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Ryan Stoker Wins First World Series of Poker Bracelet In Online $888 Pot-Limit Omaha

Washington Pro Scores $95,388 and Denies World Poker Tour Champ Tony Sinishtaj First Bracelet

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Ryan Stoker at the final table of the 2018 WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe main event

Ryan Stoker won his first bracelet earlier in the 2021 World Series of Poker by earning one of the largest scores of his career in the $888 pot-limit Omaha ‘Crazy 8’s’ 8-max online event.

The Washington native defeated Tony Sinishtaj heads-up to best the 295-entry field, denying the World Poker Tour champion his first WSOP bracelet and earned $95,338. Sinishtaj took home $58,756 for his efforts.

The near-six-figure score was the second-largest cash of Stoker’s career, only behind a fourth-place finish in an $1,100 no-limit hold’em event in the 2018 Wynn Summer Classic for $98,564. This was his ninth WSOP cash of 2021, with eight of them coming online.

He cashed six times during the online series last summer, including a third-place finish in the $600 pot-limit Omaha hi-lo six-max event for $25,843, and earned another three cashes this fall. His only live cash was a 42nd place finish in the huge 2,648-entry $500 “The Reunion” no-limit hold’em for $12,266.

Stoker defeated a field that featured lots of elite poker talent still alive deep in the event. While they didn’t make the final table, bracelet winners Steve Gross, Randy Ohel, and Ryan Laplante were among the players remaining at the final two tables, as were high-stakes regulars Arthur Conan and Sterling Savill. Bracelet winner Andrew Kelsall made the final table but busted in sixth.
When the final eight players took their seats at the virtual final table, Sinishtaj held a massive chip lead and Stoker was in the middle of the pack in fifth. Stoker rallied early at the final table, however, as both he and Sinishtaj scored every elimination leading up to Stoker’s championship.

Allan Le was the short stack by a wide margin with less than a big blind and Sinishtaj disposed of him in one of the first hands of the final table.

Stoker scored the second knockout by sending Edward Espino home in seventh in a three-way pot where Stoker flopped top set and Espino flopped top pair. Espino shoved all in on the flop and was called by both Stoker and Chan Woo Kim. Kim ended up folding to a turn bet and Espino was drawing dead.

Kelsall was eliminated next when he was all in preflop with QDiamond SuitJSpade Suit10Spade Suit9Spade Suit against Sinishtaj’s KDiamond SuitKSpade Suit3Spade Suit4Club Suit. The board came 6Spade Suit5Spade Suit3Club Suit8Heart Suit3Heart Suit, which left Kelsall drawing dead on the turn. Sinishtaj kept rolling when he flopped top set and got Kim all in on the turn against Kim’s bottom pair, gutshot straight draw, and the nut flush draw. The board paired on the river, which eliminated Kim in fifth and was Sinishtaj’s final knockout of the night.

Stoker busted Alex Ferrari in fourth and then sent Quang Ngo home in third to start heads-up play against Sinishtaj with about a 1.5-to-1 chip lead.

Heads-up play only lasted about 15 minutes, despite Sinishtaj briefly regaining the chip lead. Soon after Stoker took the lead back for good, the two got all in preflop with Stoker coming out victorious.

Final Table Results:

Place Player Earnings
1 Ryan Stoker $95,338
2 Tony Sinishtaj $58,756
3 Quang Ngo $40,131
4 Alex Ferrari $27,896
5 Chan Woo Kim $19,794
6 Andrew Kelsall $14,282
7 Edward Espino $10,524
8 Allan Le $7,893