Chad Eveslage has achieved a remarkable feat by dominating the dealer’s choice events at the 2023 World Series of Poker.
The 31-year-old professional poker player from Indiana secured his second career gold bracelet and a prize of $131,879 by winning the $1,500 buy-in dealer’s choice tournament on June 2. Just a few days later, Eveslage continued his impressive run by triumphing in the $10,000 buy-in dealer’s choice championship, adding $311,428 to his winnings and earning his third career bracelet.
Eveslage’s back-to-back victories in the dealer’s choice events at the WSOP put him in the company of players who have excelled in this format. Adam Friedman accomplished a similar feat with three consecutive wins in the $10,000 dealer’s choice event in 2018, 2019, and 2021 (the event was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Jaswinder Lally also showcased his skills by winning the $1,500 buy-in event in 2021 and finishing as the runner-up in the same event in 2022.
In addition to his impressive achievement, Eveslage extended a streak that has seen at least one player earn multiple bracelets during a single WSOP for 24 consecutive years. This streak began in 2000 when Chris Ferguson won both a $2,500 seven-card stud event and the WSOP main event. In 2022, three players, namely Dan Zack, Lawrence Brandt, and Espen Jorstad, secured multiple bracelets by winning various events.
Eveslage’s recent victory earned him 600 Card Player Player of the Year points, making it his only POY-qualified score in 2023. He currently holds the 136th position in the overall standings, sponsored by Global Poker.
With his latest triumph, Eveslage’s total recorded tournament earnings now exceed $7.9 million. Alongside his three bracelets, he has also claimed two World Poker Tour main event titles. All five of these significant victories have been achieved within the past two years.
The event in which Eveslage emerged victorious drew a total of 115 participants, resulting in a prize pool of $1,069,500, which was distributed among the top 20 finishers. The third and final day began with Eveslage leading the pack and only 13 contenders remaining.
The official final table was established when Mike Gorodinsky, a two-time bracelet winner, went all-in with a pat 9-8-7-3-2 hand, only to find himself trailing behind Dutch Boyd, a three-time bracelet winner, who held a pat 9-7-6-3-2 hand. Gorodinsky, who finished as the runner-up in this event the previous year, received $42,965 for his seventh-place finish, pushing his total recorded tournament earnings to nearly $3.8 million.
The sixth-place finisher, Marco Johnson, also a two-time bracelet winner, was eliminated during a round of badeucey. Johnson lost a significant portion of his chips to Eveslage before going all-in against multiple callers. Dustin Dirksen, one of the callers, outplayed Eveslage on the side and revealed a 7-6-4-3-2 badugi hand with a seven as the lowest card. Johnson opted to fold and finished in sixth place, earning $56,528, which increased his career earnings to over $3.8 million.
Another two-time bracelet winner, Ari Engel, also fell victim to Eveslage’s badeucey prowess, finishing in fifth place. Despite holding a smooth 8-6 one-card draw with a made 8-6-3
Event #10: $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship Final Table Result
Place | Winner | Country | Prize (in USD) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Chad Eveslage | United States | $311,428 |
2 | Dutch Boyd | United States | $192,479 |
3 | Zack Freeman | United States | $139,048 |
4 | Dustin Dirksen | United States | $101,709 |
5 | Ari Engel | United States | $75,341 |
6 | Marco Johnson | United States | $56,528 |