In Event #44: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em at the 2024 World Series of Poker, Jared Kingery emerged as the latest bracelet winner after three intense days of battle.
Kingery reigned over Javier Gomez in heads-up play, claiming $410,359 and his first career bracelet, while Gomez settled for $273,581 as the runner-up.
The event drew 1,561 players, amassing a prize pool of $2,778,580, and marked Kingery's breakthrough after coming close on poker's grandest stage once before.
At the 2022 WSOP, Kingery finished as the runner-up in Event #5: $500 The Housewarming, the tournament that commemorated the WSOP's move to Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Two years on, the celebrations are now for Kingery as he locked in his crowning moment.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jared Kingery | United States | $410,359 |
| 2 | Javier Gomez | Spain | $273,581 |
| 3 | Yunkyu Song | United States | $197,443 |
| 4 | Juan Carlos Vecino | Spain | $144,176 |
| 5 | Javier Zarco | Spain | $106,537 |
| 6 | Yasheel Doddanavar | India | $79,676 |
| 7 | Kavin Shah | India | $60,317 |
| 8 | Narcis Nedelcu | Romania | $46,227 |
| 9 | Jon Glendinning | United States | $35,873 |
| 10 | Nicholas Massey | United States | $28,192 |
Kingery Takes Full Advantage
While the Washington native has won more than $800,000 at the WSOP's new home, Kingery's main profession is away from the table.
“I’m definitely not a professional player, I’m actually a longshoreman back in Washington so I don’t play that much," said Kingery. "That Housewarming score was my first WSOP tournament ever. I was just sun-running."
Kingery had a small window of opportunity to go one better this time around. The new champion revealed he's only in Vegas for nine days and that he was unable to play last year as he welcomed the birth of his daughter.
Sun-running or not, Kingery has proved to be a force to be reckoned with at the tables as he navigated through a very tough field to take the gold.
Final Day Action
On Day 3 of the tournament, seventeen players returned. Early eliminations in the first level included Barry Shulman, Michael Berk, Dillon Najor, and Edgard Saliba, each walking away with $18,095 in payouts.
As the final table bubble approached, Huihan Wu was knocked out by Juan Carlos Vecino, narrowing the field down to ten remaining players. The chip leader, Gomez, continued his dominance by eliminating Nicholas Massey and Jon Glendinning.
Kavin Shah gained momentum with a notable bust of Narcis Nedelcu, followed by a significant pot against Gomez. However, Shah's journey came to an end when Gomez finished him off after a few orbits.
Yunkyu Song then entered the fray, making a big jump by knocking out Yasheel Doddanavar. However, Song faced challenges after doubling up Javier Zarco and Kingery in consecutive hands.
Kingery's day took a dramatic turn as he scored significant wins, including a massive pot against Gomez with a nut straight. This propelled him to a commanding chip lead and allowed him to apply pressure to the remaining players. He eliminated Vecino in a flip and continued solidifying his position at the top of the counts.
Despite Song's valiant comeback, he ultimately fell short against Kingery's ace-king, securing a respectable third-place finish.
In the heads-up battle, Gomez and Kingery clashed quickly, with Kingery's ace-queen prevailing over Gomez's ace-jack. Kingery got his redemption, with the bracelet and the top prize being the reminder of his perseverance.
That’s it for the coverage here on Event #44 at the 2024 WSOP, but keep a tab open on PokerNews as you have all of the summer’s tournament info at your fingertips!
