The 2016 WSOP $1,500 Dealer’s Choice Six- Handed event concluded after 3 consecutive days and nights of play at the Rio in Las Vegas. The event attracted a total of 389 entrants who accumulated a prize pool of $525,150. At the end, it was Lawrence Berg who emerged victorious and pocketed the amount of $125,466 as well as a gold bracelet for his first place.
The $1,500 Dealer’s Choice Six- Handed event allowed participants to choose between 19 poker variations ranging from the traditional No-Limit Hold’em to exotic versions such as Badeucy and Badacey.
Right after the victory, Berg told reporters that he found it difficult to win the coveted prize as everyone played well. In addition, the 38-year-old poker player shared that he was not particularly keen on Limit Hold’em and No Limit Hold’em, so he called Big O, Badeucy, and Badacey whenever he got a chance.
Before he started making a living out of playing poker professionally, the winner used to work as a poker dealer at the Bellagio, Las Vegas.
When asked about his winning strategy, Berg shared that the key to victory was not to always play your own best games, but to be able to identify the games that are considered weak within the repertoire of your opponents.
Berg started the final day as a chip leader and managed to win some key pots. The elimination of the former bracelet winners Brown and Volpe gave the start of a heads-up play between Berg and the Chinese player Yueqi Zhu. The latter became a runner-up and the consolation prize of $77,526 moved him closer to reaching his first million in WSOP earnings.
The third place in the tourney was taken by the former Omaha High-Low Split winner Andrew Brown. He pocketed $50,250 from the accumulated prize pool.
Along with the bracelet and the financial reward, Berg also earned 600 POY points. However, it was the fourth place finisher Paul Volpe who made the most considerable progress in the POY standings. He got 300 POY points and occupied the 33rd place in the standings.
The fifth place was occupied by Joey Couden who earned $22,765. This was his 18th cash in a WSOP event.
John Templeton finished sixth and scooped $15,932 for his efforts. The German Daniel Habl was sent to 7th place and pocketed $11,454.
The other notable players who managed to cash out, but could not make it to the final table were Chris Ferguson (19th), Svetlana Gromenkova (21st), Luis Velador (23rd), Eli Elezra (38th), Vladimir Shchemelev (43rd).
