emerged, and he was eliminated. 

Runaway Reichard Coolers Labranche

The runaway Reichard was pulled back by Jonah Labranche. Reichard shoved in the small blind with king-queen offsuit and was snap-called by Labranche. 

Jeffrey Tanouye also had his stack dented in a blind v blind jam spot. He shoved into Jacques Ortega, who called off with ace-three off versus Tanouye’s king-five off. Ortega was at risk, but he made a seven-high straight to leave Tanouye short. 

He didn’t stay short for long. He doubled up through Caroll by making a full house with ace-nine offsuit versus Carroll’s king-jack suited. 

Photo Credit: Luther Redd

Labranche’s pursuit of winning a cool million was deforested by Carroll in a cooler. Reichard flopped the second nut flush in a preflop all-in situation versus Labranche, who was holding kings.

Reichard’s king-nine left Labranche’s holding become twig-sized in terms of equity and couldn’t grow any additional equity across the turn and the river, and he was sent to the rail in sixth.

Tanoyue Taken Out, Reichard Remains Rampant

Those chips didn’t last in Reichard’s stack long, as he lost 30,000,000 of the 40,000,000 chip pot to Carroll a few hands later. Caroll made two pair with ace-jack in a preflop flip versus Reichard’s pocket treys.

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman

Tanouye fell shortly after in fifth, and Reichard claimed his stack in a blind v blind postflop spot where Tanouye was committed with second pair against Reichard’s top pair. 

And Then There Were Three

Reichard was on an absolute tear and had amassed a substantial lead against his two competitors. By the time he sent Ortega to the rail in fourth, he had accumulated around a 3:1 chip lead on his opponents. 

Carroll struck first at the final table as his pocket eights held against Reichard’s ace-six suited. He flopped a set and filled up on the turn on the very first hand after the break, before final table play began. This flipped the script and put Carroll ahead, but only ever so slightly. 

Photo Credit: Austin Currington

The Reichard train then got completely derailed. He elected to four-bet jam pocket threes on the button versus a small blind three-bet to 20,000,000 from Carroll over the initial 5,000,000 button open. 

And Then There Were Two

Carroll came into heads-up with a monumental chip lead. The first hand saw Yaginuma move all in with six-high over a 7,000,000 chip open with the blinds at 3m/6m 6m bb ante.  

This wasn’t the only hand that caught the attention of poker fans across the world as accusations of potential chip dumping have surfaced in the wake of this heads-up match. 

Photo credit: Alicia Skillman

With the blinds at 1,500,000/3,000,000, Carroll raised to 13,000,000 with six-three offsuit over a limp from Yaginuma. Carroll then bet 17,000,000 on a jack-high flop with just six high. The turn was checked before Carroll bombed the river for 57,000,000, to which Yaginuma called with jack-eight suited. This pot took Yaginuma into the lead for the first time. 

Similar hands played out like this during the heads-up, not all of which went postflop. In a preflop altercation, Carroll decided to take eight-three offsuit for a spin, raising to 23,000,000 over an 8,700,000 open from Yaginuma. 

Yaginuma had eight-seven off, and he decided to four-bet ship it, and Carroll folded. Yaginuma also managed to get through a three-bet with nine-eight offsuit against Carroll’s queen-six offsuit. 

Photo Credit: Austin Currington

The tournament ended with Carroll’s ace-ten suited being cracked by the queen-three offsuit of Yaginuma. They exchanged a hug and a handshake after the play concluded, and I’m sure both slept well, or not at all, knowing they were both a million dollars richer. 

Or Have They?

Amongst the immediate fallout of the tournament’s conclusion, the WSOP formally announced that investigations will be made into this tournament. The tweet read as follows:

About Jesse Yaginuma

Jesse Yaginuma is an American Poker Player from Maryland. He has won four WSOP bracelets and has banked $3,903,997 in live tournament earnings, $1,255,180 of which came from his victory in Event #53: $1,500 Millionaire Maker.

Final Table Results: Event #53: $1,500 Millionaire Maker

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Jesse Yaginuma		$1,255,180
2	James Carroll		$1,012,320
3	Josh Reichard		$702,360
4	Jacques Ortega		$534,590
5	Jeffrey Tanouye		$409,870
6	Jonah Labranche		$316,190
7	Alejandro Ganivet		$245,430