Super Main Event Won for $6 million as Zhou Beats His Heroes

A stunning final performance from Hinan Zhou earned him $6,000,000 and his first-ever WSOP bracelet as he outlasted poker legends such as Liv Boeree, Michael Addamo, Mustapha Kanit and the eventual winner’s hero growing up, Justin Bonomo in The Bahamas. Atlantis Resort was the scene for the WSOP Super Main Event’s conclusion and the $50m guaranteed event was one for the books.

Kanit Improves His Lot

The opening stages were fast and furious as players near the lower end of the chipcounts made moves to survive. German player Georg Lehmann was the first player to depart, leaving in ninth place for $750,000 when he ran into the chip leader. All-in with ace-nine offsuit, Lehmann was called by Michael Addamo with the dominating ace-jack offsuit.

A flop of K-Q-3 all in hearts immediately put the at-risk player in even more danger, with his jack the only heart of the four hole cards in play. A deuce on the turn meant only one of two offsuit nines would save Lehmann but the jack of clubs on the river came, ending his interest in the event.

Next to go was the Belarussian player Vadzim Lipauka from the big blind position. All-in with ace-eight of hearts, it was a strong call from Lipauka after Kanit had shoved from the small blind with queen-four, but the board favored the Italian player. A flop of Q-9-5 was followed by a three on the turn and when a jack fell on the river, the Belarus player left with a cash of $1 million exactly.

Bonomo Bites the Bullet

With seven players left, Justin Bonomo was the short stack and the controversial character wasted no time getting his chips in. Unfortunately for him, pocket threes were well behind the pocket jacks of Yinan Zhou and after a flop of A-5-4, he told his rail that he was hoping for one of “six outs”. A nine on the turn and a ten on the river saw Bonomo defeated and he cashed for $1.3 million, not enough to gain that much ground on Bryn Kenney at the top of the All-Time Money List.

Bonomo, who yesterday was threatened with elimination unless he took off his Palestinian scarf, took the time to lean awkwardly near the center of the table and make a peace sign, declaring ‘Free Palestine’. Whether the WSOP interpret this as a political message is unclear but after relenting on the threat of expulsion a day earlier by removing his scarf, it seems at the very least unwise to court punishment after the event.

After losing a big hand to Zhou, the Australian Michael Addamo found himself in the unfamiliar territory of being the short stack. Unaccustomed to such a position for a long time in the event, the old adage of two hands proving fatal in No Limit Hold’em came painfully true for the overnight chip leader.

All-in with queen-jack of clubs, Addamo was behind Liv Boeree’s king-eight of hearts and an exciting flop of T-9-3 with two hearts had something for both players to chase. A nine on the turn changed nothing and a six on the river proved insignificant too, meaning Boeree had another scalp and Addamo hit the rail with $1,650,000 having been in pole position to win the $6m top prize at the start of play.

Boeree Breaks World Record

Chris Nguyen was fourth of the remaining five players but put himself in trouble by doubling up the short stack next. Liv Boeree was all-in twice on Day 4 with ace-high against pocket kings, before meditating while an ace landed on each occasion, allowing her to make it this far. This time, her ace-ten was ahead of Nguyen’s ace-seven and a board of Q-9-2-8-6 gave the British player a full double-up to around 14 big blinds, leaving Nguyen on fumes.

It didn’t take long for Nguyen to lose his final chips. Shoving for just under five big blinds, the Austrian’s jack-ten walked into the brick wall of Mustapha Kanit’s pocket queens, and they held with ease through the board of 9-7-2-6-K to send Nguyen to the rail with a score of $2.1 million.

Soon, the field was trimmed to three. Liv Boeree came into the $25,000 Super Main Event by her own admission in a place where poker is now a hobby she rarely dips into. Five days of ‘the most fun ever’ later, the British player leaves with $2.8 million for fourth place, the biggest single score by a female player in the history of poker.

The Kent-born Win-Win Podcast presenter was all-in with pocket fours but couldn’t win her final flip, the ace-eight of Marcelo Aziz catching an ace on the turn after a safe flop. No miracle two-outer came on the river for Boeree and she made her way to the rail, declaring that she’s be donating around 20% of her winnings ($560,000) to charity. Now that’s a poker hero.

Zhou Gets the Gold Mark

“I played at the final table with my idol… and busted him.”

Three-handed, each man had his moment with the momentum, but it was Kanit who crashed out for $3.6m in the bronze podium position. All-in pre-flop with ace-three, he was called by Aziz with a suited nine-eight of spades and across a board of K-Q-2-6-8, he rivered the pair he needed to oust the Italian for what represents his best-ever score.

Heads-up, that meant Aziz (528m) had a slim lead over Yinan Zhou (421m) but having bluffed Addamo earlier in the event and emulated his hero, Justin Bonomo by busting him at the same table, the 24-year-old Chinese player took the title.

A crucial middle set put Zhou into the lead before the dinner break and in the end, a dominant performance was finished off by the dominating hand. Aziz shoved for 285m with king-six and Aziz called with ace-six, delighted not to have given his opponent two live cards. A board of J-7-5-6-6 found two sixes but no king and that was it, as Zhou celebrated his first-ever WSOP bracelet and $6 million. The impressive Aziz could console himself with $4.6m as runner-up.

“I played at the final table with my idol and busted him,” Zhou told PokerNews in the aftermath of his victory. “I’m feeling calm, to be honest. When I started the final table nine-handed I [was] nervous, especially the big river bluff against Addamo. But when we got down to six, I felt very calm and enjoy this final table.”