$500 NL Hold’em BIG 500 WSOP bracelet goes to "NJ_AcesmarkA"

After nearly 12 hours of action on WSOP.com, "NJ_AcesmarkA" beat "Skullkid" heads up to claim the second online tournament of the 2021 World Series of Poker's opening weekend. The champion outlasted 742 players and 325 rebuys to win a WSOP gold bracelet and the top prize of $89,356 from a $480,150 prize pool in the WSOP.com (NV/NJ) Online Bracelet $500 NL Hold'em BIG 500.

Among the 742 entrants were a plethora of decorated champions that made their presence felt late in the tournament. WSOP gold bracelet winners Brent "UncleRon" Hanks (24th - $2,593), David "vincevegas" ODB Baker (14th - $3,985), and former main event champion Ryan "BitC0in" Riess (11th - $5,042) all went on a deep run but fell short of collecting more WSOP gold. Six-time WSOP champion Daniel "DNegs" Negreanu chipped up throughout the day but finished in 54th place after faltering in the final stretch.

Final table action got underway quickly with the elimination of "BDub0927" when "DrDonkitoff" turned an ace to bust pocket queens. The final table's lone WSOP champion Jeremy "Thekid101" Pekarek soon eliminated Giovanni "John7012" Balistreri in eighth place and Melissa "LuckMgmt" Bryne bowed out in seventh after an impressive run.

The turning point for final table chip leaders "NJ_AcesmarkA" and "Skullkid" came when six players remained and "NJ_AcesmarkA" busted Jesse "Patient0" Yaginuma with pocket kings. "Skullkid" eliminated Pekarek in fifth place with pocket tens and "NJ_AcesmarkA" sent "SwaggyK" to the rail in fourth place with a turned straight.

"NJ_AcesmarkA" extended the lead early in three-handed play and soon eliminated "DrDonkitoff" in third place with a pair of eights on the flop. "Skullkid" started heads up with a deficit and fought hard to gain an advantage over nearly 30 minutes, but "NJ_AcesmarkA" fended off the challenge and closed the deal on the WSOP gold bracelet shortly after 5 a.m. PT.

Final Table Results
1 "NJ_AcesmarkA" United States $89,356
2 "Skullkid" United States $55,217
3 "DrDonkitoff" United States $39,084
4 "SwaggyK" United States $28,041
5 Jeremy "Thekid101" Pekarek United States $20,358
6 Jesse "Patient0" Yaginuma United States $14,981
7 Melissa "LuckMgmt" Bryne United States $11,187
8 Giovanni "John7012" Balistreri United States $8,451
9 "BDub0927" United States $6,482

(Article courtesy of World Series of Poker)