Takahiro Nakai Wins 2015 World Series of Poker $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em

For only the second time in the history of the World Series of Poker a Japanese player has emerged victorious to win a WSOP gold bracelet. Takahiro Nakai topped a field of 2,497 players to win the 2015 WSOP $1,000 no-limit hold’em event no. 57, joining 2012 WSOP $5,000 six-max pot-limit Omaha champion Naoya Kihara as the only two players from Japan to ever captures titles at the Series.

The 36-year-old from Osaka works in the tech industry and has played poker online for several years, but this was his first summer trek to the Rio for the Series. The decision to come out to Las Vegas proved to be fruitful, as he was awarded $399,039 for the win.

The event was originally scheduled to last only three days, but Nakai and heads-up opponent Mel Weiner were brought back for a fourth day to battle it out for the title. Nakai held a 3-to-2 chip advantage when play resumed, and he was able to quickly convert that into a win.

Only eight hands into the day the final showdown arrived. Weiner limped in from the button and Nakai moved all in from the big blind. Weiner called with the AJ and Nakai called with the Q7.

The board ran out QJ6K9 to pair Nakai’s queen, earning him the pot and the title and sending Weiner to the rail as the runner up with $248,034 for his deep run.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at this final table:

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2015 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

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