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Tom Koral Wins 2017 World Series of Poker $1,500 Stud Event

Koral Earns First Career Gold Bracelet and $96,907 First-Place Prize

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Card Player’s 2017 WSOP coverage is sponsored by BetOnline Poker.

At his 13th summer series, Chicago-based poker pro Tom Koral finally nabbed his first career bracelet, taking down the $1,500 stud event at the 2017 World Series of Poker.

Now 33 years old, Koral cashed 57 times at the WSOP before stepping into the winner’s circle. He earned $96,907 for topping a field of 298 players.

Koral had already locked up his best-ever result in a WSOP event when he made it to heads-up play, but facing a 20:1 chip deficit, it seemed highly improbable for him to finish better than runner-up. Instead, he mounted an epic comeback to earn the title.

“Honestly, I still think it’s going to take a little bit to soak in,” said Koral. “I’ve been coming here since 2005, so 13 years I’ve been at the World Series and cashing events. I don’t know. Finally, it happened…. I love poker, I love the game, so it’s really a blessing to finally have a World Series bracelet. I know after a 13-year journey how hard it is to get one.”

Other notables to finish in the money included Yueqi Zhu (3rd), Chris Tryba (8th), Ian Johns (11th), Andre Akkari 916th), Marcel Luske (20th), Scott Bohlman (28th), Dan Heimiller (29th), Chris Vitch (30th), Adam Owen (38th), Jameson Painter (42nd) and Eric Buchman (44th).

Here’s a look at the final table results.

Finish Player Name Payout POY Points
1 Tom Koral $96,907 456
2 Tsong Lin $59,894 380
3 Yueqi Zhu $41,349 304
4 Alexander Freund $29,102 228
5 Todd Bui $20,888 190
6 Cheryl Denzik $15,297 152
7 Daniel Mogavero $11,433 114
8 Chris Tryba $8,726 76

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2017 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

If you can’t make it down to the WSOP at the Rio, you can still play with BetOnline Poker. Click the banner below for more information. Card Player readers are eligible for an initial deposit bonus offer of 100 percent up to $2,500. Enter code ‘NEWBOL