Shaun Deeb loves playing poker, loves making money. But more than most players, he really loves the competition of tournament poker. Poker is a game, after all. Deeb is one of those guys who really tries to win Player of the Year awards, to try to win more than his friends, just because those races are fun for him. And Tuesday night, he claimed another pelt, capturing 2023 World Series of Poker Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix for the sixth WSOP bracelet of his career.
It’s a bracelet that elevates him into the World Series of Poker elite, if he wasn’t there already. He is tied with nine other players at the six bracelet mark; only eight players in the history of the WSOP have more than Deeb.
And it’s a bracelet with which he can now tease his buddy, fellow poker pro Josh Arieh. Arieh won his fifth career WSOP title a few days ago, at which point Deeb vowed to retire if Arieh won his sixth before he did.
“It was only, what, four days ago, three days ago, I don’t even remember,” Deeb said in his post-game interview with WSOP media. “Battling with your friends is so much fun. The camaraderie. Me and Josh are family men the rest of the year. So we come out here, we have fun, we bullshit, we see each other, we’re talking trash all the time in our group chat. When he won five, it definitely lit a fire.”
The hand that won it for Deeb was a hell of a hand. Deeb went into the final confrontation with a slight lead, 10.3 million chips to Aloisio Dourado’s 9.4 million. After the 2♦-2♠-5♦ flop, Dourado bet 250,000 and Deeb called. With the T♦ on the turn, a flush was possible, and Dourado bet 500,000. Deeb called again, bringing on the T♥ on the river.
Flush possibility and two different pairs on the board.
Deeb checked and Dourado made a big bet of 2.5 million chips. Deeb moved all-in, putting Dourado to the test for his tournament life, but really, with stacks so close, the tournament was on the line for both of them. Dourado tanked for several minutes before making the call.
As he turned over his K-T to reveal his full house, Deeb simply said, “I got it.” Dourado’s pocket Queens were dead and Deeb had his sixth bracelet and $198,854.
In his interview afterward, Deeb reflected on the final hand, knowing it could have gone very poorly for him.
“There’s a ton of variance in these tournaments. Anything can happen. You can lose a flip. Obviously, the winning hand I got super lucky. I beat a pair of queens with king-ten in a spot where he would only call off if it came ten-ten. I was going to lose a big pot a lot of the time there.”
Confirming that he is making a hard charge at the Player of the Year title, Deeb said, “I’m so pumped for the rest of the events.”
2023 World Series of Poker Event #27: $1,500 Eight Game Mix 6-Handed – Final Table Results
- Shaun Deeb – $198,854
- Aloisio Dourado – $122,910
- Kyle Loman – $84,329
- John Bunch – $58,888
- Daniel Strelitz – $41,867
- Craig Carrillo – $30,315
Image credit: PokerGO.com