Lauck wins WSOP Super Turbo Bounty

Name: Jonas Lauck
Nationality: German
Birthplace: Primstal, Germany
Current Residence: Austria
Age: 32
Profession: Poker pro
Number of WSOP Cashes: 24
Number of WSOP Final Table Appearances: 4
Number of WSOP Gold Bracelet Victories (with this tournament): 1
Best Previous WSOP Finish: 2nd at 2014 WSOP Event #47: $1,500 Ante Only No-Limit Hold'em ($130,955)
Total WSOP Earnings: $800,996

Primstal, Germany's Jonas Lauck has claimed the victory in Event #56 of the 2019 World Series of Poker, $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty.

Lauck, a 32-year-old live and online pro currently living in Austria, logged a triumph that brought him $260,335 and his first career WSOP bracelet. Lauck dominated the final table in this event by catching a late heater, both catching monster hands that held up and winning key races to bounce several of his final-table foes.

Lauck's last opponent was United Kingdom pro Robert Bickley, whose deep run here came up just short. Bickley's effort was worth $160,820.

A third-place payday of $116,426 went to Sao Paulo, Brazil's Fernando Viana da Costa.

San Diego pro Markus Gonsalves finished in fourth to earn $85,141. Lilburn, Georgia's Anil Jivani exited in fifth, which was worth $62,901.

“It was a little bit surreal because there were so many all-ins and it goes so quick,” said Lauck, about the late stages of this event. Lauck came to the final table with a narrow edge, but then he caught a bracelet-winning heater, winning most of the all-ins he mentioned while rolling to the win. Lauck knocked out his last seven foes himself over the last hour and a half of play, logging one of the biggest final-table routs of this series.

“To me it was a special win because once before, I was heads-up and I lost it. But once you have ths bracelet, it feels very good.”

Lauck also endured one of the loudest final tables to date, which became an extending rooting war between Lauck's own boisterous rail and third-place finisher Viana da Costa's large Brazilian player contingent. It grew so loud that at times Lauck pulled up his hoodie's hood and held his hands over his ears in an attempt to concentrate.

“The rail was so loud it was hard to focus,” admitted Lauck. “Especially at this stage, you can't make mistakes, or it's very expensive. I tried to focus and [not] listen to the rail.” However, as it turned out, Lauck's cards were so hot that the loud rail mattered little.

Lauck has played at the WSOP for the past several years, though he arrived at this summer's series just five days ago – meaning he's off to a great start. He plans on playing a full schedule of events through the remainder of the series, including, of course, the Main Event.

This super-turbo single-day event began Monday morning, and just after midnight, it had played all the way down from 1,867 entrants to a nine-player final table, narrowly led by Germany's Lauck with his 11.9 million in chips.

As expected in this format, the knockouts came quick. Ninth place and a $20,793 payday went to Toronto, Ontario's Edward Courage, whose first WSOP cash ended when he ran his short stack into Aaron Johnson's hand. The board provided a brief sweat but ultimately sending Courage to the cashier's desk.

Johnson himself soon busted in eighth. After losing most of his chips when his pocket queens couldn't outrace Bickley's A-K, Johnson dropped the remainder to Lauck. This time Lauck held up on a board that brought nothing higher than a nine. Johnson's run was worth $26,992.

A seventh-place $35,412 payout went to the UK's Arron Woodcock a short while later. Woodcock, a London-based pro, had his stack whittled down to 1.14 million when he moved all in from under the gun. However, Lauck found pocket aces and called, and Lauck's aces held up on the runout.

Baltimore's Aaron Pinson exited next, collecting $46,941 for sixth after losing an all-in race against Lauck. Pinson moved ahead on the flop and stayed there through the turn, but the river gave Lauck trips and another knockout to continue his late rush.

Anil Jivani's run ended with a fifth-place, $62,901 payday when he busted to Lauck. Jivani was down to 3.5 million in chips in the big blind, when Lauck, in the small blind, moved all in. Jivani called for much less and was ahead of Lauck, but Lauck's heater continued as the board ran out, Lauck's third straigth knockout, and the rush was only half complete.

Another short-stacked player, Markus Gonsalves, exited in fourth for $85,141 when he moved all in, but Lauck called Gonsalves' three-million-chip shove. The flop left Gonsalves little hope, and the turn and river completed the knockout.

Lauck won another virtual race against Brazil's Viana da Costa to trim the field to two. Viana da Costa three-bet all in over a Lauck open, and Lauck called. Once again, Lauck's hand won out as the board ran out. Viana da Costa's third-place showing was worth $116,426.

In the final hand, just minutes later, Lauck limped in from the button, Bickley raised to 1.5 million, and Lauck called. Bickley bet another 1.5 million, Lauck raised to 4.3 million, Bickley moved all in and Lauck called. Bickley was ahead with his hand, but Lauck had flush and straight draws. The turn missed, but the river connected for the flush and the event-clinching knockout.

Event #56, $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty, attracted 1,867 entries to create a $2,520,450 prize pool. 281 players cashed and a min-cash was worth $1,414.

Event #56 cashers also included Rene (“Storage Wars”) Nezhoda (13th, $12,745), Anton Wigg (15th, $12,745), Christian Pham (16th, $10,143), Connor Drinan (21st, $81,63), Ben Zamani (26th, $8,163), Alex Foxen (28th, $6,643), Dave Alfa (31st, $6,643), Blair Hinkle (32nd, $6,643), Tim West (38th, $3,468), and Daniel Strelitz (41st, $3,468).

Final table payouts:
1st: Jonas Lauck, $260,335
2nd: Robert Bickley, $160,820
3rd: Fernando Viana da Costa, $116,426
4th: Markus Gonsalves, $85,141
5th: Anil Jivani, $62,901
6th: Aaron Pinson, $46,941
7th: Arron Woodcock, $35,412
8th: Aaron Johnson, $26,992
9th: Edward Courage, $20,793

(Article courtesy of World Series of Poker)