Stephen Chidwick Skips Most Of WSOP, Shows Up And Wins $25K PLO High Roller Championship For First Bracelet

Stephen Chidwick was recently voted the best poker player in the world by a group of more than 60 of his peers in the high-stakes tournament scene. Despite having accumulated more than $23 million in career tournament earnings heading into the 2019 World Series of Poker, Chidwick had yet to win a WSOP bracelet. He had come close many times, notching 13 WSOP final-table finishes over his career.

Now, the 30-year-old from Deal, England can finally remove his name from the dreaded ‘best without a bracelet’ list. Chidwick overcame a field of 278 entries to win the 2019 WSOP $25,000 pot-limit Omaha high roller, securing his first gold bracelet and the massive top prize of $1,618,417. He now has just shy of $25 million in career live tournament earnings.

After years of grinding every tournament he could play during the summer, Chidwick skipped much of the first half of the WSOP following the birth of his first child in the spring. He managed to emerge victorious with the title in the first event he played at this year’s series.

“It’s super ironic. Usually, I play every single tournament. Usually, I play a final table, bust and then register a $1,500 stud immediately. Just like, play everything. I come in here halfway through, haven’t played any of the others and then just win the first one I play. Pretty funny,” said Chidwick after coming out on top. “It means a lot. It feels great. It’s obviously a good one to win it in. I’m in shock a little bit.”

In addition to the bracelet and the money, Chidwick was also awarded 1,512 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. It was his third title and ninth final-table finish of the year. As a result, he has climbed into fifth place in the 2019 POY race, which is sponsored by Global Poker.

Here are the five key hands that propelled Chidwick to the title.

Tournament: WSOP Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller
Buy-In: $25,000
No. of Entries: 278
Prize Pool: $6,602,500
1st Place Prize: $1,618,417

The Action

Tosoc raised to 440,000 and Chidwick made the call. The flop fell Q 4 2 and Chidwick check-called an all-in of 650,000 from Tosoc, who held A J 10 7 and needed help. Chidwick’s Q 9 9 6 was in the lead with a pair of queens, and the 6 on the turn gave him two pair to leave Tosoc drawing dead. The inconsequential river was the A, and Tosoc exited the tournament area to collect his $116,656 payout for ninth place.

The Action

Epstein raised to 1,050,000 and Chidwick called from the small blind. The flop came down A 5 3 and Chidwick checked. Epstein bet 1,200,000, and Chidwick called. The turn was the 4 and Chidwick checked again. This time, Epstein moved all in for 4,050,000. Chidwick went into the tank for a bit but ultimately made the call with A Q 10 9 for top pair and the nut flush draw in diamonds. Epstein could only reveal K Q 10 2, holding the nut flush draw in spades, along with a blocker to the wheel. The river was the 2, and Epstein was eliminated in fifth place, taking home $359,320. The score bested the $296,227 that Epstein won earlier in the summer when he earned his first bracelet in the $10,000 short deck event.

The Action

Chen raised to 700,000 and Mizrachi called all-in for 350,000 on the button. Both Chidwick and Gonzales made the call from the blinds and the four players saw a flop of A 2 2. The three players with chips left opted to check, and the turn was the J. This time Chidwick bet 600,000, and Gonzales folded. Chen called, however, and the river was the 3. Chidwick bet 1,000,000, and Chen folded. Chidwick held K Q J 5 for a flush, while Mizrachi wouldn’t fill up with his A Q Q 3. He pocketed $497,112 for his fourth-place showing.

The Action

Chidwick raised to 900,000 from the small blind and Matthew Gonzales defended his big blind. The flop came down K 7 4 and Chidwick bet 1,800,000. Gonzales then moved all-in for another 600,000 on top. Chidwick made the call with K 8 5 2 for top pair and a gut shot straight draw, and was up against Gonzales and his 9 6 5 4. Gonzales had outs to two pair, straights, and flushes, but Chidwick picked up a flush draw of his own with the J on the turn. The river was the Q and Gonzales was eliminated in third place, earning $699,364. Chidwick then took a 3:2 chip lead into heads-up play.

The Action

With Chen mounting a comeback by winning a few sizable pots in a row, he flat called a raise from Chidwick on the button to 1,200,000 and both players saw a flop of A K 7. Chen checked, and Chidwick made a continuation bet of 900,000. Chen called, and the turn was the 3. Chen checked again, and Chidwick fired in a bet of 3,000,000. Chen called, and the river was the 9. Chen checked for the third street in a row and Chidwick bet 10,100,000. Chen went into the tank for a bit but ultimately made the call, and Chidwick showed A A 4 2 for a set of aces and the nuts. Chen didn’t show his hand, but did tell his opponent that he had called him down “pretty light.” The pot gave Chidwick an insurmountable 12:1 chip lead and Chen was finished off a few hands later. He earned $1,000,253 for his runner-up finish, while Chidwick picked up $1,618,417 and his first career WSOP bracelet.

Final Table Results

1. Stephen Chidwick — $1,618,417
2. James Chen — $1,000,253
3. Matthew Gonzales — $699,364
4. Robert Mizrachi — $497,112
5. Alex Epstein — $359,320
6. Erik Seidel — $264,186
7. Wasim Korkis — $197,637
8. Ka Kwan Lau — $150,483