Elio Fox Claims The First World Series Of Poker Bracelet In 2018

The 2018 World Series of Poker kicked off in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday and the first WSOP gold bracelet of the year as already been awarded.

2011 WSOP Europe Main Event winner Elio Fox from New York won it, taking down the 2018 WSOP $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $393,693 plus a number of $3,000 bounties.

The Convention Center at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino played host to its traditional opening event Wednesday, as the first day of the two-day $565 Casino Employees Event kicked off. However, the 2018 WSOP’s new single-day $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty event also began, playing down to a winner in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

The $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty

The first open event of the series featured a turbo structure with 20-minute blind levels and a $3,000 bounty on the head of each and every player.

Late registration was open through the first 12 levels. By the time it was through, the event drew 243 total entries, creating a prize pool of $1,555,200 that would pay the top 36 finishers. A min-cash was worth $10,192, plus all $3,000 bounties collected. The winner was set to earn $393,693 and any bounties they managed to collect as well.

German High Roller Manig Loeser, best known for winning the HKD $1 Million Triton Super High Roller Series Main Event at Maestral Resort & Casino in Montenegro for an estimated $2,162,644 last year, busted on the bubble. Loeser lost a race with two queens versus American Taylor Black‘s big slick to go home empty handed.

A flurry of eliminations saw the field whittled down to 27 quite quickly and they redrew for seats at the final three tables.

WSOP bracelets winners abound

Among the final 27 were previous WSOP bracelets winners Fox, Bryn Kenney and Paul Volpe. Plus, former WSOP Main Event final table participants Antoine Saout and Kenny Hallaert.

2009 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Cada and 2010 WSOP Main Event runner-up John Racener, who fit in both categories, were also right there.

Saout and Hallaert soon departed and Las Vegas local Danny Wong, who came into the event with 36 WSOP cashes for over $1 million took a lead into the final two tables. He became the first player over the two-million-chip mark when he four-flushed three others out the door on the same hand.

Kenney sat just behind him on the leaderboard with 1.9 million in chips. Plus, after the final 18 redraw, he was seated directly on Wong’s right.

Racener busted in the final 18 and Kenney got his aces cracked by fellow New Yorker Alex Foxen. A player who has cashed for close to $3 million over the past six months. Mostly from winning high rollers in Los Angeles, Macau and finishing runner up in the $10,000 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Kenney ultimately bubbled the final table running nines into Volpe’s kings to finish tenth.

Wong held a slight lead over Volpe when the final nine began, with Fox, Volpe and Cada the only previous bracelet winners left. But it was not to be for Cada. He was short and shoved with a dominated ace to bow out ninth.

Fox grabs the lead

Foxen’s run ended with a sixth-place finish and Fox took the lead into thee-handed play knocking out both Wong and Charles Johanin in the same hand.

Volpe eventually got it in with a dominated ace against Fox. When he busted third, Fox took a massive lead into heads-up play with Florida mid-stakes grinder Adam Adler.

Adler snatched the lead away from Fox. However, Fox persevered, grabbing it back making two pair and winning the 2018 WSOP’s first bracelet getting deuces to hold against ace-ten. Fox made a full house in the final hand for good measure to seal the second WSOP victory of his career.

What’s on tap?

That leaves 77 more bracelets to go this year. The 2018 WSOP rolls on with plans to host four online WSOP bracelet events over the next six weeks.

For the first time ever, players on both WSOP.com in New Jersey and Nevada will be able to play.

The 2018 WSOP online bracelet event schedule includes:

• $365 No Limit Hold’em June 3 at 3:30 p.m.
• $565 Pot Limit Omaha 6-Handed June 22 at 3:30 p.m.
• $1,000 No Limit Hold’em June 29 at 3:30 p.m.
• $3,200 High Roller June 30 at 3:30 p.m.

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