Gang Wang Goes on the Run of a Lifetime to Win 888poker Live London Main Event
Table Of Contents
Most poker players dream of going on the run of a lifetime on the biggest stage of their career. Gang Wang lived that dream at the final table of the 888poker Live London Main Event.
Wang admitted he had a little help from above as he went from a short stack to massive chip leader in just a few hands on his way to winning the 888poker title and £86,600 top prize, the largest of his poker career.
Clutching the trophy close to his chest so nobody could take it away from him and asking if he could take his winning cards home with him, the Chinese pro could still muster up some jokes after defeating Calogero Morreale heads-up to prevail over the 367-player field.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gang Wang | China | £86,600 |
| 2 | Calogero Morreale | United Kingdom | £57,200 |
| 3 | Michael Rosaman | United Kingdom | £38,000 |
| 4 | Paul Vas Nunes | United Kingdom | £25,500 |
| 5 | Akshat Bansal | United Kingdom | £17,650 |
| 6 | Ravi Sheth | United Kingdom | £12,850 |
| 7 | Mario Trattou | United Kingdom | £9,950 |
| 8 | Jamie Dwan | United Kingdom | £8,250 |
| 9 | Geoffrey Mooney | Australia | £7,100 |
“Because I win this trophy, my wife will allow me to go play poker all the time,” he said through a translator. “God kissed my hand. Very lucky.”
Wang says he’s been playing poker for around 10 years and has cashes dating back to 2014, according to The Hendon Mob. He had $172,000 in previous live earnings, his best score coming from a 10th-place finish at EPT Prague in 2016.
He’s been a globetrotter on the poker circuit, cashing events from his native China, Korea, all the way to Las Vegas, Africa, and across Europe. The Grosvenor Victoria Casino in the heart of London, though, became the site of his career highlight today.
Final Table action
The final nine players returned to The Vic today at 1 p.m. local time to play for the trophy. Paul Vas Nunes led with 2,495,000 at the start of the final table, while Wang was the second shortest stack with 515,000.
Morreale took the chip lead early when he turned the nut flush against Akshat Bansal. Wang was then all in for 595,000 with ace-jack, but Jamie Dwan had him dominated with ace-king. Wang was at risk of being the first player eliminated from the final table, but he caught a jack on the flop to take the lead and double up.
Geoffrey Mooney was the first to fall, shoving for his last 530,000 with ace-king as Bansal called with ace-ten. The higher ace again couldn’t hold up, and Bansal made a full house to send Mooney to the rail in ninth place.
Dwan was left short after doubling up Wang and committed his last 130,000 on the button against Vas Nunes. Dwan was racing with king-queen against nines but couldn’t improve and was eliminated in eighth. Bansal then won a flip with ace-nine against Mario Trattou’s eights to bust Trattou in seventh, while Ravi Sheth’s two sevens couldn’t hold against Michael Rosaman’s ace-jack as the High Roller champion from earlier in the series fell in sixth.
Vas Nunes and Morreale separated from the field and combined had more than half the chips in play when there were still seven players left. Vas Nunes, though, put some distance between them after blasting Morreale off top pair with a big river raise.
Vas Nunes led with 3,760,000, nearly 2,000,000 ahead of Morreale, as the remaining five players went on a break. But it was then that everything changed at the final table, and Wang felt his divine inspiration.
He first flopped two pair against Vas Nunes’ top pair to double into the chip lead. Wang then woke up with aces to bust Bansal in fifth place, had ace-king the next hand, then aces again. He finally got dealt queens and shoved on Vas Nunes, who called for his last 1,675,000 with two sevens. Vas Nunes couldn’t improve and the one-time massive chip leader busted in fourth.
Wang went into three-handed play with 80 percent of the chips in play. Rosaman and Morreale took turns doubling up before Rosaman shoved again for 770,000 on the button. Morrale tanked for a minute before calling with queen-nine, while Rosaman had king-four. Morreale hit a queen on the flop to take the lead, and Rosaman couldn’t catch up as he fell in third place.
Wang led 8,325,000 to 2,335,000 at the start of heads-up, but Morreale began to chip into the lead. He first got paid with top pair against Wang’s pocket nines, then moved all in for 3,135,000 after Wang put in a big preflop raise to climb over 4,000,000.
Wang, though, then picked up kings and Morreale called on all three streets with a pair of tens as Wang reopened his sizeable advantage. Wang made trip fives on the river and moved all in after Morreale bet 1,115,000. Morreale only had a missed flush draw and was forced to give up the pot to drop back down to 2,650,000.
Morreale had fallen under 2,000,000 when both players flopped two pair, eights and sixes, in a limped pot. Morreale moved all in for 1,930,000 and Wang called, his jack-kicker beating Morreale’s nine. Wang improved to jacks and eights on the turn to leave Morreale drawing dead, and Wang secured the title.
During the final table broadcast, commentator Phil “The Tower” Heald took to referring to “Gang Wang Style,” a play on the viral K-pop smash hit. The two even practiced the dance that the song made popular during the trophy celebration, with a wide smile on Wang’s face. He may have felt touched by God during his miraculous run, but he enjoyed every minute of it.
