The 2023 World Series of Poker is only a week old and we already have our first double bracelet winner. On Tuesday morning, Chad Eveslage won Event #10: $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship, just a few days after winning Event #5: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed. Perhap’s it’s time to name the game type “Chad’s Choice?”
Joking about how his insane start to the WSOP is a bad sign for humanity, Eveslage said in his post-game interview, “The singularity is coming, and this is probably the last World Series. Not probably, but 10% this is the last World Series to ever happen. You know, gotta make the most of it while it’s here…Nice to get a win, nice to get some of this before we all merge with machines.”
Eveslage has been on quite a run lately. Since 2021, he has won the $25,500 High Roller at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, the $5,000 WPT Venetian Main Event, the $25,000 High Roller 8-Handed event at last year’s WSOP, and the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic Main Event, in addition to several other high finishes.
His bracelet last year was his first, so now he’s up to (tap tap tap on the calculator….) three.
There must be something about Dealer’s Choice events. Adam Friedman made World Series of Poker history in 2021, when he won the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship for the third consecutive year (2018, 2019, 2021 – the 2020 WSOP was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
Eveslage was the chip leader going into Day 3, but it was Dustin Dirksen who was ruling late game when the tournament was down to seven players. Eveslage doubled through Dirksen, though, when Dirksen was unable to make good on his flush draw, changing the complexion of the final two tables.
Eveslage eventually went into heads-up play against Dutch Boyd with a massive chip lead, 6.2 million to 1.6 million. It only took a few hands for him to seal the deal. Boyd chose Big O (Omaha Hi-Lo 8-or-Better, but players get five hole cards instead of four) for what would turn out to be the final hand of the tournament.
On the K♦-6♣-2♣ flop, Boyd ended up getting all of his chips in. He showed A♦-K♠-Q♥-8♦-5♥, while Eveslage had K♥-9♥-8♣-4♣-3♣. The turn was the 5♣, giving Eveslage a straight flush and that was that. Chad Eveslage had his third career bracelet, $311,428 in prize money, and an early lead in the WSOP Player of the Year race.
2023 World Series of Poker $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship – Final Table Results
- Chad Eveslage – $311,428
- Dutch Boyd – $192,479
- Zack Freeman – $139,048
- Dustin Dirksen – $101,709
- Ari Engel – $75,341
- Marco Johnson – $56,528
Image credit: WSOP.com