Haresh Thaker Wins Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold'em
While PokerNews is here offering live updates from the Main Event and High Roller, we’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you about the full schedule of side events that have been playing out over the past week at the World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's Las Vegas.
In Event #2: $400 NLH, 219 runners created a $75,000 prize pool that was paid out to the top 34 players. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Michael Hanelin (11th - $1,243), Mike Shin (17th - $904), Jason Seitz (20th - $797), Arkadiy Tsinis (27th - $668), and Melissa Bryne (33rd - $604).
In the end, it was United Kingdom native Haresh Thaker who collected every chip in play to capture his first ring along with a $17,520 payday.
Thaker survived a final table that included five-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Steve Foutty and he also survived a grueling three-handed battle against Jaime Edmondson Longoria and Ryan Dodd that lasted more than two hours long.
Thaker's only other career World Series of Poker cash came in 2014 when he finished in 8th place and just two spots shy of the final table in the $1,500 10-Game Mix 6-Handed event at the World Series of Poker at the Rio.
As soon as Thaker was pushed the final winning pot, he max late-registered in Event #3: $600 No-Limit Hold'em to try to keep his winning momentum going. Event #3 also missed its guarantee by a few thousand dollars.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haresh Thaker | London, United Kingdom | $17,520 |
| 2 | Ryan Dodd | Runnemede, New Jersey | $10,823 |
| 3 | Jaime Edmondson Longoria | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | $7,676 |
| 4 | Steve Foutty | Las Vegas, Nevada | $5,555 |
| 5 | Isidro Sifuentes | Houston, Texas | $4,102 |
| 6 | Victor Pang | Foster City, California | $3,093 |
| 7 | Sterling Lopez | Anchorage, Arkansas | $2,383 |
| 8 | Jared Kingsbury | Portland, Oregon | $1,876 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Davis | Oakland, California | $1,510 |