Bryce Yockey Wins World Series of Poker $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha EventCalifornian Bests 733 Players To Earn $606,654 and His Second Bracelet |
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Bryce Yockey has joined the elite list of players to have won multiple World Series of Poker gold bracelets. Just shy of seven years after securing his first in the 2017 $10,000 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better championship, the California native emerged victorious from a field of 733 entries in the 2024 WSOP $5,000 pot-limit Omaha event. Yockey earned a career-best payday of $606,654 alongside his second bracelet. Yockey now has more than $5.1 million in lifetime earnings to his name.
“There’s no feeling like it winning a tournament, especially a WSOP tournament, it’s just a highlight of anyone’s poker career,” Yockey told WSOP reporters after coming out on top. “I feel validated because I’ve worked really hard to get better at PLO specifically, and I feel like it paid off today. I feel really loved because I had a lot of people come and support me.”
This was Yockey’s first title and third final table finish of 2024. The 1,824 Card Player Player of the Year points he secured with the victory were enough to move him into 38th place in the POY standings presented by Global Poker.
The $3,371,800 prize pool for this event was split amongst the top 110 finishers, with six-figure scores for the final six. The event spanned three days, with 11 players moving on to the final day of action. Gabrial Andrade (11th), six-time bracelet winner brian Rast (10th), and bracelet winner Naoya Kihara (9th) hit the rail before the field combined onto a single table.
The first two knockouts at the official eight-handed final table were made in the same hand. All of the chips went in after a J75 flop with Paul Radcliffe and two-time bracelet winner Joao Simao both at risk, with Simao having the larger stack. Yockey had both players covered. The hands were as follows:
Yockey – K1098
Simao – 5544
Radcliffe – QJ83
The 10 turn completed Yockey’s wrap straight draw to give him the lead, and the 2 river was a brick. Radcliffe headed to the rail in eighth place ($60,405), while Simao earned $79,661 as the seventh-place finisher.
Three-time bracelet winner Joao Vieira was the next to be eliminated. He got all-in with top two pair, a gutshot straight draw, and two backdoor flush draws. He was up against top set and the same gutshot for Farid Jattin. The turn completed the straight for both players, but the river paired the board to give Jattin the highest full house and the pot. Vieira settled for $106,795. He now has more than $11 million in recorded cashes after this sixth-place showing.
Jason Berilgen got his last few big blinds in with double suited low connected cards. He was called in two spots, and ultimately was beaten by a lowly pocket pair of sixes for Yockey, who bluffed Jattin off of the best hand to take the side pot. Berilgen was awarded $145,504 as the fifth-place finisher.
Yockey also scored the next knockout. He called Aditya Sadhu’s all-in on a Q43 flop with AJ96. Sadhu could only produce the 10854, which the short stack had defended from the big blind. The 9 turn gave Yockey a pair of nines and the lead. The 2 on the end sent Sadhu packing with $201,419 for his efforts.
Yockey was well out in front heading into three-handed play. He added to his lead in the early going and then won the next big showdown that arose versus Zachary Schwartz. The chips went in on a 9823 board with Yockey holding AQ105 facing the 10876 of Schwartz. The 8 river gave Yockey an ace-high flush and the pot, ending Schwartz’s run in third place. The $283,221 he earned in this event was the largest tournament score yet for the Connecticut native.
Heads-up play began with Yockey holding nearly a 4:1 lead over Jattin, who had more than $8.8 million in prior tournament earnings but was looking for his first bracelet. The final two battled for a couple of hours, with Jattin making a few pushes to close the gap a bit. Each time, though, Yockey was able to regain control of the match.
Yockey’s lead had grown to more than 14:1 by the time the final hand was dealt. Jattin raised from the button with Q1043 and Yockey three-bet, putting Jattin all-in for 2,375,000 with A1086. The board ran out 5328J and Yockey turned a pair of eights to win the pot and the title. Jattin earned $404,430 as the runner-up finisher.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:
Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
1 | Bryce Yockey | $606,654 | 1824 |
2 | Farid Jattin | $404,430 | 1520 |
3 | Zachary Schwartz | $283,221 | 1216 |
4 | Aditya Sadhu | $201,419 | 912 |
5 | Jason Berilgen | $145,504 | 760 |
6 | Joao Vieira | $106,795 | 608 |
7 | Joao Simao | $79,661 | 456 |
8 | Paul Radcliffe | $60,405 | 304 |
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Photo credits: PokerGO / Antonio Abrego.