Michael Jukich Wins 2018 WSOP Circuit Baltimore Main Event34-Year-Old Defeats Field of 513 Entries To Win $165,438 His First Gold Ring |
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Michael Jukich has won the 2018 World Series of Poker Circuit Baltimore $1,675 no-limit hold’em main event. The 34-year-old poker pro’s first major live win was the result of an 11th-hour decision to make the journey from his home state of Virginia to the Horseshoe Baltimore Casino.
“It was last minute that I even decided to come,” Jukich told WSOP reporters. “I was playing in my home game, back in Lynchburg, VA on Friday night and I got the okay to come up here and play. They were gonna take action in me. They believed in me and I was pretty confident in myself.”
“I just have to give a shout out to my fiancé, Ashley and my son, Ryker,” Jukich said. “That’s who I do this for.”
Jukich survived to the final table, entering the last nine in second chip position. Despite his large stack, he did not eliminate a single opponent until play got down to three-handed. At that point he called the all-in of James St. Hilaire with the AJ and found himself up against the 109. The board came down J73QA and Jukich made two pair to take roughly a 3-to-2 lead on Jeremy Stein going into heads-up play.
Jukich was able to extend his lead by the time the final hand arose. In the end it was a classic race situation, with all the chips getting in the middle with Jukich holding the 66 and Stein the AK. The Q43JQ runout kept the sixes in the lead, securing the pot and the title for Jukich. Stein hit the rail in second place, earning $102,290.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:
Place | Player | Earnings (USD) | POY Points |
1 | Michael Jukich | $165,438 | 840 |
2 | Jeremy Stein | $102,290 | 700 |
3 | James St Hilaire | $74,726 | 560 |
4 | Kyle Adams | $55,396 | 420 |
5 | Christopher Conrad | $41,661 | 350 |
6 | Christopher Caruso | $31,780 | 280 |
7 | Kyle Jensen | $24,586 | 210 |
8 | Paul Fisher | $19,291 | 140 |
9 | Ari Eiblum | $15,352 | 70 |