Bohdanov wins first 2019 WSOPE bracelet

Name: Renat Bohdanov
Nationality: Ukraine
Age: 34
Number of WSOP Cashes: 1
Number of WSOP Final Table Appearances: 1
Number of WSOP Gold Bracelet Victories (with this tournament): 1
Best Previous WSOP Finish: N/A
Number of WSOP Circuit Cashes: 4
Total WSOP Earnings: $90,480

The first of 15 WSOP gold bracelets to be awarded at the 2019 World Series of Poker Europe is going to Ukraine. Renat Bohdanov outlasted Norbert Mosonyi after a long heads-up to win Event #1: €350 Opener No-Limit Hold'em for €53,654 and a WSOPE Main Event ticket worth €10,350. It was the seventh WSOP bracelet for Ukraine in the tour's rich history.

Eyal Bensimhon saw his attempt to add a WSOP bracelet to his WSOP Circuit Ring end in third place. Rafi Elharar, third in the 2019 WSOP's Big 50 earlier this summer, was seventh, while six-time bracelet winner Jeff Lisandro finished in eight place.

"I'm not realizing it yet that I just won a bracelet," was the first thing Bohdanov said to PokerNews after claiming the most coveted reward in all of poker.

"I think I'm really going to be happy. It's a good feeling," he smiled.

Although Bohdanov represents the yellow and blue of his native Ukraine, his profile on The Hendon Mob shows nothing but cashes in the small tournaments that King's Resort is known for.

"I played in Ukraine for maybe three or four years on small local events, mainly tournaments. But I really wanted to become a better player and come to King's Casino as well to have the opportunity to play higher tournaments with more players," Bohdanov explained why his profile is chock-full of Czech flags.

"I've been here five times already and I really like the poker room," he added. And with a freshly minted WSOP bracelet now firmly around his wrist, as well as the WSOPE Mini Main and Main Event coming up on his poker schedule, his love for King's can only grow even further.

Ten players returned at 2 p.m. to continue their quest for WSOP gold. Each of them had already plowed their way through a bumper 1,011-player field, kicking off the 2019 World Series of Poker Europe in proper fashion. Mere minutes into the day, Marcus Mondel lost his final few chips to let the other nine break to a final table right off the bat.

At that final table was six-time bracelet winner Jeff Lisandro, who had to spin it up from the shortest of stacks if he was to make No. 7 happen today. While he snatched a payjump after Richaras Vymeris busted first, Lisandro went down in eight place when his ace-seven remained behind against Samuel Mika's pocket queens.

Rafi Elharar, coming off a hot summer that included a third place in the Big 50 for $534,574, was the next to go. The Israeli lost an all-in on the flop with top pair against Bohdanov's top pair, who held the better kicker.

Michal Kral followed Elharar out the door before Mika's tournament ended with a bad beat against Bohdanov that undoubtedly was the key hand at the final table. With sevens versus fours, Maki was poised to grab the chip lead. Instead, a rivered straight handed Bohdanov a massive lead — and ultimately, the bracelet — instead.

With four players left, Mosonyi shot himself up the leaderboard by knocking out Mykhailo Hryhoriev in a hand where both players had two pair. Hryhoriev held the inferior hand and was reduced to mere scraps, which he lost shortly after.

Eyal Bensimhon already possesses a WSOP Circuit Ring but a WSOP Bracelet will remain elusive to the Israeli star for the time being. Directly after Hryhoriev busted, Bensimhon ran king-three into Bohdanov's ace-six and, eerily similar to the previous hand, ended up with an inferior two pair to finish in third place.

The heads-up became a drawn-out affair, where the calculated and more experienced Bohdanov tried to lure the volatile Mosonyi into a trap. However, Mosonyi's big bet style paid dividends, boldly resulting in the chip lead twice after uncontested, sizable all-ins, as well as timely double-ups. Ultimately, the bracelet would go to Ukraine as Bohdanov held up in the decisive all-in with ace-nine versus king-five to capture his maiden, and Ukraine's seventh, WSOP bracelet.

The first bracelet has been awarded at the 2019 World Series of Poker Europe, but fourteen more are yet to follow. Don't miss anything as PokerNews will be on the floor to capture the action of every bracelet event start to finish.

(Article courtesy of World Series of Poker)