Making the final of the WSOP Main Event is an outstanding achievement, but PokerStars Ambassador and Irish Open High Roller winner Kenny Hallaert has now done it twice.
The Belgian tournament director finished fourth in the $10k tournament for $3 million on Wednesday, beating both his position and payout from his first WSOP final table appearance nine years ago. Back in 2016, Hallaert finished sixth for just under $1.5 million, but the field then was just 6,737 entries compared to 9,735 this year.
Hallaert was eliminated in the very first hand of the final day when he went all-in with AQ and was snap-called by Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, who had started the day’s action with more than three-quarters of the chips in play. The flop changed nothing but a Jack on the turn put Mizrachi’s KJ ahead and there was no help for Hallaert on the river.
Mizrachi despatched Braxton Dunaway in the very next hand and bust his heads-up opponent, John Wasnock, a recreational player, just 18 hands later. As well as the coveted WSOP champion’s title and bracelet, Mizrachi won $10 million and was instantly inducted into the Hall of Fame in recognition of his history-shattering achievement. Mizrachi also won the $50k Poker Players Championship this summer for a fourth time.
Hallaert, 43, whose live tournament winnings now total nearly $9 million, won the €5k High Roller at this year’s Irish Open on his first ever visit to the festival. He said: “I really enjoyed my time there. It’s a very unique event with a unique atmosphere around it.”
Many are dubbing this year’s WSOP Main Event final one of the best in years, and were especially delighted that it featured Spanish pro Leo Margets, who was the first woman to reach the final table since 1995. She finished seventh for $1.5 million.
