Chris Klodnicki had made it down to heads-up play in three World Series of Poker events prior to 2017, and each time the 32-year-old poker pro fell just short of winning his first bracelet. It seems that the fourth time was the charm for Klodnicki, who defeated a field of 1,956 entries to win the latest $1,500 no-limit hold’em event at the 2017 WSOP. For the win Klodnicki finally earned his first bracelet in addition to the top prize of $428,423.
“It’s definitely more relief at this point,” Klodnicki told WSOP reporters after emerging victorious.
Klodnicki now has more than $9.4 million in lifetime live tournament earnings, with over $6 million in cashes at the WSOP alone.
Klodnicki had to overcome a tough final table that featured plenty of recognizable names, despite the smaller buy-in of the event and the massive field. Among those joined Klodnicki at the final table were 2017 $1,000 tag team no-limit winner Aditya Sushant (8th – $44,255), 2016 WSOPmain event sixth-place finisher Kenny Hallaert (7th – $58,083), three-time World Poker Tour main event champion Darren Elias (6th – $77,047) and two-time bracelet winner Benjamin Zamani (4th – $139,896).
He survived to heads-up play with Emile Schiff, and the two eventually agreed to bag up for the night and return to play heads-up on an unscheduled fourth day.
“I was just kind of tired,” said Klodnicki. “I am getting kind of old, so my stamina just isn’t what it used to be. I just thought it would be better just going to bed and starting fresh. I didn’t want to make any mistakes.”
Schiff took a 2-to-1 chip lead into the final day, and he extended that early on. Klodnicki was able to flip the script with a big double up, getting all in preflop with the AK
up against Schiff’s A
10
and having his hand hold up on a J
5
4
5
10
runout. After that hand he overtook the lead and ran with it. In the end Schiff shoved the 9
7
from the button and Klodnicki made the call with pocket threes. His hand held up and he sent Schiff to the rail in second place with $264,692.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at this final table:
Place | Player | Earnings (USD) | POY Points |
1 | Chris Klodnicki | $428,423 | 1080 |
2 | Emile Schiff | $264,692 | 900 |
3 | Schuyler Thorton | $191,453 | 720 |
4 | Benjamin Zamani | $139,896 | 540 |
5 | Ulrich Schnetter | $103,281 | 450 |
6 | Darren Elias | $77,047 | 360 |
7 | Kenny Hallaert | $58,083 | 270 |
8 | Aditya Sushant | $44,255 | 180 |
9 | Dylan Hortin | $34,083 | 90 |
For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2017 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.