The bracelet for the 2021 WSOP Event #43: $1,000 Double Stack ultimately went to recent father and first time braceletee Anthony Denove.
Denove managed to outlast 3,991 other entries into the event. In the process, he took down the first place prize of $446,983. Denove is usually a cash game player, though this may mark a turning point in his career.
Although Denove came first in this event, the big story of the $1k double stack was Jeff Platt. Platt made an astonishing run in the event, making it all the way to 4th place and taking down $160,662. Platt has served the WSOP (among many other poker shows) as a commentator. It's nice to see him put down the microphone, get in the action, and do well.
With nearly four thousand players in the action, the prize pool reached $3,551,990.
The double-stack format simply means that the event has double the usual 20,000 starting stack for events of this kind. This is distinct from another popular "double stack" format in which each player has a second add-on/rebuy stack which they can add to their stack at any point.
The deeper stacks and relatively long 60 minute blind levels allowed players to enjoy more — and more skillful — play for longer than most of the event at this year's series. 2021 has seen an unusually high number of high rake, fast structured events.
The final hand
Denove's skill and stamina came in handy at the end. In order to win the bracelet, Denove had to carve his way through David Guay heads up.
Guay went into heads up play pretty much even with Denove. However, Denove got some good luck and got in some sharp moves and soon had nearly double Guay's chips.
Then Guay picked up 9❤️9♦️ on the button, and Denove picked up T♦️T♣. The inevitable happened and all the chips went in.
With the hands turned face up, the board then came down: J♠5♠5♦️K♦️8♠. Denove's pocket tens held, winning him the event for $446,983.
With this win, Denove nearly quintupled his lifetime tournament cashes of $76,768.
"It’s been my dream to win a bracelet," Denove said after the dust had settled. "I’ve been playing cash for 6 years but I do really love tournaments."
Guay won $276,269 for second place.
2021 WSOP Event #43: $1,000 Double Stack complete final table results
| Position | Player Name | Payouts |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Anthony Denove | $446,983 |
| 2nd | David Guay | $276,269 |
| 3rd | Timothy Little | $210,004 |
| 4th | Jeff Platt | $160,662 |
| 5th | Frank Lagodich | $123,710 |
| 6th | Steven Stolzenfeld | $95,878 |
| 7th | Kenneth Inouye | $74,796 |
| 8th | Joshua Harrison | $58,735 |
| 9th | Michael Wang | $46,430 |
| 10th | Matthew Raffoul | $36,949 |
Featured image source: PokerGO
