Malcolm Trayner Wins Mystery Millions Event for First WSOP Bracelet

The final day of the $1,000-entry Mystery Millions saw Aussie poker player Malcolm Trayner take the top prize of a million U.S. dollars after beating Carson Richards to his first-ever WSOP bracelet. With only 18 players in seats at the start of the final day, Trayner wrestled control of the drama away from his opponents and scored the biggest result of his poker career so far.

Brown Falls Down to Leave Town

The action kicked off on the final day long past the big bounties having been claimed. The previous day had seen both million-dollar bounties won, in turn, by Ukrainian player Valentyn Shabelnyk and DJ Buckley. Buckley raised a smile, but Shabelnyk looked like he’d been handed a utility bill such was his lack of excitement at receiving the seven-figure windfall.

Thankfully, there was at least one player who got really excited – the Welsh Wizard and winner of the Triple Crown (WSOP, EPT & WPT), Roberto Romanello. He drew the $500,000 mystery bounty and jumped up and down, celebrating wildly before going off to call his family and celebrate with them too – that’s more like it!

When the final day’s action in the WSOP Mystery Millions kicked off, Jake Brown led the last 17 players, but after a period where play worked down to the final table of nine, Brown was much shorter in chips. All-in with ace-four, Brown doubled up Carson Richards when the latter managed to hit and took some of Brown’s chips – and momentum – away from him.

At blinds of 2.5 million/5 million, Brown had lost all but two of his big blinds and shoved his last into the middle representing nine-ten of hearts after a flop of A-K-T had landed. Junho Song called with king-ten of spades and held with ease after an ace and queen landed on the turn and river, Brown leaving with just under $90,000 in ninth.

Castellan Falls, Azran Sinks

Chris Castellan was the next player to crumble, going down in eighth place for $113,490 when he lost a coinflip holding pocket eights including the eight of clubs to Carson Richards’ ace-king of hearts.

The latter produced one of the moments of the final table when, after a board of 7-5-3-T with three clubs fell, he needed an offsuit ace or king to win, and called out “Ace of diamonds, ace of diamonds!” only for the dealer to produce that exact card! Castellan didn’t find it quite so amusing, but the rest of the room was in raptures.

Junho Song busted Michael Miller, after the latter’s eight-five of hearts fell to Song’s pocket kings. Miller went home in seventh with $144,900 and after his exit, Amir Mirrasouli busted in sixth for $186,080. His ace-ten lost to Trayner’s pocket sixes, further boosting the Australian’s chances of victory.

Oshri Azran went for Trayner’s stack but although it was the right move at the right time, ace-quen of clubs lost to jack-eight of the same suit when no clubs and a turned eight came along on the board. Azran left with $240,350 in fifth place, and further bumped Trayner’s stack at the perfect time.

Trayner Becomes Master

With four players left, Trayner had 600 million chips, with Song, Richard and Eugene Tito totalling 140 million between them. Despite this, Trayner was nervous and admitted afterwards he wanted to get over the line desperately. Tito soon doubled up, before Song went for $312,250 in fourth place. All-in with jack-eight himself, he lost to Richards’ ace-king after a ten-high runout.

Eugene Tito’s elimination in third place came when his shove with queen-jack saw Trayner priced in to call with eight-seven. A flop of 9-6-5 was perfect for the Australian as he flopped the straight and no miraculous escape came for Tito, who took home $407,970.

Heads-up play began with Trayner in a commanding 4:1 chip lead but lasted two full levels as Richards battled bravely. The end still came, however, as Richards shoved wit queen-ten and was called by the Aussie’s king-jack. A board of 6-5-3-K-A had Trayner the winner after the turn and his rail went crazy as their boy pocketed a cool million dollars and the title of WSOP champion.

“I was a bit nervous going in,” Trayner admitted afterwards to PokerNews reporters. “Once I got used to it and settled, then it was just a matter of doing what I’ve done a few times or many times before, online and live as well; just playing final table and just try to disassociate from the money and just think about the chips you have in front of you.”