2021 Wynn Spring Classic

Wynn Spring Classic $1M GTD Championship
Day: 3
Event Info

2021 Wynn Spring Classic

Event Info
Buy-in
$3,500
Prize Pool
$1,985,676
Entries
614
Players Left
2
Average Chip Stack
12,280,000
Total Chips
24,560,000
Level Info
Level
32
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
100,000
Players Info - Day 3
Entries
34

Wynn Spring Classic $1M GTD Championship

Day 3 Completed

Sung Joo "Arte" Hyun Wins Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 Championship ($323,409)

Level 32 : 100,000/200,000, 100,000 ante
Sung Joo Hyun
Sung Joo Hyun

Despite a 15-hour final day, the energy at the final table of the Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 Championship reached a fever pitch as the stakes raised with every late pay jump. Small but boisterous rails matched the enthusiasm of the players, making for a truly memorable atmosphere.

It's an experience Sung Joo "Arte" Hyun will recall fondly after he emerged as the official winner from a 614-entry field to secure $323,409 in prize money.

That sum is nearly identical to that paid out to Matthias Auer, the only other player at the final table who got through more than 31 levels without losing his final chip.

The two players reached heads-up play and immediately struck a deal that saw each side lock up $323,408, with $1 and the trophy left for a best-of-three flip. Hyun proved to be the luckier man, perhaps fitting given that he said from the beginning of negotiations that he cared more about the trophy than the money.

"Every time I start a tournament I just go for the first place," he explained. "Not the money. If there's a tournament that doesn't give you any kind of bracelet or trophy, I'm not very interested. I don't know why. I'm very competitive.

Official Final Table Results

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1Sung Joo HyunSouth Korea$323,409*
2Matthias AuerAustria$323,408*
3Will FaillaU.S.A.$173,240
4Eric AfriatCanada$121,450
5Matthew WantmanU.S.A.$89,842
6Mihai ManoleRomania$69,588
7David Cabrera PolopMexico$55,291
8Chris MoormanU.K.$45,760

*reflects heads-up deal

A streamer for an audience he said can number around 3,000, mostly Korean fans who know him as Arte, Hyun often plays tournaments online on GGPoker and PokerStars hoping to entertain and showcase strategic play.

He's had some big successes, too, including a bracelet last summer in a $500 Deepstack on GGPoker worth $161,898. He also had a big live win in Vegas less than two months ago in a WPTDeepStacks event for $208,335. However, neither of those cashes matched this one.

That wasn't on Hyun's mind at the final table, though, as he was singularly focused on the trophy.

It looked for most of the final table like Auer would surely get his hands on it, though. He had a dominating chip lead at several points, peaking with around 20 million of the roughly 24 million in play. He rolled through the likes of tournament legend Chris Moorman and three-time WPT winner Eric Afriat.

A defeated Afriat acknowledged what seemed like destiny, saying Auer's win was meant to be after he went down in fourth place.

Things got really wild three-handed, though. Will "The Thrill" Failla got hammered down to a couple of blinds by a Hyun three-outer. He came roaring back with several doubles, including a crazy runout when his underpair ran out a runner-straight against Auer, needing Auer to make a set on the river.

The celebrations had the tournament director doing his best to calm the mini crowd, saying they had people in the casino thinking a rumble was happening.

"There is a rumble in here!" Failla bellowed.

Will Failla
Failla had the energy flowing in the room.

Hyun said he'd never seen anything like it.

"That was crazy," he said. "Crazy. It was the craziest final table I've been to."

Hyun fought his way back to a solid stack by check-raise shoving a river on Auer — it went uncalled — then busting Failla in another exciting hand, nailing an ace on the river in a race against pocket eights.

That's when deal talks went down, and after some discussion, the Austrian and the Korean, along with their support crews, came to an agreement.

It was also doubtlessly a monster moment for Auer, whose team was celebrating every pay jump. Auer has just a few thousand in recorded live cashes but comes well-trained from the PokerCode grindhouse in Europe, having learned from the likes of Fedor Holz.

As for Arte, he plans to continue to pursue dual goals. First, he wants to raise the profile of poker in Korea as a strategic game, removing the stigma of it being pure gambling as many still believe. Second, he just wants to keep improving until he's competing on a world-class level.

"I want to be one of the best," he said. "Not just in my country but worldwide. That's my goal."

Remaining 2021 Wynn Spring Classic Schedule

Next weekend, another $1,000,000 GTD tournament will be held in the 2021 Wynn Spring Classic. The $1,600 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament will offer three starting flights.

*DateTime (PST)TournamentGuaranteeBuy-inStarting StackLevel Length (minutes)
Tuesday, March 16NoonEvent #13: No-Limit Hold’em$15,000$270+$3020,00030
Wednesday, March 17NoonEvent #14: NLH $4K Survivor$20,000$360+$4020,00030
Thursday, March 18NoonEvent #15: No-Limit Hold’em Day 1a$1,000,000$1,500+$10030,00060
Thursday, March 186 p.m.5 seat GTD Super Satellite to $1,600-$270+$3015,00030
Friday, March 19NoonEvent #15: No-Limit Hold’em Day 1b$1,000,000$1,500+$10030,00060
Friday, March 196 p.m.5 seat GTD Super Satellite to $1,600-$270+$3015,00030
Saturday, March 20NoonEvent #15: No-Limit Hold’em Day 1c$1,000,000$1,500+$10030,00060
Sunday, March 211 p.m.Event #16: No-Limit Hold’em$50,000$500+$5020,00030

Tags: Matthias AuerSung Hyun

Deal Reached

Level 32 : 100,000/200,000, 100,000 ante
Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 Championship trophy
Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 Championship trophy

The players agreed on an even chop, though the prize pool made it so someone would get $323,408 and someone would get $323,409. The plan was to run three flips and best of three would get the trophy and the extra dollar.

As fate would have it, though, only two were needed as Sung Hyun swept with three-outers twice in a row, king-four over king-seven and ace-four over ace-eight.

PokerNews will provide a full recap shortly.

Will Failla Eliminated in 3rd Place ($173,240)

Level 32 : 100,000/200,000, 100,000 ante
Will Failla
Will Failla

Will Failla shoved on the button for 3 million. Sung Hyun shoved over the top in the small blind.

Hyun: {a-Spades}{q-Hearts}
Failla: {8-}{8-}

The {4-Spades}{2-Hearts}{k-Hearts}{6-Spades} looked for all the world like it was going to deliver Failla another double, but the {a-Hearts} doomed him on the river.

The loudest cheers came from Matthias Auer's rail, knowing they were now heads up with the lead.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Matthias Auer at
Matthias Auer
15,560,000
-740,000
-740,000
Profile photo of Sung Hyun kr
Sung Hyun
9,000,000
4,300,000
4,300,000
Profile photo of Will Failla us
Will Failla
Busted
WPT 1X Winner

Tags: Sung HyunWill Failla

Hyun Check-Raise Jams the River

Level 32 : 100,000/200,000, 100,000 ante

Sung Hyun checked from the big blind on {10-Clubs}{9-Diamonds}{k-Hearts}{q-Clubs} and Matthias Auer bet 350,000, which looked to be about one-third the pot. Hyun called and checked the {9-Hearts} river. Auer bet what looked like 550,000. Hyun shoved all in for about 3.1 million and earned a pretty quick fold.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Matthias Auer at
Matthias Auer
16,300,000
-1,800,000
-1,800,000
Profile photo of Sung Hyun kr
Sung Hyun
4,700,000
-700,000
-700,000

Tags: Matthias AuerSung Hyun

Failla Rumbling Back

Level 32 : 100,000/200,000, 100,000 ante

Matthias Auer shoved in the small blind and Will Failla snap-called with 1.2 million in the big.

Auer: {5-Diamonds}{5-Spades}
Failla: {2-Diamonds}{2-Spades}

"I'm f*****," Failla declared.

Nonetheless, he called for a deuce. That changed as the board came {4-Clubs}{10-Clubs}{3-Clubs}{a-Diamonds} as he switched to bellowing for a five. Sure enough, the {5-Hearts} arrived. Failla celebrated wildly. The tournament supervisor tried to calm everyone after the wild hand.

"You've got the whole casino thinking there's a rumble in here," he said.

"There is a rumble in here!" Failla shouted. "Bella gose!"

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Matthias Auer at
Matthias Auer
18,100,000
1,100,000
1,100,000
Profile photo of Will Failla us
Will Failla
2,500,000
900,000
900,000
WPT 1X Winner

Tags: Matthias AuerWill Failla

Failla on a Nub

Level 32 : 100,000/200,000, 100,000 ante

Sung Hyun shoved on the button for just under 2.6 million and Will Failla peeled his cards.

"Can't fold," he said, slamming in a stack of chips.

Failla: {8-Spades}{8-Hearts}
Hyun: {a-Hearts}{6-Clubs}

Hyun disgustedly spun his hand in after looking at his second card, making it clear he'd only seen the ace. His one-man rail called for the ace and the dealer delivered {a-Clubs}{q-Diamonds}{3-Spades}. The turn was a {9-Spades} and river a {10-Hearts} for a double to Hyun.

Failla was left on dust. However, he found a couple of doubles and got back up to about 1.6 million.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Sung Hyun kr
Sung Hyun
5,400,000
1,000,000
1,000,000
Profile photo of Will Failla us
Will Failla
1,600,000
-685,000
-685,000
WPT 1X Winner

Tags: Sung HyunWill Failla

Eric Afriat Eliminated in 4th Place ($121,450)

Level 32 : 100,000/200,000, 100,000 ante
Eric Afriat
Eric Afriat

With {j-Diamonds}{k-Hearts}{4-Hearts}{3-Hearts} on the felt, Eric Afriat bet 1,175,000 into 900,000 out of the small blind. Matthias Auer got a count then moved in from the big blind. Afriat only had a few hundred thousand more and called.

Afriat: {4-Spades}{3-Diamonds}
Auer: {8-Hearts}{2-Hearts}

Auer was in complete command and faded a board-pairing river.

"I'm telling you, I've been playing this game a long time," Afriat said. "When something's meant to be, it's meant to be."

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Matthias Auer at
Matthias Auer
17,000,000
4,000,000
4,000,000
Profile photo of Eric Afriat ca
Eric Afriat
Busted
WPT 3X Winner

Tags: Matthias AuerEric Afriat

Level: 32

Blinds: 100,000/200,000

Ante: 100,000