Canadian-born Matthew Salsberg made his option to Los Angeles in his youth, chasing higher climate to work on his golf sport. After taking a screenwriting class at College of California San Diego, he managed to land some gigs in Hollywood. Ultimately, he labored his approach as much as being an govt producer on Weeds, which ran for eight years on Showtime. After his day job on the studios, Salsberg hit the poker rooms round city and have become a critical part-time participant. He has managed practically 240 match cashes since first hitting the scene in 2004, together with successful the 2012 World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris for a career-best $478,415 payday. That triumph led to him incomes the tour’s Participant of the 12 months honors for that season.
A dozen years later, Salsberg got here by with the second-largest victory of his profession, taking down the 2024 World Sequence of Poker Circuit Commerce On line casino $1,700 buy-in no-limit maintain’em essential occasion on his dwelling turf. Salsberg bested a 1,209-entry subject to earn his first WSOPC gold ring and the highest prize of $286,134. His profession match earnings now sit at practically $3.6 million.
“That is very surreal. It’s been type of a loopy few years for me, so that is wild,” Salsberg instructed WSOP reporters after closing out the victory. “I’ve performed a whole lot of circuit occasions of the years and have by no means gained a hoop, so it’s good to get one.”
The win additionally bestowed 960 Card Participant Participant of the 12 months factors on Salsberg. This was his first title and fourth final-table end of the yr. With 2,428 whole factors, he now sits inside the highest 150 within the 2024 POY race standings offered by International Poker.
This occasion ran from Nov.21-25, with three beginning flights and two extra days of motion. The robust turnout constructed a prize pool of $1,831,635 that was paid out among the many prime 161 finishers.
Salsberg was in the course of the pack when the final 9 rivals converged on the ultimate desk. He outlasted Phongthep Thiptinnakon (ninth – $23,100) and Aram Mkhitaryan (eighth – $29,838) earlier than scoring his first knockout of the day. Salsberg cracked the pocket aces of brief stack Richard Ham, making a flush with Q4 after all of the chips went in forward of the flop.
Preflop coin flips spelled the top of Samvel Gspoyan’s (sixth – $52,185) and Luis Yepez’s (fifth – $70,552) runs on this occasion. It was extra of the identical for Davis Khobyer, who acquired all-in with pocket tens racing towards A-Q for Anthony Marquez. A queen on the flip gave the overcards the lead, and Khobyer was unable to spike a ten on the top. He earned $96,864 because the fourth-place finisher.
Salsberg earned a double-up early in three-handed motion, with pocket nines besting Ok-Q suited to Marquez. He then gained an enormous one with A-Ok suited towards A-9 for Michael Liang, who was left on fumes after the conflict. The bracelet winner was quickly despatched packing with $134,958 for his podium end. Liang now has greater than $4.2 million in recorded match scores to his title.
Salsberg held higher than a 3:1 lead over Marquez when heads-up play started. It didn’t take lengthy for him to transform that benefit into the title. Within the final hand, Marquez three-bet shoved with OkQ from the large blind and Salsberg referred to as with AOk. The board got here down 86425 and ace excessive was sufficient.
Marquez earned $190,774 because the runner-up. The bracelet winner from Ventura now has over $1.5 million in lifetime cashes beneath his belt.
Take a look at a replay of the ultimate desk beneath:
Here’s a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the last desk:
Place
Participant
Earnings
POY Factors
1
Matthew Salsberg
$286,134
960
2
Anthony Marquez
$190,774
800
3
Michael Liang
$134,958
640
4
Davis Khobyer
$96,864
480
5
Luis Yepez
$70,552
400
6
Samvel Gspoyan
$52,185
320
7
Richard Ham
$39,148
240
8
Aram Mkhitaryan
$29,838
160
9
Phongthep Thiptinnakon
$23,100
80
Photograph credit score: WSOP.