Ryan Hoenig Goes Wire-to-Wire to Win Event #18: $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship

Within the grand annals of the World Collection of Poker, there have been few extra dominant performances than the one Ryan Hoenig simply pulled off in Occasion #18: $10,000 Sellers Alternative Championship.

Hoenig had the chip lead after Day 1. He was atop the leaderboard once more after the second day. He had the lead on Day 3 when play was stopped early with three gamers remaining. And on the unscheduled Day 4, he ended with each chip in play on the way in which to defeating Dylan Smith heads-up to win his first WSOP bracelet and the $354,444 high prize.

“Loopy. Exhausting. So exhilarating, so enjoyable. I simply love these video games. I like to play. It’s unimaginable,” the 31-year-old Fort Collins, Colorado native stated following his victory. “I felt in my ingredient. I similar to the number of the video games. I’m excited to play each single sport. Final 12 months I skipped this occasion, really, as a result of I used to be a bit of not sure of a few of the video games. And this 12 months, I used to be like, I’m prepared for each sport. The competitors is unimaginable. Dylan is an unimaginable competitor. It went fast as a result of I hit each hand, in order that helps.”

Closing Desk Outcomes

Fairy Story Run

The win was a very long time coming for Hoenig, who first fell in love with poker as a young person however wasn’t able to decide to it on the time. He determined to come back again and commit himself to his past love, viewing the sport as a option to fulfill his pure aggressive instincts.

“I had it once I was a young person. I had desires of changing into knowledgeable poker participant, however I didn’t have the emotional capability to take care of it on the time. So I really give up poker for a couple of years and got here again to it,” he stated. “At all times liked the sport, however I got here to it with a unique mindset as an grownup. Now I simply wish to win each time I play and I’m keen to win each time doable. It’s an unreal expertise.”

Hoenig’s fairy-tale run during the last 4 days almost didn’t occur. Late on Day 1, he made a giant fold in Razz and was a brief stack close to the tip of the night time. He credit his coach, Jason Su, with placing him in the fitting mindset to come back again, in the end ending up as chip chief.

“Day 1, I made this fold in Razz. I used to be all the way down to 11K. I had two bets left with like an hour and a half to go on the day. (Su) talks about willingness, that there’s a discomfort that comes with the potential for profitable and success. I advised myself once I was all the way down to 11K that I’m keen to bag 300,000. I bagged 298,000,” he stated.

In a 152-player area that includes a few of the high names in poker with many years of expertise enjoying blended video games, Hoenig is a relative newcomer. His first five-figure money got here lower than two years in the past. He then completed runner-up within the Pot-Restrict Omaha Hello-Lo Championship on the 2023 WSOP and had 14 WSOP cashes earlier than this occasion. His win as we speak pushes his reside earnings previous $1,000,000.

Hoenig needed to grasp 21 completely different poker variants to emerge because the winner, however stated he was prepared and ready to battle in every one. “After I was 15, I fell in love with Omaha Hello-Lo. My past love that wasn’t a woman. In order that was my entry into blended video games, and that’s nonetheless my favourite sport, all of the variations of it. After which once I jumped into every sport, they form of inform one another. I simply love all of the video games now. I’m simply prepared. Each time I see a brand new plaque on this event, I’m like, yeah, let’s go,” he stated.

Day 4 Motion

Hoenig, Smith, and Philip Sternheimer returned for an additional Day 4 as we speak at 1 p.m. native time to battle for the bracelet. Hoenig was proper the place he was the whole event, atop the leaderboard with 4,995,000. Smith was in second with 2,220,000, whereas Sternheimer adopted behind with 1,910,000.

On the primary hand of the day, Hoenig hit a straight on the flip in Pot-Restrict Omaha and bought paid on a 400,000 river guess in opposition to Smith to rapidly widen his lead. The subsequent hand, once more in PLO, he raised to 100,000 on the button and Sternheimer known as.

Hoenig guess 75,000 on the flop and 350,000 on the flip as Sternheimer known as all the way down to the river. Hoenig then moved all in, and Sternheimer took a number of minutes, interrogating Hoenig the whole time, earlier than calling for his final 1,100,000. Hoenig confirmed a flopped queen-high straight, and Sternheimer mucked a nine-high straight because the UK excessive curler was despatched to the rail in third place.

Hoenig led Smith 7,650,000 to 1,400,000 initially of heads-up. He then scooped a pot of Badeucy with an 8-7 and three-card Badugi to drop Smith to 1,000,000. Hoenig ramped up the aggression, taking down most pots with preflop and third avenue raises earlier than Smith gave up on the river in a pot of Omaha Hello-Lo to depart himself with simply 300,000.

Smith then bought his final chips in as the sport switched again to PLO. Hoenig ended up making a flush on the flip, and Smith was already drawing lifeless by the river as Hoenig locked down the title.

It guarantees to be the primary of many. When on the point of take his winner’s picture, Hoenig advised the photographer to get used to him as a result of he can be again. The aggressive hearth that burned inside him, beginning as a younger man, continues to this present day as Hoenig took his spot atop one of the loaded fields on the WSOP calendar.

“I’m simply able to win on daily basis. I used to be going to benefit from the expertise, no matter occurred. I like to play. I like the creativity of poker,” he stated.

“I simply get to be a model of myself. There’s a image of myself once I was a child. I’m enjoying basketball with my uncles. I’m half their dimension and I’ve this critical look on my face prefer it’s a very powerful factor on the planet. And I’m like that on the poker desk. I keep that very critical exterior presence, however inside, I’m only a child dancing on the telephone.”

That concludes PokerNews’ protection of the $10,000 Sellers Alternative Championship. Keep tuned for extra updates all through the 2025 WSOP.