First WSOP gold bracelet victory for Brar

Event #88: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em at the 2022 WSOP at Bally's - Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas attracted 1,288 entrants, all looking to capitalize on the last chance of the summer to win a bracelet event.

Once the dust settled after a marathon 15 hour day, it was Canada's Jaspal Brar who was the last one standing, besting Jesse Lonis in a short-lived heads-up match to win his first gold bracelet and a cool $190,731.

"It feels good, really good," Brar said when asked what the win meant to him. Though the prize money surely sweetens the deal, it is not the primary reason Brar entered the tournament. "To be honest with you the bracelet is big, everyone wants it. The money comes and goes".

Brar described the past day's events as "the highlight of my career", the culmination of a lifelong dream. "I always wanted a bracelet. I come every year to [the WSOP] to play".

As one would expect of a turbo tournament, action was fast paced throughout the day, especially in the latter stages when the tournament average stack rarely strayed above 20 big blinds. The money bubble was burst during Level 16, only a little over five hours after the tournament got underway. Play did not slow down at that point, with the final table reached during Level 31.

Given how shallow stacks were heading into the final table, it was no surprise that ICM considerations dominated much of the play. Jonathan Hilton, who came into the final table as the short stack, was first out the door when his tens could not hold against Jesse Capps' ace-ten.

Not long after, Huy Nguyen hit the rail after getting his money in bad against Brar and failing to improve. Barely had Nguyen left his seat before Vinicius Escossi followed in his footsteps, losing a flip to a rampant Brar.

Some time passed before another elimination, with stacks evening out and play tightening up considerably. The blind levels were bound to catch up eventually, however, and it was Ronald Sullivan who was the next player to be sent packing after being forced all in out of the big blind only to find himself dominated by Capps. Just a couple of hands later, Christopher Garman fell victim to Boris Kolev and saw his dreams of a maiden bracelet go up in smoke.

Kolev had been down to just 200,000 at one point at the final table but tripled up in consecutive hands to bring himself back into contention. The remarkable comeback was not to be, however, after his queen-ten could not find a way to overcome Brar's ace-three.

Capps showed his willingness to risk it all, even with shorter stacks in play, throughout the final table, something which helped him navigate his way to three-handed play. His luck ran out eventually though when his dominating ace-ten fell to the ace-eight of Brar to setup heads-up play.

No marathon heads-up contest was on the cards. Just a few hands after it began, the match was over when Lonis ran ace-six into the ladies of Brar. The pocket queens held and Brar could barely contain his excitement as a dream became reality. Lonis, meanwhile, was forced to settle for a not so paltry $117,872 consolation prize.

Final Table Results
1 Jaspal Brar Canada $190,731
2 Jesse Lonis United States $117,872
3 Jesse Capps United States $85,040
4 Boris Kolev Bulgaria $62,090
5 Christopher Garman United States $45,885
6 Ronald Sullivan United States $34,327
7 Vinicius Escossi Brazil $26,000
8 Huy Nguyen United Staes $19,942
9 Jonathan Hilton United States $15,491

(Article courtesy of World Series of Poker)