Phil Hellmuth Almost Wins His 17th WSOP Bracelet, but Adam Friedman Claims Historic Victory
Phil Hellmuth almost won his second World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet this week after making the final table of the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship. The Poker Brat made history on Monday when he won a record-breaking 16th bracelet. However, as everyone expected, he wasn’t prepared to rest on his laurels.
With a lot of poker left to play at the 2021 WSOP, Hellmuth jumped straight back into the saddle. Joining 92 other entrants in the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship, he made it through the masses and beyond the clutches of Day 2.
When play reconvened on Wednesday, the line-up of pros was a veritable murder’s row of talent. Alongside the familiar faces of Mike Gorodinsky and Matt Glantz were the inimitable Daniel Negreanu and Mike Matusow.
Also in the mix was the man Hellmuth beat to win his 16th bracelet, Jake Schwartz. There were threats on every side, but Hellmuth had history on his mind. This enduring obsession with being the best WSOP player in history helped him avoid some tricky spots as Wednesday night turned into Thursday morning.
Phil Hellmuth Almost Gets it Done
In fact, as it transpired, it was Hellmuth’s old sparring partner, Schwartz who gave him a few timely pots. With Hellmuth on the up, Schwartz gradually started to slip. Although he survived long enough to enjoy an impromptu break with three players left, he couldn’t make the final round.
The surprise package of this year’s non-Hold’em WSOP events was eventually sent to the rail by Hellmuth during a round of Badacey. The elimination of Schwartz gave the record-breaking bracelet winner a comfortable lead over Adam Friedman heads-up.
Friedman had been relatively quiet for much of the final table. Although he picked up crucial pots when it mattered, he was able to fly under the radar thanks, mainly, to Hellmuth commanding the spotlight.
This turned out to be an advantage in the final throes of the event. Friedman stumbled during the early heads-up exchanges but quickly found his feet. Then, during a round of Pot Limit Omaha, he crept back into contention.
Friedman Takes Control and Doesn’t Look Back
Every pot Hellmuth scooped was met with a cheer from his supporters who were eager to see another epoch-making performance. However, Friedman hadn’t read the script. He went from picking up PLO pots to handing out Hold’em beats within the blink of an eye.
Indeed, almost as quickly as the variants changed, so too did the lead. Hellmuth was far from dead and buried but Friedman had found a way to get on top. That’s a position he never relinquished. Hellmuth pressed and fought as best he could, but his chances of winning a 17th World Series of Poker bracelet were ebbing away.
In the end, Friedman got it done during a round of Badugi. A visibly disappointed Hellmuth committed the last of his chips and watched as Friedman tabled 9♥ 6♠ 5♣ 2♦ for a “nine-dugi.” Hellmuth couldn’t beat that and mucked his hand before standing up to congratulate his opponent.
WSOP $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship Results
- Adam Friedman - $248,350
- Phil Hellmuth - $153,493
- Jake Schwartz - $107,861
- Carol Fuchs - $77,437
- Mike Matusow - $56,826
- Andrew Kelsall - $42,646
- Matt Glantz - $32,746
- Mike Gorodinsky - $25,741
History Was Made in the Dealer’s Choice Event
Under any other circumstances, a second-place finish in a $10,000 WSOP championship event would be considered a remarkable achievement. However, for Phil Hellmuth, the result was bittersweet. Yes, he almost won another bracelet. However, he also missed out on his second WSOP title in a week and, more importantly, his 17th overall.
Based on what Hellmuth has shown this year, few people would bet against him making another final table at this year’s World Series of Poker. Indeed, even if he’s not as dominant in tournaments outside of the WSOP, there’s no doubt Hellmuth is the man when it comes to bracelet showdowns.
I’m completely spent/completely exhausted. In 21 days I made 5 final tables—6th 5th 4th 2nd 1st—and 18th in five different games: career defining stuff. I’m super disappointed that I couldn’t close the deal tonight, 4.2M to his 1.3M. I NEED to take 48 hrs off and rest #POSITiVITY pic.twitter.com/QUEObX8ZqN
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) October 21, 2021
He’ll now take stock of his latest near miss and move on. For Adam Friedman, the victory is confirmation that he’s one of the best Mixed Game players in the world. Casual poker fans might not know his name but he’s a confirmed master at mixed events.
This week’s victory is the third consecutive time he’s won the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship at the WSOP. That’s an accomplishment that even Phil Hellmuth would be proud of. He told reporters after the event that he ran good in a lot of spots. But there’s no doubt he’s one of the most versatile poker players on the planet.
The 2021 WSOP might be lacking a certain number of international players right now due to the US travel ban (which ends on November 8). However, the players that have turned up are certainly making the most of being able to play live again. History was made in the Dealer’s Choice event this week and, although it wasn’t the historic result many expected, Adam Friedman is more than worthy of a place in the record books.
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