After a week’s delay, David Peters battled his way through two tough competitors – one well known and the other the “Cinderella story” of the tournament – to capture his second bracelet at the 2020 online WSOP. Along with picking up the bracelet in this $10,000 event, Peters also took down a $360,480 payday and a prize package worth $12,000 to the WSOP Europe.
Ending a Dream
Even though he is one of the most highly respected players in the world and has racked up over $33 million in career earnings, it is arguable that Peters was the “villain” in his first match of the day. His opponent in the Final Four was Canada’s Alyssa MacDonald, who had put on a stirring run to reach the highest point she had ever reached live or online. In fact, this tournament was going to be her best cash in a poker tournament, regardless of how she finished, and she was going to add on a bit to her slightly more than $6000 in live career earnings.
MacDonald started out the day by eking out a slim lead of 400K chips over Peters by turning a set of fives and Peters not believing her in calling off turn and river bets. Peters would come back, however, flopping trip eights after MacDonald had flopped two pair (eights and deuces) to retake a slim 200K chip lead. The duo would continue the dance, swapping the lead back and forth, before Peters began to press the situation.
After more than an hour of shifting chips back and forth, Peters would river two pair (with a 7-5) against MacDonald’s 10-2 (flopped pair of tens) to take the first significant advantage of the tournament. With more than a 2:1 lead, Peters still got a bit fortunate to defeat MacDonald. On the final hand, the twosome saw a Q-10-8 rainbow flop, with brought a bet from MacDonald and a call from Peters. A five on the turn didn’t seem help anyone, but another bet and call set up the river nine and the end of the match.
With the board reading Q-10-8-5-9, MacDonald slowed her roll and checked her option, but Peters pushed the case. He moved all in, putting MacDonald at risk, and she made the “crying call” after showing her pocket Queens for the flopped set. Peters had gotten there, however, showing his J-10 for the inferior flopped pair but the superior rivered straight, earning him the victory and the spot in the Championship Match.
Championship Match with Addamo a Lengthy Fight
Instead of a pause, Peters moved right into the Championship Match with Michael Addamo. Addamo had basically been sitting around for the better part of an hour, having taken care of his Final Four opponent, Michael Zhang, in rather rapid fashion. In their match, Zhang attempted to power Addamo off a K-3-3-10-2 board with an all-in move, but Addamo had flopped trips with his 6-3 and called down Zhang’s K-Q, wasn’t going anywhere and took the victory.
Addamo took an early lead against Peters, arguably expected since Peters had to readjust his game to Addamo rather than MacDonald. Peters came back, though, in a “boat versus boat” battle that saw both players initially play the board until their hole cards came up. After the board had rolled out 8-8-7-8-7 for a full house, both players checked and showed their cards. Addamo was indeed playing the board as his pocket sixes were counterfeited, but Peters’ pocket nines were not, giving him the hand and moving him into the lead for the first time in the Championship Match.
Addamo, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner himself, didn’t let that setback deter him, however. He came back after Peters attempted an ill-timed bluff to seize a three million chip lead and would eventually stretch it out to more than a 3:1 lead. Peters would use a miraculous straight flush to come back and even it up after Addamo had the Ace-high flush, though, and the battle raged onward.
The heads-up Championship Match took right around two hours to complete. On the final hand and facing a nearly 5:1 deficit, Addamo pushed all in pre-flop with a J-3 and Peters woke up with Big Slick and made the call. It was over from the start, with a 5-9-A flop only solidifying Peters’ edge even more. Another Ace on the turn left Addamo drawing dead and the river King added “insult to injury” as David Peters won his second WSOP bracelet with a flourish.
1. David Peters, $360,480
2. Michael Addamo, $223,488
3. Alyssa MacDonald, $124,160
(tie) Chi “Michael” Zhang
5. Stefan Burakov, $49,664
(tie) Chris Brewer
(tie) Belarmino De Souza
(tie) Pedro Waldburger
