ICU Nurse Wins $25,000 Buy-In World Series of Poker Bracelet Event

Intensive care unit nurse Brek Schutten got here inside one spot of turning into a World Collection of Poker bracelet winner in 2022, ending second within the $50,000 buy-in no-limit maintain’em eight max occasion. The 36-year-old healthcare employee and poker participant from Grand Rapids, Michigan waited precisely two years earlier than he discovered himself heads-up for a WSOP title once more. This time round he got here away with the {hardware}, popping out on high within the 2024 WSOP $25,000 no-limit maintain’em six-max occasion to earn a career-best payday of $1,405,641 and his first bracelet.

“I obtained second to Jake Schindler and simply had these regrets ever since,” Schutten informed WSOP reporters after popping out on high. “Sure arms undergo your thoughts on a regular basis and also you by no means know in case you’re going to get again to a excessive curler ultimate desk, not to mention heads-up, not to mention win the factor.”

This was the second seven-figure rating for Schutten, who cashed for $1,261,095 because the champion of the 2021 World Poker Tour Seminole Arduous Rock Poker Open $3,500 buy-in most important occasion. He now has greater than $5.3 million in profession earnings to his identify regardless of not being a full-time poker skilled.

Schutten overcame a discipline of 272 entries on his strategy to the title. The 1,512 Card Participant Participant of the Yr factors that got here with the win have been sufficient to catapult him into one hundred and twentieth place within the 2024 POY standings introduced by World Poker. He additionally secured 700 PokerGO Tour factors, sufficient to surge into seventh place in that high-stakes-centric factors race.

The highest 41 finishers made the cash on this occasion to earn a share of the $6,392,000 prize pool. Large names that ran deep included Chris Brewer (twenty seventh), Ben Tollerene (twenty sixth) Erik Seidel (twenty fourth), Andrew Lichtenberger (twenty third), Alex Foxen (nineteenth), Pieter Aerts (fifteenth), Santhosh Suvarna (14th), Justin Saliba (thirteenth), Stoyan Madanzhiev (tenth), and Ognyan Dimov (seventh).

Schutten took out Dimov to enter the official ultimate desk among the many bigger stacks. Bracelet winner Masashi Oya ($229,002) was the primary to fall, along with his Okay-J suited dropping a race to the pocket nines of WPT champion Taylor von Kriegenbergh.

Brandon Wilson bowed out in fifth place ($315,771) after his Okay-Q bumped into the pocket kings of Schutten. He was quickly joined on the rail by von Kriegenbergh, who obtained all-in with Q-10 suited trailing the A-Q suited of Michael Rocco. Neither participant related with the board and von Kriegenbergh settled for $444,766 because the fourth-place finisher.

Tyler Stafman doubled by means of Rocco throughout three-handed play to maneuver into second place behind Schutten. The identical two gamers clashed within the subsequent key showdown, with Rocco jamming for practically 17 large blinds out of the small blind with 74. Stafman known as from the massive blind with A7 and held by means of a Q86210 runout. Rocco earned $639,620 because the third-place finisher, rising his profession earnings to just about $5.6 million.

Heads-up play started with Schutten holding roughly a 5:3 chip lead over Stafman. The tables have been turned after Stafman gained a preflop all-in confrontation with pocket jacks towards A-10. Schutten was capable of shut the hole, although, after which gained an enormous pot with a flopped flush towards Stafman, who was drawing lifeless when the cash went in on the flip regardless of having high pair with flush and straight attracts.

Stafman managed a few double-ups after dropping that key hand, however was quickly allp-in once more with A9 trailing the AQ of Schutten. The board ran out J6532 and Schutten’s superior aspect card earned him the pot and the title. Stafman was awarded $938,775 because the runner-up, by far the biggest reside event rating of his profession. Previous to this deep run, his greatest money was the $67,700 he earned because the 158th-place finisher within the 2023 WSOP most important occasion.

Here’s a take a look at the payouts and rankings factors awarded on the ultimate desk:

Place
Participant
Earnings
POY Factors
PGT Factors

1
Brek Schutten
$1,405,641
1512
700

2
Tyler Stafman
$938,775
1260
563

3
Michael Rocco
$639,620
1008
384

4
Taylor von Kriegenbergh
$444,766
756
267

5
Brandon Wilson
$315,771
630
189

6
Masashi Oya
$229,002
504
137

Go to the Card Participant 2024 World Collection of Poker web page for schedules, information, interviews, and the newest occasion outcomes. WSOP protection sponsored by World Poker.

Photograph credit score: PokerGO / Miguel Cortes.