Jiyoung Kim Wins $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Bracelet

In her first-ever World Series of Poker cash, Jiyoung Kim scored a bracelet. The 47-year-old entrepreneur from South Korea took down the $1,000 ladies no-limit hold’em to earn $167,308.

She bested Nancy Matson heads-up to finish off the 968-entry field. Matson, who won a WSOP Circuit ring at the Bicycle Casino in December 2017, earned $103,350 for her efforts, which was by far the biggest cash of her career.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” said Kim to WSOP reporters through an interpreter. “[The WSOP is the home of poker. I wouldn’t want to underestimate these other players.”

Kim was raised in Seoul, but now owns a coffee shop in Gimhae, South Korea. She plays recreationally and will occasionally travel to different spots in Asia to play tournament poker.

The final table was reached Saturday night, but they played down to the final six, who returned on Sunday at noon to play down to a winner.

New York pro Lexy Gavin came into the day as the short stack and busted early on when she lost a race with pocket sixes against Matson’s A-Q.

Lyly Vo was the next player out when she got her last five big blinds into the middle with 7-6 against Kim’s A-7.

Kim held the chip lead after knocking out Vo and extended it heading into the first break of the day. When they returned, however, Matson went on a run and overtook Kim for the biggest stack at the table.

Tu Dao was the short stack for the entirety of four-handed action and clashed with Sandrine Phan, who was third in chips. Dao was all in preflop with A-J against Phan’s pocket jacks. Phan won the pot, which sent Phan home in fourth and left a tight race between the final three players.

Phan lost a sizable pot to Kim without a showdown, which gave Kim the chip lead back and left Phan as the short stack with 15 big blinds. Kim finished her off when Phan’s K-9 fell to Kim’s A-2.

That gave Kim the slight chip advantage against Matson heads-up. Kim dominated heads-up play and never gave up the lead. Eventually, her A-9 held up against Matson’s K-8 to secure Kim’s first bracelet.

Final Table Results:

For more coverage from the summer series, check out the 2019 WSOP landing page, complete with a full schedule, results, news, player interviews, and event recaps.

Most Viewed Articles