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Joseph Cheong Wins WSOP Double Stack Event for First Career Bracelet
Joseph Cheong has had a storied past in the poker world. He first burst onto the scene in 2010 during his run at the 2010 WSOP Main Event, ultimately finishing third. Soon after, he was embroiled in controversy over debts incurred to other poker players. He overcame the scandal and became one of the more consistent performers in the Vegas areas.
However, one thing that has eluded Cheong until Wednesday night was a World Series of Poker bracelet. Cheong finally broke through on Wednesday and won his first career WSOP bracelet after taking down the $1,000 Double Stack NL Hold’em Event at the 2019 World Series of Poker.
Massive Field of 6,214 Entries Plays in Event
The $1,000 Double Stack NL Hold’em Event kicked off over the weekend and drew a field of 6,214 players to create a prize pool of $687,782. The size of the field and the large starting stacks resulted in the event taking five days to complete.
By the time the final table was reached on Tuesday, Joseph Cheong had amassed a massive chip lead over the remaining field. He took 100 million into final table play, nearly 40 million more than the next closest player.
The other players to make the final table were Arianna Son, Zinan Xu, David Ivers, Ido Ashkenazi, and Andrea Buonocore. Son started the final table with just five 4.5 big blinds but amazingly was not the first player eliminated. This dubious honor fell to Ido Ashkenazi.
Ashkenazi looked down to As-Js and shoved pre-flop for 11.7 million. Joseph Cheong woke up with pocket jacks and made the easy call. The board gave Ashkenazi a gutshot straight draw, but it never came. Ashkenazi hit the rail in fifth place to collect $133,970.
Arianna Son managed to double up, but her run was over with soon after. David Ivers shoved with 9d-2s and Son called with Qh-Jh. While she called with the best of it, Ivers managed to spike a nine on the flop and those nines held to send Son home in fifth place. She earned $176,820 for her final table run in this event.
Ivers took out another opponent on the very next hand. He shoved pre-flop with Ks-Jd and Andrea Buonocore called with Qd-10c. A jack on the flop gave Ivers a pair and that pair held. Buonocore finished in fourth place, earning $235,099.
Zinan Xu was the third-place finisher after getting rivered against Joesph Cheong. At the river, the board read Kd-3h-2h-7c-6s and Joseph Cheong moved all-in. Xu insta-called and turned over Kc-10c for top pair. However, Cheong turned over Kh-6h to reveal a rivered two pair. The players shook hands and Xu left to collect $314,875.
Joseph Cheong Defeats David Ivers for First Career Bracelet
At the start of heads-up play, Joseph Cheong had 190.4 million in chips to just 57.6 million for David Ivers. This was as close at the heads-up match got as while Ivers managed to battle for over 35 hands, he never made up any ground.
By the time the final hand was played out, Ivers was down to just 24 million. Cheong shoved all-in pre-flop with Kc-Js and Ivers made the call with Ad-3h. A king on the flop gave Cheong the lead and the board failed to produce an ace for Ivers. David Ivers finished runner-up in this event, earning a hefty $424,791 prize.
We did it pic.twitter.com/rmbjDVOYup
— Joseph Cheong (@subiime) June 19, 2019
It took almost a decade, but Joseph Cheong finally managed to break through for his first career WSOP bracelet. His victory earned him a solid payday of $687,782, and to hear him talk to PokerNews after the win, you’d think that’s about all he really cared about.
When asked about whether winning the bracelet was a bigger deal than making the November Nine, he stated that he liked the November Nine experience better due to it paying more money. He still appears to have enjoyed winning the bracelet, but he left the event and went to register in his next event, looking to win more money.
Joseph Cheong has been one of the most consistent performers in Las Vegas poker over the last few years and we are sure we will see him at many more final table and collecting more WSOP gold bracelets.
