The Philippines has won its first ever World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet after 29-year-old Mike Takayama outlasted a field of 2,065 players in the US$1,000 No Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty event.
Takayama, a two-time Asian Poker Tour (APT) main event champion, became the first Filipino in the 49-year history of the WSOP to claim a gold bracelet, taking home US$198,568 in the process. Ironically, this is the poker pro’s first ever trip to Las Vegas for the world’s premier tournament series.
It also tops a hugely successful WSOP for Asia, with Hong Kong’s Jacky Wong finishing fourth in the US$1,000 NLHE Double Stack for a US$220,000 payday while Singapore’s Chris Chong finished fourth in the US$1,500 NLHE Monster Stack for US$355,000.
UK native Sam Razavi, the popular four-time APT Player of the Year who now calls Cebu home, narrowly missed a bracelet of his own a fortnight ago when he finished runner-up in the US$1,500 NLHE Millionaire Maker for a massive US$725,000 payday.
Speaking to WSOP.com after his win, Takayama said, “I’m very happy because winning the bracelet is everyone’s dream. I’m the first Filipino to win a bracelet, so I’m really, really, really happy about that.”
The WSOP was first held in 1970 when Benny Binion invited seven of the world’s best players to compete in a winner takes all event at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. It has since grown to become the biggest event on the annual poker calendar with this year’s WSOP boasting 78 gold bracelet events.
The 2018 WSOP Main Event kicks off today, Monday 2 July.
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