Some say it’s better to be lucky than good.
Monday in Tulsa, Han Feng was both, as he beat a highly decorated final table lineup to capture the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Tulsa Main Event for $144,413 and his first WSOP Circuit ring.
Lucky? Good? It didn’t matter to Feng, because no matter the situation Monday, he was confident that the day would be his.
“It’s hard to explain, I just knew I was gonna win. I willed it into existence in a way. I was down to single-digit blinds multiple times in this tournament, but I got really fortunate in a couple of spots and I spun it a bunch.”
Two of those spots that he got fortunate in came at the final table Monday in what were the two biggest pots of the tournament, both against runner-up Jared Ward.
First, in a pot for over half the chips in play three-handed, Feng five-bet jammed 42 big blinds with ace-ten suited over a 17 big blind four-bet from Ward, who had pocket kings and happily called to put Feng at risk.
Feng smashed the board, hitting two aces and two tens for good measure to leave the former chip leader short, while taking the lead himself.
“It was meant to be. Yeah, it was meant to be,” said the champion of winning that critical pot.
Ward battled back from there, regaining the chip lead before ultimately facing off with Feng in what felt like a very apropos heads-up match, given the magnitude of that pot along with Ward’s comeback from it.
The duo began their two-hour match nearly even and the lead swung back and forth a couple of times. Throughout it, at both highs and lows, Feng remained of the belief that the win was coming his way.
“I knew what I was doing, I wasn’t too worried. The only thing I was worried about was damn, sometimes the cards just get you, but other than that I wasn't too worried.”
In the end, the hand that essentially sealed the tournament saw fortune favor Feng again.
After Ward limped at blinds of 150,000 / 300,000 with a 300,000 big blind ante, Feng piled in just under 8,500,000 and was called by Ward.
Feng again needed to find a path to victory with the worst hand as his ace-seven was up against Ward’s pocket nines. Feng found that path as four more hearts appeared on the board giving him a winning flush on the river.
From there, his win was a formality as he got Ward’s final five big blinds a hand later.
While he did run the best in those two key spots at the final table, Feng certainly had to play well, navigating a star-studded field that included multiple ring and bracelet winners including Brian Altman, Schuyler Thornton, Eric Bunch, and Harvey Castro, as well as Ward.
WSOP Circuit Tulsa Main Event Final Table Results:
- Han Feng ($144,413)
- Jared Ward ($89,255)
- Bryce Laymance ($65,217)
- Harvey Castro ($48,284)
- Brian Altman ($36,227)
- Schuyler Thornton ($27,550)
- Hector Aguilar-Gutierrez ($21,241)
- Eric Bunch ($16,605)
- Travis Riggs ($13,165)
Along with a career-best high score and the ring, Feng also receives entry into the 2024 WSOP Tournament of Champions, which isn’t the only WSOP event Feng is looking forward to.
So, what is coming next for him in the WSOP annals?
“A bracelet this summer. Promise.”
