Mohsin Charania Completes the Triple Crown in Event #52: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'Em
In a thrilling finish to Event #52: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'Em, it was first-time WSOP bracelet winner, Mohsin Charania, coming out on top to complete the Poker Triple Crown. Charania defeated Cary Katz in a heads-up duel that went past the midnight hour. Katz was also looking for his first WSOP bracelet but will be taking home $225,181 for his efforts today.
Charania battled through a stellar Day 3 field to come out victorious and claim his first WSOP gold bracelet and $364,438. The day started with 23 players and Charania maneuvered his way through the first few levels avoiding any disaster. Once the final table was assembled on the main stage, Charania was able to play more of his game and became a big presence.
Charania started the heads-up match with a sizeable chip lead and didn't slow down. He kept up an aggressive play-style and brought Catz down to under 1,000,000 chips. In the final hand of the night, Catz pushed all-in on the button with 
and Charania instantly called with 
. Charania was in a dominating position and the board ran out 
, securing the win for Charania. He stood by the rail with his friends and a roar could be heard throughout the Brasilia Room when the river hit the felt.
With this win, Charania has now amassed over $5.6 million in earnings, making this his fifth outright win. Impressively, three of those combine to make him a triple crown winner, with Main Event wins on the European Poker Tour, the World Poker Tour and now a World Series of Poker bracelet win. He is just the sixth player in history to win the triple crown, with the likes of Gavin Griffin, Roland De Wolfe, Jake Cody, Bertrand 'Elky' Grospelier and Davidi Kitai.
When asked about the triple crown and finally winning a bracelet Charania said, "This is pretty damn awesome." The rail behind him was exploding at any and every point, and he commented that "This happens when I'm just playing online on Tuesdays, so I'm used to it. Wait 'til you see me go deep in a $109 (tournament)." He laughed and continued, "You learn to block it out. You know when you're gonna win a pot everyone's gonna cheer for you."
Charania commented on feeling pressure coming into the day because he had a big stack, but lost a huge pot to Katz to start the day. He came into the final table sitting in seventh in chips, but felt as though it was "an easy-going and smooth-sailing final table". He continued that it was a challenge playing with Samuel Phillips on his left with the chip lead, but once Phillips was eliminated he felt as though he had more breathing room.
Charania doubled with ace-queen after Ageloff four-bet shoved with ten-nine off suit, and talked about how that was the most important all-in that gave him a 2-to-1 chip lead three-handed. After that, he kept chipping away and eventually sealed the deal.
Cary Katz is a decorated player in his own right, boasting $11.1 million in earnings, with his biggest cash coming from his fifth place finish in the €1 million Big One For One Drop in Monte Carlo in 2016 for $1.9 million USD. He also has a second seven-figure score after coming in eighth place in the $1 million Big One For One Drop in 2014 for $1,306,667. To add to these numbers, Katz also has nine wins in a combination of High Roller and Super High Roller tournaments between the Bellagio and Aria. Katz has come close to winning a bracelet before when he finished as the runner-up in the $5,000 Pot Limit Hold'em event in 2013, losing to Davidi Kitai. It is safe to say it will not be a surprise if Katz finally wins himself a bracelet at some point during his impressive poker career.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player Name | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohsin Charania | United States | $364,438 |
| 2 | Cary Katz | United States | $225,181 |
| 3 | Brandon Ageloff | United States | $161,844 |
| 4 | Andy Frankenberger | United States | $117,611 |
| 5 | Mikhail Rudoy | Russia | $86,424 |
| 6 | Samuel Phillips | United States | $64,226 |
| 7 | Ian Steinman | United States | $48,276 |
| 8 | Yanki Koppel | United States | $36,708 |
| 9 | Milan Simko | Czech Republic | $28,239 |
This $1,500 event attracted many of the top pros and they didn't shy away from making the presence known. Some of those to make the money include Rainer Kempe (15th place - $17,316), Jason Mercier (17th place - $13,807), Richard Seymour (24th place - $11,144), Eugene Katchalov (35th place - $9,107), Dan Heimiller (44th place - $7,536), Tony Dunst (96th place - $3,177), Jesse Sylvia (120th place - $2,884), Barry Greenstein (156th place - $2,477), and Jeff Madsen (187th place - $2,346).
Final Table Summary
When the final table got underway, it was Rudoy and Phillips who set the pace with their aggressive play. Milan Simko (9th place - $28,239) was quiet for his short-lived time on the main stage and eventually got his chips in the middle with 
against Rudoy's 
. The flop came 
and Rudoy never looked back. After a series of double-ups among the small stacks, it would be Yanki Koppel (8th place - $36,708) to fall next. Koppel lost most of his chips to Frankenberger and then, in the next hand, was sent to the rail.
Ian Steinman (7th place - $48,276) was next to drop after getting it all-in with 
against the 
of Ageloff. Ageloff flopped quad queens and Steinman hit the rail next. The start-of-day chip leader, Samuel Phillips (6th place - $64,226), could not win any flips today and found himself as the short stack on the table. Phillips was all-in against Charania but could not connect with the board. Ageloff had a run of cards to get most of the chips in play, including the elimination of Mikhail Rudoy (5th place - $86,424). Rudoy held against Ageloff's . The board ran out 
and Rudoy was ousted.
Unfortunately for Andy Frankenberger (4th place - $117,611), he could not find a hand for the last couple levels and was dwindled down to just one big blind. When he finally tabled a hand it was too late as he ran into the pocket sevens of Katz. Brandon Ageloff (3rd place - $161,844) began three-handed play with most of the chips but lost a big hand when he four-bet jammed with ten-high and Charania snapped him off with ace-queen. That turned the tide as Ageloff became the new short-stack. He was eventually busted when Charania flopped a straight against his pocket kings and that set up heads-up play.
That wraps everything up for another event at the WSOP, but continue following along with the PokerNews reporting team for all of the live updates on future events.