Christopher Chatman Wins 2022 World Series of Poker $1,000 Flip & Go Event

Christopher Chatman has won the 2022 World Series of Poker $1,000 no-limit hold’em ‘Flip & Go’ event. The Centreville, VA resident beat out a field of 1,329 to earn his first bracelet and the top prize of $187,770.

Chatman’s largest prior live tournament score was for $16,267, which he earned as the 36th-place finisher in a $1,000 event at the series in 2011. Now, he has six figures in earnings and a bracelet on his resume after taking down this unique event.

The ‘Flip & Go’ format was originated by GGPoker, who first brought it to the live WSOP felt last year. The tournament begins with an initial ‘flip’ in which a full table of players are essentially all-in blind as soon as they all take their seats. The players are then dealt a hand of pineapple. They discard one of their three starting cards after seeing a flop and then the rest of the hand is run out to determine which single player at the table would make the money and move on to the second phase of the event: a fast-paced no-limit hold’em tournament.

Players could enter multiple ‘Flips’ to try to move on. Four-time bracelet winner Scott Seiver made headlines for reportedly going 0-and-43 in his attempts to make the money.

This year there were 1,329 total entries, with 157 winning their starting flip to make the money and earn at least $2,000. The field was narrowed to just 27 by the end of the first day, with Chatman in the lead. It took just three hours to narrow the field to the final table, with bracelet winner Pete Chen sitting atop the standings.

Four-time bracelet winner Mike Matusow was the first to fall at the final table, with his Q-J running into the K-J of Chen. The board double paired to see Chen scoop the pot with his king high. Matusow earned $17,010 for his third cash of the series.

Three-time bracelet Georgios Sotiropoulos won his second bracelet in the 2021 WSOP Online Flip & Go event, topping a field of 6,368 entrants in the $200 buy-in to win $117,022. He came incredibly close to scoring the live/online one-two punch, but fell just short at this final table. His K-8 suited ran into the K-Q of Chen. Sotiropoulos was unable to come from behind and was sent home in eighth place ($21,660).

Tyler Willse scored a pair of knockouts, eliminating Zach Cheatum (7th – $27,880) and Austin Apicella (6th – $36,290) to surge up the leaderboard. Chatman scored his first elimination of the final table thanks to a preflop race: his pocket nines versus Chen’s A-J. Chatman flopped a set and held from there to narrow the field to four. Chen, who won an online bracelet last fall, earned $47,760 as the fifth-place finisher.

2020 WSOP Online event winner Ian Steinman’s run ended when he called all-in from the big blind with K-3 facing a shove from Chatman in the small blind. Chatman was ahead with K-5 suited. Steinman flopped an open-ended straight draw while Chatman hit a pair of fives. He improved to trips on the turn, leaving Steinman in need of a deuce or a seven on the river. A jack on the end sent Steinman to the rail with $63,530 for his fourth-place showing.

Willse was the next to head home. His pocket threes were unable to outrun the A-K of Chatman. The board double paired with nines and fours, counterfeiting Willse to end his run in third place ($85,420).

Heads-up play began with the final two relatively close on the leaderboard. Chatman soon pulled away from his final opponent, Rafi Elharar, thanks to winning a big pot thanks with the same two pair and a better kicker. In the final hand Chatman shoved from the small button and Elharar called all-in four around eight big blinds with K6. Chatman rolled over AK. The board ran out K952J to give Chatman top pair with a superior kicker for the win. Elharar earned $116,050 as the runner-up. This was the second-largest score of his career, behind the $534,574 he earned as the third-place finisher in the massive 2019 ‘BIG 50’ event that drew a record 28,371 entries.

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

Winner photo credit: WSOP / Danny Maxwell.

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