Santosh Suvarna Wins WSOP Super High Roller for First Vegas Victory

At a final table featuring poker players such as Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen, Sean Winter, Jeremy Ausmus and Mattias Eibinger, Indian star Santosh Suvarna rose highest to win the $5.4 million top prize, as Ben Tollerene finished second for $3.5 million after losing heads-up.

Last 14 Fight for Final Table Seat

When play began on the final day, 14 players were still in their seats. With only 12 money places, things were tense as the bubble burst, leaving both Mikalai Vashaboinikau then Brian Kim frozen out and going home with nothing but thoughts of what might have been. The next three players all received $506,757, with Jonathan Jaffe’s elimination in 12^th place followed by crowd favorite Phil Ivey. The rail audibly groaned when the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner was ousted from the tournament.

Down to the final ten, the last player anyone might have thought would bubble the final table did exactly that. Spanish poker legend Adrian Mateos busted when his trip tens on the river were no match for Ben Tollerene’s straight and as Mateos left without making the final, Tollerene took charge.

Heading into the final table with over 90 big blinds, the online poker legend Tollerene was some way clear of his nearest rival Mattias Eibinger, who only had 39 big blinds. It was the American Sean Winter who busted in ninth place, cashing for $550,878 when his pocket kings were ahead pre-flop against Taylor von Kriegenbergh’s pocket queens only for a queen to arrive in the window to push Winter out of it.

Ausmus Misses a World of Outs

Belarussian Mikita Badziakouski busted in eighth place for $629,407 before Jeremy Ausmus was eliminated for $754,052 in seventh. Ausmus shoved with king-queen with the queen of diamonds and was called by Ben Tollerene with ace-ten, before a flop of J-T-8 with two diamonds. Ausmus had an open-ended straight draw and needed to hit something after Tollerene flopped a pair of tens. A four of diamonds on the turn gave Ausmus the flush draw too but he missed 19 outs on the river.

Taylor von Kriegenbergh was the next player to miss out, calling off his stack with pocket kings on a board of K-6-3-9-Q only to find Tollerene had the straight again with jack-ten. Out for a score of $945,219, von Kriegenbergh was busted just before Charles Hook, who left for $1.23 million when his ace-king couldn’t catch against Tollerene’s pocket tens.

Matthias Eibinger was the next man to leave, busting in fourth for $1.68 million. All-in with pocket deuces, the Austrian lost to the king-nine of spades held by Tollerene, as the American online legend grew his lead to a huge one, holding over 70% of the chips in play with just two players between him and the title.

Suvarna the Survivor

Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen, who won his first bracelet just four days earlier for $2.8m, will have been disappointed to get so close to victory again, but delighted with the $2.39m score here. All-in with king-three, Hunichen lost to Suvarna’s ten-deuce, the famous ‘Texas Dolly’ hand that propelled Doyle Brunson to victory in the final hand of the 1976 and 1977 WSOP Main Event.

Heads-up, Suvarna was behind by some distance but flopped a straight to beat Tollerene’s two-pair. Soon after, the Indian poker pro flopped another straight to take the lead, building a 10:1 chip lead to take a dominant lead. Tollerene’s queen-four shove was ahead but couldn’t hold when Suvarna’s ten-seven made a pair of tens on the river.

That was the tournament, and a delighted Suvarna celebrated with his ecstatic rail.

“I’m feeling very happy,” Suvarna said afterwards. “Every day I’m learning, I’m going deep in every tournament.”

Viral cash game poker player and self-proclaimed ‘King of L.A.’ Nikhil ‘Nik Airball’ Arcot credited his friend Suvarna’s dedication at the felt.

“[Santosh] came here to win a bracelet,” he said. “He’s won a WSOP Europe bracelet, but he really wanted to take down one in the U.S. this summer. He’s the nicest guy ever in poker, win or lose. He’s super classy and I’m over the moon for him.”

After this latest huge victory, Santosh Suvarna is a pin on the super high roller map. He’s not going anywhere ad could be one to watch for the rest of the 2024 World Series of Poker.

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