Martin Alcaide Wins the 2024 WSOP Colossus for $501,250

$400. Three days. 19,337 entries. $5,940,883 prize pool. 772,120,000 chips, and one gold bracelet.

That is what embodied Occasion #70: The Colossus right here on the 2024 WSOP at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Sitting atop all of it is Martin Alcaide, clutching his first gold bracelet and largest live-career money of $501,250. He waded via one of many largest WSOP fields ever recorded, placed on a stellar efficiency throughout the closing day, and ended it by defeating Singapore’s Yujian Eugen Zhou heads-up.

Occasion #70: $400 Colossus Ultimate Desk Outcomes

Winner’s Response

“I really feel so relieved largely.” Alcaide stated in his post-win interview, “I used to be largely simply petrified of shedding, which isn’t a very good mindset, so I used to be simply making an attempt to focus on the fingers, so I relieved extra to be rid of the stress than the happiness proper now, however I am certain that can change.”

The Spanish-born Bulgarian may not have a really lively Hendon Mob, however that doesn’t imply he’s new to poker by any means. He defined that he and Sergio Aido (who was on his rail) began enjoying collectively early of their careers.

“We began enjoying on the lowest of the low stakes, and clearly, he saved enjoying and have become probably the greatest on the earth, however I took a break from enjoying for nearly ten years. I had some issues with Spanish on-line poker legal guidelines and laws, after which I really turned to creating content material. I performed competitively for E-Sports activities and was a supervisor for G3 enjoying Conflict Royale.”

Alcaide additionally stated that he largely performs on-line which is why he thinks he has an edge with regards to large fields reminiscent of this one, as he has executed so earlier than within the GGPoker streets, which don’t seem on his Hendon Mob.

“I really owe this win to GG, as I’d not be right here if I had not received a seat into the Primary Occasion,” he stated with as a lot heart-filled gratitude as one may have for a web based web site.

Day 3 Motion

As was to be anticipated, Day 3 started sizzling and heavy as most of the 92 returning gamers quickly fell to the wayside. Two of those gamers had been Ari Engel (68th – $8,100), Day 1a chipleader Dohang Na (66th – $8,100), and Greg Raymer (56th – $9,740).

The gamers had been then whittled right down to the ultimate three tables proper earlier than the second break of the day. The primary to go then was controversial participant Males Nguyen, who was despatched out by Lisa Tan and was met by a roaring applause from the remaining gamers. The final huge identify to fall was that of Matt Glantz, who made all of it the way in which to nineteenth place earlier than he bought it in with pocket kings in opposition to none aside from Alcaide who held eights. Sadly for Glantz, an eight appeared on the flip for Alcaide, and he was despatched to the rail for a payout of $21,680. This second propelled Alcaide into the chip lead and allowed him to take over the event.

“I opened, two folks referred to as that clearly had been going to fold, and he pushed 16 blinds. He is a superb participant, so he is aware of he has to squeeze there with a wide array and isn’t scared to lose, so I referred to as, and he simply had kings, however I hit the eight. With that, I completed two issues: I eradicated one of the best participant left within the subject, and I used to be chip chief.”

With the elimination of Glantz, the gamers had been redrawn into the ultimate two tables. Nonetheless, it wasn’t lengthy earlier than Henrik Juncker was eradicated in eleventh place ($42,200) by Brooks Floyd to ship the surviving ten gamers to the ultimate desk.

Ultimate Desk

Coming into the ultimate desk, Alcaide and Floyd had been neck and neck whereas Trevor Brown and Ricky Andino had been tied for third. Twenty-three-year-old Brown simply turned a fan favourite together with his feel-good story of coming to Vegas with $1,000 in his pocket. Right here, he was enjoying for half 1,000,000 {dollars} that he would use to repay his dad’s home. Issues had been trying up for Brown when he scored an enormous double with ace-king in opposition to the ace-queen of Bohdan Slyvinskyi however sadly tangled with pocket tens in opposition to the jacks of Joel Vanetten that left him quick. He secured a pay bounce when Vanetten knocked out Nicholas Richards in ninth however met his destiny when he shoved five-seven suited into the ace-jack of Alcaide and exited in eighth for $67,840- removed from empty-handed.

In the meantime, Slyvinskyi, who was very quick after doubling up Brown, had managed to double up a number of occasions and made two pay jumps as Brown and Caleb Powell had been eradicated earlier than he met his destiny by the hands of Vanetten. Slyvinskyi bought all of it in preflop with queens in opposition to the ace-king of Vanetten, however an ace appeared on the flop to ship him out in sixth place.

Proper after that, it turned the Zhou present when he managed to triple up into the chip lead when his jack-ten offsuit bested the ace-king of Brooks Floyd. Ricky Andino had referred to as Zhou’s jam preflop however was pressured to fold when Floyd shoved excessive, resulting in the triple-up for Zhou.

Zhou then bought all of it in together with his notorious jack-ten as soon as once more, this time in opposition to Alcaide’s pocket aces. By some miracle, Zhou hit a gutshot straight on the flip to attain an enormous double, which left Alcaide on life assist with only a few huge blinds. That didn’t cease Alcaide, nevertheless, as a result of he managed to claw his method again, discovered a giant double via Andino, after which later eradicated him in fifth place to surge again into the chip lead. Alcaide then took down a number of different pots whereas Zhou scored the knockouts by busting Vanetten in fourth place when his ace-king was cracked by Zhou’s queen-ten, after which shortly after, Floyd exited with ace-nine in opposition to the pocket kings of Zhou.

Going into the heads-up battle, Alcaide and Zhou had fairly even stacks, however Alcaide shortly pulled into the lead when he three-bet jammed on the river, forcing a fold from Zhou in a giant pot. From there, it was only a matter of chipping away at Zhou’s stack till he finally held a 3:1 chip benefit. Alcaide then open-jammed as soon as extra with pocket sevens, and Zhou determined to name off his event life with pocket fives. No miracles appeared this time for Zhou, and he was eradicated because the runner-up, whereas Alcaide celebrated emphatically together with his rail as a bracelet winner.

Effectively, that wraps up the protection of Occasion #70 on the 2024 WSOP right here on the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, however you’ll want to hold PokerNews open, particularly because the Primary Occasion kicks off tomorrow!