Event #20: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold'em
Day 3 Completed
2024 World Series of Poker
Event #20: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2024 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$300
Prize Pool
$5,079,162
Entries
20,647
Level
47
Blinds
6,000,000 / 12,000,000
Ante
12,000,000
Entries
14
Players Left
1
Level 47
: Blinds 6,000,000/12,000,000, 12,000,000 ante
A total of 20,647 participants entered the arena for Event #20: Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold’em, part of the 2024 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, which generated a prize pool of $5,079,162.
When the dust settled from the competition, Stephen Winters emerged as the lone combatant to entertain the masses and claim victory.
Winters outlasted the enormous field and defeated Simon Britton in the first hand of heads-up play to secure a first-place prize of $401,210 and a WSOP gold bracelet, the first of his poker career. Britton takes home $253,300 for his second-place finish.
The win provided vindication for Winters, who might have seen himself as an underdog.
“I guess this is for the little guys,” Winters said. “I just play a few small tournaments each year, so it was exciting just to be relevant for once.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Winters | United States | $401,210 |
| 2 | Simon Britton | United States | $253,300 |
| 3 | Quang Vu | United States | $192,030 |
| 4 | Brendon Herrick | United States | $146,450 |
| 5 | James Morgan | United States | $112,350 |
| 6 | Sung Pil Kim | United States | $86,710 |
| 7 | Steve Foutty | United States | $67,320 |
| 8 | Jordan Johnson | United States | $52,590 |
| 9 | Caleb Levesque | United States | $41,337 |
The accomplishment proved relevant, indeed, as the win cemented Winters’ place among a select group of poker players with WSOP bracelets.
He earned it by outlasting a vast field consisting of WSOP bracelet winners Men Nguyen, who fell victim to Winters near the end of Day 2, Shaun Deeb, Tamas Lendvai, Brett Shaffer, Daniel Heimiller, Mark Seif and Steven Wolansky, among other notable players.
Absorbing the enormity of what he just accomplished won’t be lost on Winters any time soon.
“This is a whole other crazy level,” he said.
Winters survived the zaniness of the tournament by staying grounded. While he didn’t have a rail of supporters present to cheer him on at the final table, Winters stayed in constant touch with his family throughout the tournament.
He received all the encouragement he needed from his wife and children. In fact, Winters called his family before his post-match photography shoot and allowed them to participate in his moment via FaceTime.
“It was fun to have my kids kind of railing me from home,” Winters said with a wide smile. “Like, every time I would report on how I was doing, they'd be like, ‘Oh, daddy, try to get a thousand, try to get in top 900, and then they kept setting bars and bars and bars, and it's just the whole thing [is] surreal to be at this point.”
In the meantime, Winters pointed out he was supposed to fly home Wednesday, a day after winning the Gladiators event, but the plans could be subject to change for the WSOP's newest bracelet winner.
“I don't know if I'll ever repeat this again, but I might play the Main [Event] now,” Winters said. “We'll see.”
Day 3 Highlights
A total of 14 players, all of whom were vying for their first WSOP bracelet, advanced to Day 3, with Britton as the largest stack (67,100,000) and Winters in second (64,975,000).
The bust-outs occurred in fast fashion between two tables to kick off the event.
Justin Ruth was the first to be sent to the rail in 14th place ($20,820) when his full house was counterfeited on the river by Steve Foutty’s bigger boat, much to the bewilderment of the players at the table.
Within minutes of Ruth’s exit, Quang Vu sent Petri Nikkinen packing in 13th place ($26,000) when Nikkinen’s ace-high failed to improve against Vu’s pocket fives.
Rami Hammoud was next to leave in 12th place ($26,000) when he pushed all in out of the big blind with an ace, only to discover he had run into Winters’ pocket kings on the button.
Britton eliminated Alain Macabulos in 11th place ($32,680) with pocket aces and then Mario Lopez exited in tenth place ($32,680) to officially set the final table.
Once there, Winters became an irresistible force and was responsible for five knockouts.
Winters eliminated Caleb Levesque in ninth place ($41,337) with two pair and then followed up by knocking out Sung Pil Kim in sixth place ($86,710) with a pair of queens. In the hand before sending out Kim, Winters decimated Kim’s stack when his pocket sevens beat out Kim’s ace-king.
Winters then eliminated Brendon Herrick in fourth place ($146,450), Vu in third place, and made quick work of Britton during heads-up play.
The Gladiators event champion’s win over Herrick and Vu, then the short-lived chip leader, propelled him atop the chip leaderboard. Winters’ ace-queen beat out Herrick’s ace-jack and Vu’s ace-five in a massive three-way all-in preflop pot, which ultimately sent 381,000,000 to Winters.
With the overwhelming chip lead, Winters needed just one hand to best Britton in heads-up play to leave him as the last Gladiator standing in the arena.
This concludes the live coverage from Event #20. Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the action from the rest of the 2024 World Series of Poker.
Level 47
: Blinds 6,000,000/12,000,000, 12,000,000 ante
Stephen Winters is the official winner of the 2024 World Series of Poker Event #20, $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold'em. Winters took home his first career WSOP gold bracelet and a $401,210 payday. Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
680,500,000
61,000,000
|
61,000,000 |
|
||
Level 47
: Blinds 6,000,000/12,000,000, 12,000,000 ante
Heads-up play between Stephen Winters and Simon Britton lasted just one hand. Winters began the showdown with 517,500,000 chips, while Britton had 102,000,000.
Winters raised 34,000,000 on the button, and Britton called in the big blind.
The dealer fanned 9?10?Q?, and both players checked their respective options. The J? on the turn provided fireworks.
Winters actually announced he was all in out of turn, then immediately apologized when he realized his mistake. Britton then checked, and Winters moved all in.
Britton stood and looked at the board for a few moments, and then made the call to put himself at risk.
Simon Britton: J?10?
Stephen Winters: K?9?
Winters had the straight on the turn, but Britton was alive to the river with two pair. Any jack or ten would give Britton a full house, or even a king on the river would result in a chopped pot.
The Q? appeared on the river, however, to end Britton’s tournament in second place. He collects a nice payout of $253,300 for his effort.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
619,500,000
100,000,000
|
100,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 47
: Blinds 6,000,000/12,000,000, 12,000,000 ante
Simon Britton raised to 24,000,000 from the button and Stephen Winters made the call from the small blind. Quang Vu then shoved all in from the big blind and after Britton folded Winters made the call.
Quang Vu: 5?5?
Stephen Winters: A?8?
The board ran out 9?J?8?K?J? and Quang Vu was eliminated. Winters went into heads-up play with a massive chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
519,500,000
138,500,000
|
138,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level: 47
Blinds: 6,000,000/12,000,000
Ante: 12,000,000
Level 46
: Blinds 5,000,000/10,000,000, 10,000,000 ante
Quang Vu, who had the players covered, started a massive chain reaction when he moved all in under the gun.
Brendon Herrick, who was on the button, then moved all in to put himself at risk.
Simon Britton folded in the small blind, and action fell on Stephen Winters, who was in the big blind.
Winter peeked down at his hand and immediately appeared agonized over his decision when he looked at the action in front of him. Winter took a few moments, and then made the call to also put himself at risk.
Brendon Herrick: A?J?
Stephen Winters: A?Q?
Quang Vu: A?5?
Winters saw the hands and was excited to see he was ahead.
The dealer then fanned 7?8?4? on the board, giving Vu a gut-shot straight draw. Winters, however, remained ahead.
The 2? on the river opened another gut-shot straight possibility for Vu, but the 4? on the river gave Winters a massive 381,000,000 pot and sent Herrick to the rail.
Herrick finished in fourth place for $146,450.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
381,000,000
243,400,000
|
243,400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
79,500,000
-64,000,000
|
-64,000,000 |
|
Busted | |
Level 46
: Blinds 5,000,000/10,000,000, 10,000,000 ante
Brendon Herrick was short stacked after doubling up Simon Britton in the previous hand. Herrick shoved all in from the cutoff and Vu made the call from the small blind.
Brendon Herrick: A?2?
Quang Vu: K?Q?
The board ran out K?9?A?9?2? and Herrick doubled through Vu in a very swingy, action-packed final table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
143,500,000
-158,500,000
|
-158,500,000 |
|
|
138,000,000
76,500,000
|
76,500,000 |
Level: 46
Blinds: 5,000,000/10,000,000
Ante: 10,000,000
Level 45
: Blinds 4,000,000/8,000,000, 8,000,000 ante
Simon Britton shoved his 70,500,000 stack all in from the small blind and was called by Brendon Herrick in the big blind.
Simon Britton: K?2?
Brendon Herrick: A?2?
The board ran out 8?K?J?8?Q? and Britton was able to double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
161,000,000
131,300,000
|
131,300,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
61,500,000
-129,500,000
|
-129,500,000 |