Yet another Hold’em tournament was found in Event 15: $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em. Unlike No Limit, players in this event are only allowed to bet or raise the value of the pot rather than the entirety of their stack.
765 players registered to play this event, creating a prize pool just over $1 million. All came out with the hope of earning a bracelet by paying one of the smallest buyins in this year’s WSOP. Only one, however, would make true on that wish.
A min-cash would almost double your entry fee, and many well known pros made at least the nearly 3k. John Dolan, Alessio Isaia (with his 3rd cash this WSOP), Hoyt Corkins, and Christian Harder all went deep in this event and made some good profit on their $1,500. However, all would exit the tournament before the final table was formed, either to enter another tournament or watch disappointedly from the rail.
Ted Lawson, Ali Eslami (also cashing for his 3rd time this event), and Allen ‘Chainsaw’ Kessler made this final table very difficult to overcome. While Lawson and Eslami bowed out early, Kessler had his sights strongly set on the bracelet.
To win the bracelet, Kessler would have to overcome lesser-known pro Brian Rast. Rast, who was staked by ‘The Magician’ Antonio Esfandiari, proved too much for the Chainsaw and ended up taking the bracelet and the $227,232 that went along with it. Kessler would have to be satisfied with the 2nd place prize of $120k and the hope of winning his first bracelet some other time.