2020 World Series of Poker Main Event

2020 WSOP Main Event - Headsup Final
Day: 1
Event Info

2020 World Series of Poker Main Event

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
kj
Prize
$1,000,000
Event Info
Prize Pool
$1,000,000
Entries
2
Level Info
Level
15
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
0
Players Info - Day 1
Entries
2
Players Left
1

Delayed Start

Play was slated to get underway at 5 p.m. PST, but as is often he case with television productions things have been delayed a bit. The good news is the players are in the house doing some pregame interviews. It shouldn't be too much longer until cards are in the air.

Joseph Hebert vs. Damian Salas - Who Will Be the 2020 WSOP Main Event Champion?

Joseph Hebert vs. Damian Salas
Joseph Hebert vs. Damian Salas

It's been a year unlike any other and a World Series of Poker Main Event unlike any other. After poker's most popular series was forced online due to the coronavirus — resulting in a summer full of online bracelet events — the Main Event will crown it's champion live inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Tonight, two men will return to battle for poker's most coveted prize: Joseph Hebert and Damian Salas.

Hebert, winner of the domestic portion of the event, and Salas, winner of the international one, will duke it out for $1 million (on top of their previous winnings), the gold bracelet and the chance to go down in poker history as the official 51st winner of the WSOP Main Event, following in the footsteps of Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, Phil Hellmuth and 2019 champ Hossein Ensan.

Originally scheduled to play out on Dec. 30th, the event was postponed to tonight as Salas' entry to the U.S. was delayed due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

Here's how the 2020 WSOP Main Event came about

Joseph Hebert: Doing It #ForLinda

While this hasn't been a traditional event, to say the least, those left standing are certainly worthy of being crowned the new champ. Hebert crushed the domestic portion of the event, starting the final table off with a massive chip lead and never surrendering it along the way to win $1,553,256.

The 38-year old from Louisiana, who won his entry into the $10,000 freezeout through a $300 satellite on WSOP.com, is doing it #ForLinda, his mother who passed away over the summer following a pulmonary embolism. Teary-eyed, Hebert addressed the media after his earlier victory on Dec. 28.

"I really felt like I was dreaming," he said. "And I thought about my mom, and I know that she was here and this was for her. She would be so excited to see it, so I'm just so happy I got it for her."

Joseph Hebert
Joseph Hebert

Damian Salas: A Shot at Redemption

Following his victory, Hebert knew who his opponent would be as Salas already claimed his spot on Dec. 15 after winning the international portion of this event live in King's Resort in Rozvadov. That tournament originally started with 674 entrants on GGPoker.com — slightly shy of the 705 that entered on WSOP.com side — and Salas ultimately defeated the red-hot Brunno Botteon to win $1,550,969.

Salas hails from Chascomús, Argentina, about 80 miles south of Buenos Aires. During his soccer playing days, he received the nickname "Pampa" which stuck. He's a part-time poker player, which he combines with his regular work as a lawyer. Despite not being a full-time professional, Salas sports quite an impressive poker resumé with nearly $2.7 million in lifetime winnings according to The Hendon Mob.

Where Hebert is doing it #ForLinda, Salas has thrived on the support of his family and friends back home and carried a picture of his three children and wife with him during the live portion in King's. His daughter Sol even created a handmade bracelet, which he wore for the winner's photos.

"I was already a winner because I received all this energy," he said after his victory.

Salas' poker winnings are highlighted by two big cashes: the one from three weeks ago, of course, and another the one from the 2017 WSOP Main Event where he finished seventh for $1,425,000. Tonight, Salas gets a shot at redemption and a rare second chance at the Main Event bracelet. Can he follow in the footsteps of John Cynn, who won the event in 2018 after finishing 11th two years earlier?

Damian Salas
Damian Salas

Details of the Final Heads-Up

The action will kick off at 5 p.m. local time inside the Amazon Room of the Rio in Las Vegas. The heads-up finale will offer up a $1,000,000 prize added by WSOP and GGPoker, which will be on top of the ~$1.5M each that both players have already won. Play will start off with 500,000 in chips (500 big blinds) and levels will be 20 minutes throughout the night.

There will not be a live stream of the action; ESPN will film all final tables, which are scheduled to be broadcasted at a later date. PokerNews, as always, will be on deck to bring you blow-by-blow coverage as we will crown the winner of poker's most decorated tournament tonight.

LevelSmall BlindBig BlindBBs per player
15001,000500
21,0001,500333
31,0002,000250
41,5003,000167
52,0004,000125
62,5005,000100
73,0006,00083
84,0008,00063
95,00010,00050
106,00012,00042
118,00016,00031
1210,00020,00025
1315,00030,00017
1420,00040,00013

2020 WSOP Main Event WSOP.com Final Table Results

PlacePlayerPrize (USD)
1Joseph Hebert$1,553,256
2Ron Jenkins$1,002,340
3Michael Cannon$529,258
4Ryan Hagerty$387,130
5Ye “Tony” Yuan$286,963
6Harrison Dobin$215,222
7Shawn Stroke$163,786
8Gershon Distenfeld$125,885
9Upeshka De Silva$98,813

2020 WSOP Main Event GGPoker Final Table Results

PlaceWinnerCountryPrize (USD)
1Damian SalasArgentina$1,550,969
2Brunno BotteonBrazil$1,062,723
3Manuel RuivoPortugal$728,177
4Ramon Miquel MunozSpain$498,947
5Marco StredaSwitzerland$341,879
6Dominykas MikolaitisLithuania$234,255
7Stoyan ObreshkovBulgaria$160,512
8Hannes SpeiserAustria$109,982
9Peiyuan SunChina$75,360

Tags: Damian SalasJoseph Hebert

World Series of Poker Main Event Champions

YearEntriesChampionCountry Winning HandPrize
19707Johnny MossUnited States --
19716Johnny MossUnited States -$30,000
19728Thomas "Amarillo Slim" PrestonUnited States {k-Hearts}{j-Diamonds}$80,000
197313Walter "Puggy" PearsonUnited States {a-Spades}{7-Spades}$130,000
197416Johnny MossUnited States {3-Hearts}{3-Spades}$160,000
197521Brian "Sailor" RobertsUnited States {j-Spades}{j-Hearts}$210,000
197622Doyle BrunsonUnited States {10-Spades}{2-Spades}$220,000
197734Doyle BrunsonUnited States {10-Spades}{2-Hearts}$340,000
197842Bobby BaldwinUnited States {q-Diamonds}{q-Clubs}$210,000
197954Hal FowlerUnited States {7-Spades}{6-Diamonds}$270,000
198073Stu UngarUnited States {5-Spades}{4-Spades}$385,000
198175Stu UngarUnited States {a-Hearts}{q-Hearts}$375,000
1982104Jack StrausUnited States {a-Hearts}{10-Spades}$520,000
1983108Tom McEvoyUnited States {q-Diamonds}{q-Spades}$540,000
1984132Jack KellerUnited States {10-Hearts}{10-Spades}$660,000
1985140Bill SmithUnited States {3-Spades}{3-Hearts}$700,000
1986141Berry JohnstonUnited States {a-Spades}{10-Hearts}$570,000
1987152Johnny ChanUnited States(born in China){a-Spades}{9-Clubs}$625,000
1988167Johnny ChanUnited States(born in China){j-Clubs}{9-Clubs}$700,000
1989178Phil HellmuthUnited States {9-Spades}{9-Clubs}$755,000
1990194Mansour MatloubiIran {6-Hearts}{6-Spades}$895,000
1991215Brad DaughertyUnited States {k-Spades}{j-Spades}$1,000,000
1992201Hamid DastmalchiIran {8-Hearts}{4-Clubs}$1,000,000
1993220Jim BechtelUnited States {j-Spades}{6-Spades}$1,000,000
1994268Russ HamiltonUnited States {k-Spades}{8-Hearts}$1,000,000
1995273Dan HarringtonUnited States {9-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds}$1,000,000
1996295Huck SeedUnited States {9-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds}$1,000,000
1997312Stu UngarUnited States {a-Hearts}{4-Clubs}$1,000,000
1998350Scotty NguyenUnited States(born in Vietnam){j-Diamonds}{9-Clubs}$1,000,000
1999393Noel FurlongIreland {5-Clubs}{5-Diamonds}$1,000,000
2000512Chris FergusonUnited States {a-Spades}{9-Clubs}$1,500,000
2001613Carlos MortensenSpain(born in Ecuador){k-Clubs}{q-Clubs}$1,500,000
2002631Robert VarkonyiUnited States {q-Diamonds}{10-Spades}$2,000,000
2003839Chris MoneymakerUnited States {5-Diamonds}{4-Spades}$2,500,000
20042,576Greg RaymerUnited States {8-Spades}{8-Diamonds}$5,000,000
20055,619Joe HachemAustralia {7-Clubs}{3-Spades}$7,500,000
20068,773Jamie GoldUnited States {q-Spades}{9-Clubs}$12,000,000
20076,358Jerry YangUnited States(born in Laos){8-Diamonds}{8-Clubs}$8,250,000
20086,844Peter EastgateDenmark {a-Diamonds}{5-Spades}$9,152,416
20096,494Joe CadaUnited States {9-Diamonds}{9-Clubs}$8,547,042
20107,319Jonathan DuhamelCanada {a-Spades}{j-Hearts}$8,944,310
20116,865Pius HeinzGermany {a-Spades}{k-Clubs}$8,715,638
20126,598Greg MersonUnited States {k-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}$8,531,853
20136,352Ryan RiessUnited States {a-Hearts}{k-Hearts}$8,361,570
20146,683Martin JacobsonSweden {10-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}$10,000,000
20156,420Joe McKeehenUnited States {a-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}$7,683,346
20166,737Qui NguyenUnited States(born in Vietnam){k-Clubs}{10-Clubs}$8,005,310
20177,221Scott BlumsteinUnited States {a-Hearts}{2-Diamonds}$8,150,000
20187,874John CynnUnited States {k-Clubs}{j-Clubs}$8,800,000
20198,569Hossein EnsanGermany {k-Hearts}{k-Clubs}$10,000,000
Hossein Ensan
Hossein Ensan

2020 WSOP Main Event - Headsup Final

Day 1 Started