Richard Ashby has topped a 406-strong field to win his second gold bracelet in Event #32: $1,500 Seven Card Stud at the 2024 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas after overcoming an 8:2 chip deficit against Adam Owen in heads-up play. The win saw Ashby claim $113,725 in prize money, his second victory in the same event after taking down the 2010 edition.
Ashby described the win as "pretty surreal," though he also " felt a bit sorry" for Owen, who had had Ashby on the ropes at a couple of points.
However, the pressure never seemed to get to Ashby, as he was "never all in" and felt confident in his ability to "grind it back with just a few hands." His calm, collected mindset was partly due to his acceptance that "he was happy, whatever happened" and that he would "just play as good as I can."
2024 World Series of Poker Hub
Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2024 WSOP is here.
Despite winning his second stud bracelet, Ashby still feels it is not his best game and one that he "hardly ever plays." He says the only chance he gets to grind stud tournaments is at the WSOP, so getting in the same number of reps as he can in other forms of poker is difficult.
Still, Ashby thinks his ability to "keep the pressure on people and stay a sticky customer" has helped him achieve success in the stud variant. "If I run good, get hands, it's tough for them to beat me." He certainly had his share of good fortune throughout this tournament but fully capitalized on it.
For the rest of the WSOP, Ashby will not be taking a break but plans to "fire a few bullets" to try to "win another bracelet."
Final Table Action
The day began with nine players vying for the bracelet. The first victim was Chris Trybaas he was never able to get anything going since late in Day 2, ending his bid for a second bracelet.
Next to go were two $25K Fantasy players in Hal Rotholz and Aaron Kupin. Neither one could do much to build up a stack on Day 3. The same could be said of Jaycin Cross, who fell in sixth place shortly after.
Brandon Shack-Harris was the only player at the table who was going for his third bracelet. Still, that accomplishment will have to wait as, after navigating a short stack through several pay jumps, his run eventually ended in fifth place.
Brandon Shack-Harris
From there, four-handed play began with the stacks that had been the larger ones to start the day and maintained that status as the shorter ones were eaten up. Given the relatively even chip distribution, it was no surprise that it took over an hour and a half before MengQi Chen was felted in fourth place.
Michael Noori was aiming for his second career bracelet to add to his 2021 Monster Stack win and had enjoyed periods of great momentum. Nevertheless, he ran out of steam in third place, setting the stage for a heads-up battle between Owen and Ashby.
Heads-up was a battle of the Brits, and what a battle it was. At first, Owen held a massive advantage, and it looked like things would be wrapped up fairly quickly. But Ashby had other ideas as he fought back, eventually taking the lead. It was demoralizing for Owen, who had been so close so many times before, as he could only watch as the elusive first bracelet slipped out of reach.
After taking a quick break, Owen returned to a stack worth just three big bets and never really managed to make his way back into the game. He collected $75,805 for his impressive runner-up finish.
Ashby, meanwhile, was left to celebrate with his rail as he added a second bracelet to an already impressive tournament resume.
That wraps up this tournament's coverage, but stay tuned to PokerNews as its live reporting team continues to provide comprehensive coverage of the 2024 World Series of Poker.
