News

Mar 29, 2023

Florida’s Kenneth O’Donnell Claims Maiden Bracelet At WSOP 2023

Summary: The 54th edition of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is well underway

Summary:

The 54th edition of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is well underway at Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas. Multiple events are now in the books, the latest of which is the $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack, which was taken down by Kenneth O’Donnell for $351,098.

O’Donnell survived a tough field which included Poker Hall of Famer and 16-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth who was eliminated in 47th place for $7,385. Kathy Liebert, a member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and a WSOP bracelet winner herself, also took a shot but fell by the wayside, and so did former WSOP Main Event champs Jerry Yang and Greg Raymer.

Other big names who took part in the event were Allen Cunningham, David Jackson, Pei Li and Bradley Jensen, all of whom are WSOP bracelet winners. Unfortunately, none of them reached the final table.

O’Donnell outclassed his opponents in the two-day tournament and made his victory official by defeating Colombia's Jefferson Guerrero heads-up just three poker hands into the one-on-one match. Guerrero's runner-up finish came with a $216,941 payout.

China's Ka Chen Kan finished 3rd for $162,371, while American poker players Aaron Georgelos and Robert Gittelman claimed the 4th and 5th spots for $122,407 and $92,953 respectively.

Completing the final table were Eric Pfenning (6th, $71,104), Manuel DeAlmeida (7th, $54,794), Andres Morales (8th, $42,539) and Fabio Coppola (9th, $33,274).

Interestingly, the nine finalists were all on the hunt for their first gold bracelet and it was mission accomplished for O’Donnell who chose his battles well and refused to be intimidated by the poker greats throughout the tournament. His latest win is the biggest score of his career, pushing his live tournament earnings to more than $900,000.

O’Donnell, who hails from St. Petersburg, Florida, admitted that the stars had aligned for him to win the tournament, given the calibers of the players he was up against, some of whom are already WSOP bracelet winners. Describing himself as the "chosen one" in the competition, O’Donnell felt special and blessed for his huge victory.

O’Donnell, who cashed in the 2022 WSOP Main Event for $46,800, is looking forward to competing in more events at the ongoing festival which runs until July 18.