Home » News » 2024 WSOP: Christopher Vitch Wins His Third Bracelet on “Special Day” in Event #48: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha ($262,734)
On a day of poignant significance, Christopher Vitch (cover image) emerged victorious in Event #48: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP), securing his third gold bracelet and the top prize of $262,734. He defeated Thomas Taylor in the heads-up play, the American player earning $175,179 for his runner-up finish.
Despite being known primarily for his mixed-game expertise, Vitch proved his adaptability in Pot-Limit Omaha, “I’m not as experienced in PLO, so I just relied on my instincts,” he explained.
His instincts proved to be razor-sharp as he engaged in a series of aggressive, high-stakes hands, outmanoeuvring his opponents and steadily building his chip lead.
For Vitch, this victory held special meaning. Two years ago, on the very same day, his mother passed away. “It’s a strange day,” Vitch reflected emotionally, “It feels kind of incredible that it worked out that I won a random tournament on this day.” This triumph served as a powerful tribute to his mother.
This win marks his second-best career score after his 2017 WSOP Event #48: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship win, where he secured his second bracelet and $320,103. Vitch won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2016 WSOP Event #40: $2,500 Mixed Lowball Triple Draw for $136,854. This latest victory boosted Victh’s total live earnings to $2.61 Million, according to his Hendon Mob profile. In addition, he currently boasts $2.07 Million in WSOP earnings.
The $1,000 Pot Limit Omaha was another scorcher, drawing a massive field of 2,212 entries, a significant increase from last year’s 2,071, and generating a substantial $1,946,560 prize pool. The top 332 finishers were guaranteed a minimum payout of $2,005.
Among the contenders was India’s Ankit Ahuja, a two-time GPI POY (India), who had an early arrival at the series this year and was very active in the first half of the series. With three deep runs already, he bagged a healthy 402,000 chips for Day 2 – ranking 42nd among the 126 advancing players.
Ahuja`s deep run came to an end in 77th place, netting him $3,400 (~₹2.84 Lakhs) – his second cash of the series after a previous deep run in Event #28: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em (130th for $3,661) (~₹3.06 Lakhs).
Undeterred, Ahuja jumped straight into Event #49: $3,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em. Once again, he showcased his prowess, advancing to Day 2 with an above-average stack among 187 survivors. However, his run came to an end earlier today. Ahuja’s final hand was a heartbreaker. Holding , he went all in, initially in good shape against Nei Warren’s . But the poker gods had other plans. The board ran out , giving Warren a pair of jacks and sending Ahuja home in 26th place. Despite the disappointment, he walked away with a hefty $18,225 (~₹15.24 Lakhs) – his third cash of the series.
Ahuja wasn’t the only Indian making waves in the event. Zurvan Tumboli (255th), Ashish Ahuja (297th), and Young Gun Gaurav Sood (320th), each earning $2,005 (~₹1.68 Lakhs), also made notable runs.
Day 2 saw the hopes of many other notable bracelet winners getting crushed like Hokyiu Lee (13th for $14,257), Moshe Refaelowitz (16th for $11,421), Phil Laak (33rd for $7,597), Brian Hastings (45th for 6,309), Ryan Laplante (50th for 5,305), Shaun Deeb (74th for $3,400), Online Event #1: NL Hold’em 55th Annual Kick Off winner Miguel Use (89th for $3,008), and Ari Engel (117th for $2,696).
Konstantinos Tsikopoulos was the last player to fall on Day 2, collecting $23,009 in ninth place.
On the final day of Event #48, eight skilled players returned to the field, but Vitch quickly took command.
Final Table Chip Counts
- David Prociak – 14,615,000
- Christopher Vitch – 13,530,000
- Thomas Taylor – 6,100,000
- Joe Firova – 2,935,000
- Christopher Frank – 2,460,000
- Kharlin Sued – 1,360,000
- Jay Harwood – 1,325,000
- Ioannis Angelou Konstas – 1,310,000
Final Day Recap
Germany’s high-roller and bracelet winner Christopher Frank, who entered the final table with a middling stack, soon found himself short-stacked when he ran into two-time bracelet winner David Prociak’s full house. With only two big blinds left, he was eliminated after his came up short against the eventual runner-up, Taylor’s .
Just thirty minutes into the action, Kharlin Sued’s tournament run came to an end in a dramatic three-way showdown. Sued’s was pitted against Christopher Vitch’s and David Prociak’s . The board came , delivering Prociak a full house and relegating Sued to a seventh-place finish.
The next elimination unfolded when Ioannis Angelou Konstas made a 620,000 opening bet from the button, only to be met with a pot-sized re-raise from Vitch in the small blind. With just over 1.20 Million left, Konstas called without hesitation.
Ioannis Angelou Konstas
Christopher Vitch
The flop gave Konstas a pair of queens, and the turn improved that to two pair, overtaking Vitch. However, the river delivered Vitch a set of kings, sending Konstas out in sixth place.
Not long after, Vitch opened with a 350,000 bet from the cutoff, and Jay Harwood defended his big blind. The flop prompted Harwood to check-call Vitch’s 225,000 continuation bet. When the fell on the turn, Harwood check-shoved over Vitch’s 650,000 bet for about 2.10 Million. Vitch called instantly. Harwood revealed , while Vitch tables . Despite Harwood’s dual flush draws, Vitch’s full house had already sealed Harwood’s fate, and the river confirmed his exit in fifth place.
Less than 15 minutes later, Thomas Taylor, sitting UTG, opened for 320,000 with . Joe Firova, in the small blind, responded with a three-bet to 1.125 Million, holding . Taylor’s four-bet prompted Firova to call off his remaining 1.70 Million stack. The flop gave Taylor a flush draw, and the turn paired his Aces. The river brought no salvation for Firova, who bowed out in fourth place.
The three-handed battle waged on for over two hours before David Prociak, who was vying for his third career bracelet and second of the series after triumphing in Event #11: $1,500 Badugi, met his demise. Prociak’s couldn’t improve against Taylor’s , with the board running out , eliminating Prociak in third place.
Heads-up play commenced between Christopher Vitch, armed with a commanding 32 Million chips, and Thomas Taylor, trailing with 12.24 Million. Taylor fought valiantly, even managing to claw back some chips. Ultimately, Vitch, a seasoned two-time WSOP bracelet winner, leveraged his experience to clinch his third bracelet, sailing smoothly past the finish line.
On the final hand, Vitch made a 750,000 opening bet, with Taylor calling. The dealer laid down a flop of , prompting Taylor to check-call Vitch’s 600,000 continuation bet. The on the turn saw Taylor bet a full pot of 2.95 Million, which Vitch called. The on the river completed the board, leading Taylor to jam his remaining 2 Million. Vitch snap-called.
Thomas Taylor
Christopher Vitch
Vitch’s King-high flush overshadowed Taylor’s Queen-high flush, sealing Taylor’s fate as the runner-up and denying him his first WSOP bracelet.
Final Table Results (USD)
- Christopher Vitch – $262,734
- Thomas Taylor – $175,179
- David Prociak – $126,853
- Joe Firova – $92,850
- Jay Harwood – $68,702
- Ioannis Angelou Konstas – $51,396
- Kharlin Sued – $38,877
- Christopher Frank – $29,740
Content & Images Courtesy: World Series of Poker
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