Event #83: $1,500 The Closer
Day 2 Completed
2021 World Series of Poker
Event #83: $1,500 The Closer
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
2021 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$2,540,505
Entries
1,903
Level
37
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
63
Players Left
1
Level 37
: 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Spanish poker professional Leo Margets won her first World Series of Poker bracelet on Sunday, Nov. 21 by taking down Event #83: $1,500 The Closer for a six-figure score worth $376,850. She outlasted a field of 1,903 participants and, in doing so, became the first woman to win a bracelet in an open-entry event at the 2021 World Series.
The tournament generated a total prize pool of $2,540,505 and attracted the likes of Chris Moorman, Michael Wang, Yuval Bronshtein, Mitchell Halverson, Joao Simao and 2013 Main Event champion Ryan Riess, all of whom made deep runs that extended into Day 2.
Event #83: $1,500 The Closer Final Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | COUNTRY | PRIZE (USD) | |
| 1 | Leo Margets | Spain | $376,850 | |
| 2 | Alex Kulev | Bosnia | $232,920 | |
| 3 | Stephen Song | United States | $172,855 | |
| 4 | Marc Lange | Germany | $129,460 | |
| 5 | Arturo Segura | United States | $97,865 | |
| 6 | Cherish Andrews | United States | $74,680 | |
| 7 | Aleksandr Shevliakov | Russia | $57,525 | |
| 8 | Chris Moorman | United Kingdom | $44,740 | |
| 9 | Benjamin Underwood | Canada | $35,131 |
A Victory for Women in Poker
Margets, a Winamax Team Pro whose poker portfolio includes a 27th place finish in the 2009 Main Event for $352,832 and a second-place finish in Event #73: $1,000 DOUBLE STACK No-Limit Hold'em (30 minute levels) in 2018, secured her first WSOP bracelet by overcoming a dominant chip lead held by heads-up opponent Bosnian grinder Alex Kulev, who earned a payday of $232,920. Margets joins Lara Eisenberg, who won Event #22: Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship earlier in the series, as one of two women to earn bracelets so far at this year's WSOP.
“Usually, it’s going be harder for a woman to get a bracelet because we are few (in poker)," Margets told PokerNews, adding that she believes her bracelet victory "might motivate women to be interested" in the game.
Margets wasn't the only woman to make a deep Day 2 run in The Closer. Melanie Weisner found a 17th place finish worth $14,740, while Cherish Andrews joined Margets at the final table and finished in sixth place for $74,680.
"I hope there is one day when there isn’t such an issue," Margets said about the disproportionate number of women in poker. “It shouldn’t be an issue."
Margets added a few words of encouragement for anyone looking to pursue the game: “I you like it, go ahead, even if you’re a man, a woman or a monkey!”
"What a Comeback"
It seemed like it would likely be another second-place finish for Margets when she began heads-up play with about seven million chips to the 40 million of Kulev, whose dominant appearance at the final table included a double-knockout of Marc Lange and Arturo Segura in fourth and fifth place, and later the elimination of Stephen Song in third.
“He had a massive chip lead," she recalled. "He actually did all of the hard work.”
Margets acknowledged that she made a near-fatal error early in heads-up play when she miscounted her stack and got it in with nine-four against the ace-nine of her opponent. However, she hit a four on the turn to give her the double-up that propelled her to victory.
“Somehow, I made a super huge mistake because I miscalculated my stack," said Margets. "I thought I had 2.5 bigs and I had seven bigs. And that was a huge mistake, but I got lucky.”
Margets then mounted a comeback that climaxed in a hand with middle pair and a flush draw against the top pair of Kulev and improved to trips on the turn. The encounter left Kulev short and he was eliminated in the next hand when he got it in with ten-four against the king-jack of Margets, who came back from less than 10 big blinds to take down the tournament.
"What a comeback," she said in reflection.
That wraps up the PokerNews live reporting team's coverage of Event #83: $1,500 The Closer. Be sure to also check out the team's coverage of other WSOP events.
Level 37
: 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Leo Margets has just won $376,850 and her first WSOP bracelet in Event #83: $1,500 The Closer.
A recap is to follow.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo Margets | Spain | $376,850 |
| 2 | Alex Kulev | Bosnia | $232,920 |
| 3 | Stephen Song | United States | $172,855 |
| 4 | Arturo Segura | United States | $129,460 |
| 5 | Marc Lange | Germany | $97,865 |
| 6 | Cherish Andrews | United States | $74,680 |
| 7 | Aleksandr Shevliakov | Russia | $57,525 |
| 8 | Chris Moorman | United Kingdom | $44,740 |
| 9 | Benjamin Underwood | United States | $35,131 |
Level 37
: 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Leo Margets limped in the small blind, Alex Kulev raised to 2.4 million, and Margets called.
The flop came 
, and that proved to be quite an action flop.
Kulev bet 4.1 million, Margets jammed for 20.4 million, and Kulev called.
Leo Margets: 
Alex Kulev: 
Kulev had top pair top kicker and Margets had middle pair and a flush draw. The 
hit the turn to put Margets ahead with trips, and the 
completed the board to send her the massive pot.
Kulev was left with only 1.8 million chips which he jammed in on the next hand and was called.
Alex Kulev: 
Leo Margets: 
The board ran out 
and Margets officially completed the heads-up comeback to win the tournament and the gold bracelet, meanwhile, Kulev will have to settle for the $232,920 runner-up prize as consolation for his strong efforts.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
48,000,000
25,000,000
|
25,000,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 37
: 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante
Leo Margets has won a series of small and medium pots to level her stack with that of Alex Kulev, who had Margets on the ropes at the start of heads-up play.
In one such hand, Margets limped in on the button and Kulev raised to 1,600,000 in the big blind. Margets jammed all-in and Kulev folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
25,000,000
-6,000,000
|
-6,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
23,000,000
6,000,000
|
6,000,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 37
Blinds: 400,000/800,000
Ante: 800,000
Level 36
: 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Leo Margets jammed in her 4.5 million stack preflop and Alex Kulev called.
Leo Margets: 
Alex Kulev:
Margets smashed the 
flop. The 
came on the turn, and the 
completed the board to give her quads.
Soon after, Margets got her 8.2 million chips in preflop against Kulev.
Leo Margets: 
Alex Kulev: 
The board ran out 
and Margets doubled again, while Kulev continues to attempt to finish her off.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
31,000,000
-5,000,000
|
-5,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
17,000,000
5,000,000
|
5,000,000 |
|
|
||
Level 36
: 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Leo Margets was all-in preflop with around 6,000,000 against Alex Kulev.
Leo Margets: 
Alex Kulev: 
It looked like it would be a short heads-up match as Margets was dominated, and the flop of 
didn't help her. But the peeled off on the turn to improve her held, which held up after the 
river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
36,000,000
-4,000,000
|
-4,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
12,000,000
5,000,000
|
5,000,000 |
|
|
||
Level 36
: 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Stephen Song moved all-in from the small blind with a stack of 5,000,000 and Alex Kulev called in the big blind.
Stephen Song: 
Alex Kulev:
The flop came 
to give Kulev a set and Song stood up out of his chair. He then shifted back to his chair when the on the turn gave him flush outs, but the on the river gave Kulev a full house.
Song is now heads-up with Leo Margets, who finished second in Event #73: $1,000 DOUBLE STACK No-Limit Hold'em (30 minute levels) in 2018.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
40,000,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
7,000,000
3,000,000
|
3,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 36
: 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Arturo Segura jammed for 3.65 million in the hijack, Marc Lange re-jammed for 4.3 million on the button, and Alex Kulev put in his chips in the small blind.
Arturo Segura: 
Marc Lange:
Alex Kulev: 
The 
flop gave Segura a straight flush draw, the came on the turn to change nothing, and the 
hit the river to send the pot to Kulev and eliminate the other two players.
Lange started the hand with more chips than Segura so he will take fourth, while Segura will have to settle for fifth following his deep run. Meanwhile, Kulev extends his huge chip lead even more and seems to be running away with it.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
38,000,000
13,000,000
|
13,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
6,000,000
-1,150,000
|
-1,150,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
4,000,000
-4,000,000
|
-4,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
|
Busted | |