Dan Smith Grabs His First WSOP Bracelet In Event 6

The wait for a World Series Of Poker (WSOP) bracelet was finally over for Dan Smith. This player shipped Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship for $509,717. Smith defeated German player Christoph Vogelsang in heads-up to grab his first-ever WSOP bracelet. The runner-up took a pay cheque of $315,029.

In the international poker circuit Smith was known as the ‘best player without a bracelet.’ But after his win in the $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship event, Smith no longer owns that tag. The American poker pro is a proud bracelet winner keeping in mind the long gruelling match he played against his rivals.

Dan Smith

Smith said, “It was a tough match, a lot of hands were pretty crazy and it felt like everything was going against me. I’m not typically a sentimental person, but today is and was about the bracelet. I had to get lucky to get there but I’ll take it. It was always something I was thinking about. But I wasn’t overly stressed about it not happening yet.”

The first-time WSOP bracelet winner also spoke about the charitable cause he supports. He said, “I’m very proud of what I accomplished in poker and I think this is an important checkbox on my legacy as one of the all-timers. As wild as that is, I’m even more proud of what the whole poker community and I have come together to do with Double Up Drive. We have raised $25 million for good causes and while I love poker, thousands of people that would have died are now alive because of that. I am happy that poker has been my vessel to do this good but I am immensely proud and optimistic that it will continue to do well.”

ALSO READ: Brad Ruben Ships Event #4: $1,500 Dealer’s Choice For 4th Bracelet

Coming back to the Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship game, Day 3 had a field of 64 survivors. The number of runners were capped in this high-profile tournament. Bigwigs like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Erik Seidel were seen grinding in this event. From the player pool only eight players got a piece from the prize pool and only 4 survivors made it to Day 3.

Check out the final table payouts:

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Dan Smith	United States	$509,717
2	Christoph Vogelsang	Germany	$315,029
3	Dario Sammartino	Italy	$193,537
4	Kevin Rabichow	United States	$193,537
5	Sean Winter	United States	$75,045
6	Jonathan Jaffe	United States	$75,045
7	Chance Kornuth	United States	$75,045
8	Dylan Destefano	United States	$75,045

Heads-up

The heads-up clash between Smith and Vogelsang was slow in the beginning. But as the blinds grew, so did the action between the two sparring rivals. In the deciding hand, Smith held A4 and his opponent had AT. Preflop saw both players throw their chips in the middle since both had an ace up their sleeve. Flop opened a four which worked out pretty well for the American pro. It was time to clap for those watching as Smith grabbed his maiden WSOP bracelet in Bally’s Ballroom after a whirlwind grind.

Christoph Vogelsang

Smith added, “Big buy-in, tough field, every match super tough. People love to give Christoph a hard time but he’s a hell of a player. He’s tanking because he’s really considering every spot. I didn’t steal a pot easily, every pot was a fight. This was one of the cooler ones to win.”

Image Credit: Hayley Hochstetler/pokernews.com

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Mrinal Gujare

With a Masters Degree in Journalism and Communication, Mrinal Gujare currently is cruising through an exciting genre of writing and editing at Gutshot Magazine. Apart from being an Editor, Mrinal is an avid reader and a former contemporary dancer. She is also perennially hungry for intriguing scoops from across the globe. No holds barred is the rule Mrinal follows in life.