Apter wins first bracelet

Name: Brett Apter
Nationality: American
Birthplace: St. Petersberg, Florida
Current Residence: Nashville, Tennessee
Age: 31
Profession: Poker player/business owner
Number of WSOP Cashes: 34
Number of WSOP Final Table Appearances: 4
Number of WSOP Gold Bracelet Victories (with this tournament): 1
Best Previous WSOP Finish: 48th place
Total WSOP Earnings: $290,824

Brett Apter won his first World Series of Poker bracelet Saturday night. He emerged victorious in Event #17: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout, besting a field of 917 players and earning $238,824.

"I feel like I’m in a dream," Apter said after the tournament was over. "I’ve wanted this ever since I first started playing poker. And ever since I won yesterday and knew I was going to the final table, it hasn’t felt real. I’ve just been trying to live up every moment."

Apter defeated Anatolii Zyrin heads-up to secure the victory. This is Zyrin’s first ever final table in a WSOP bracelet event, but he fell just short of walking away with the bracelet. He earns $147,594 for his runner-up finish.

In this shootout format, each player advances to the next round by being the last player left at his or her table. The 917 players were reduced to 100 on Day 1, then from 100 to 10 on Day 2. The 10 remaining players returned on Saturday at noon to play the final table and determine a winner.

The final day did not get off to a good start for Apter. "It started off really tough. I didn’t win a hand for five hours, I believe. So I was close to short for the first 2/3 of the day. I just kind of stuck with it. Then I got aces against ace-king and ace-king and it just swung from there."

It was a long heads-up battle, lasting nearly two hours. Apter started heads up play at a substantial chip disadvantage. Zyrin had roughly a 4-1 lead. "Playing heads up for a bracelet, I just knew I wanted to play my absolute best every second," Apter said. "Because this would be something I’d never forget. So I wanted no regrets." That mindset paid off for him, and at about 1 a.m., he collected the last of his opponent's chips and officially secured the victory.

Marko Maher, of Slovenia, was the first player eliminated on the final day. It took nearly two and half hours on Day 3 before he hit the real. This was Maher’s second WSOP cash, earning $15,331 for the 10th place finish.

The next bustout was about three hours later, as Kenna James’s hunt for his first gold bracelet ended when he finished in 9th place. The next player to get eliminated was Michael O’Grady, who has playing in his first WSOP final table today. He finished in 8th place for $24,973. Shintaro Baba was the next to go, earning $32,517 in his first ever WSOP cash.

Cary Katz, owner of Poker Central and a mainstay of the high roller scene, was then eliminated in sixth place, earning $42,897.

Manuel Ruivo was then eliminated in fifth place ($57,326). It was a quick downfall for Ruivo, the only player from Portugal at this final table. He had been in the lead, but two hands in close succession against Anatolii Zyrin changed his fortunes. In the first, Zyrin, who had been among the short stacks, doubled up and moved ahead of Ruivo. Then a few minutes later, they clashed again. Ruivo held pocket jacks. On the flop, he called Zyrin’s all-in raise, only to find out Zyrin had hit a set of fives. When the dust settled, Ruivo was eliminated, and Zyrin held about half the chips in play with four players remaining.

They reached four-handed play just before dinner break, and about half an hour after returning from break, Adrian Scarpa became the next casualty. He earns $77,591. Then about another half hour later, Tommy Nguyen busted out. Nguyen had been the only previous bracelet winner at this final table, and he falls just short of winning his second tonight. He finishes in third place for $106,351.

That left Anatolii Zyrin and Brett Apter to fight it out for the bracelet, and after their extended heads-up battle, Apter was the last player left standing.

The event started on Thursday, 6 June, and attracted 917 players. The total prizepool was $1,237,950 and the top 100 players (those who won their tables on Day 1) made the money.

Final table results
1 – Brett Apter - $238,824
2 – Anatolii Zyrin - $147,594
3 – Tommy Nguyen - $106,351
4 – Adrian Scarpa - $77,591
5 – Manuel Ruivo - $57,326
6 – Cary Katz - $42,897
7 - Shintaro Baba - $32,517
8 - Michael O’Grady - $24,973
9 - Kenna James - $19,436
10 - Marko Maher - $15,331

(Article courtesy of World Series of Poker)