Motoyoshi Okamura Wins 2021 World Series of Poker $1,500 Mixed PLO/NLH Event

Japanese music producer Motoyoshi Okamura emerged victorious in the 2021 World Series of Poker $1,500 buy-in mixed no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha event, topping a field of 846 entries to earn his first bracelet and the top prize of $209,716.

Okamura now has $412,025 in lifetime live tournament earnings, with his three largest scores all taking place in the past two weeks. He made two final tables in $10,000 buy-in events at the ARIA November High Roller Series, cashing for $167,100 for his fourth and second-place finishes.

The final day of this event began with eight players remaining, with Okamura sitting in second chip position behind only Rafael Mota. Tim Grau was the first to fall, running into a full house for Mota in PLO. Grau took home $20,737 as the eighth-place finisher.

Marc Lange was the next to hit the rail, with his A-2 suited clashing with the A-Q of Leonid Yanovski. Both payers paired their ace, but the kickers played and Lange was knocked out in seventh place ($27,088.)

A preflop coin flip resulted in the end of Jordan Spurlin’s run in this event. He got all-in with K-Q racing against the pocket eights of Nick Yunis. The board improved neither player and Spurlin settled for $35,942 as the sixth-place finisher.

Okamura won a crucial pot during five-handed play with flush-over-flush, with Yunis’ queen-high flush not being enough to beat the king-high flush of his opponent. Yunis bounced back by eliminating Mike Takayama (5th – $48,428), with his pocket ninbes holding against A-7.

Leonid Yanovski got all-in preflop in PLO with pocket aces facing a double-suited rundown for Rafael Mota. The board brought a flush for Mota to send Yanovski home in fourth place. He earned $66,249.

Okamura took the lead during three-handed action despite not having secured a knockout at the final table. He finally did secure that first elimination with pocket kings, having limped in from the small blind and called the all-in from big blind Yunis, who held pocket threes. The larger pair held up and Yunis was awarded $91,989 for his third-place finish.

With that Okamura took roughly a 3:2 chip lead into heads-up play with Mota. The lead changed hands, but Okamura was able to regain the advantage and then extend it in time for the final hand of the event. The two got all the chips in on a 1043 flop with Mota holding AKK7 for the nut flush draw and an overpair. Okamura showed Q1085 for top pair and live cards. The Q on the turn gave Okamura the lead with trip queens. Mota still had plenty of outs, but the Q that hit the river was decidedly not one of them. Okamura improved to quads to secure the pot and the title, while Mota earned $91,989 as the runner-up.

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

Winner photo credit: WSOP / Melissa Haeraeiti.

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