After over a week of intense poker action, Hossein Ensan has emerged victorious as the winner of the WSOP 2019 Main Event. He’ll be taking home a huge $10 million prize, after beating out over 8,500 other runners.
Table of Contents
Ensan’s First WSOP Bracelet
This is the first bracelet win for Hossein Ensan. His only other 1st place tournament win came during the WSOP Main Event in Rozvadov in 2017 and, while it earned him a ring, he was still on the hunt for the coveted bracelet.
“This is a big prize in my career. I’m so happy. I thank my fans at home in Germany, also in Iran. And my buddies here,” Ensan says.
The 55-year-old player from Germany is the oldest player to win the WSOP Main Event since 61-year-old Noel Furlong won in 1999. At the time, he won a prize worth $1 million, which remains his biggest cash.
Ensan is also the third person ever to win $10 million or more in a WSOP bracelet event. The previous two were Jamie Gold, who won $12 million in 2005 and Martin Jacobsen, who earned $10 million 2014.
10 Long Days Leading Up to 8 Hours of Heads-Up Play
It was a long journey for Ensan, as he endured 10 days of tournament play in the Main Event. It was towards the event of competition, on Days 8 and 9, that he really pulled ahead, finishing both days as the chip leader.
On Day 10 of the WSOP Main Event, Ensan found himself heads-up against Dario Sammartino. The lengthy battle culminated with Sammartino going all-in with a flush draw and straight draw. Ensan’s pair of Kings held, and he secured the first-place win.
A Huge Jump Up the All-Time Money List
Prior to his win, Ensan’s total tournament winnings were just over $2.6 million. He was at 561st place on Hendon Mob’s All-Time Money List and made the leap to 50th place after this win, so this marks an impressive rise.
Hossein Ensan is officially the 2019 WSOP Main Event champion! Ensan earns $10 million for his victory.https://t.co/TDeXea8dw3 pic.twitter.com/qOb1ZjN8cr
— WSOP (@WSOP) 17 July 2019
Now, as part of the Top 50 players, Ensan is in very good company. Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and Justin Bonomo are all in this exclusive club.
His fellow final tablemate, Dario Sammario also made his way into the Top 50, thanks to his $6 million second-place prize. Had he outlasted Ensan, however, he would have fallen just outside of the Top 20, behind Christopher Vogelsan ($20.1 million).
Beating Out the Big Name Players in the 50th WSOP Main
When you hear names like Johnny Chan and Chris Moneymaker are competing in the WSOP, you expect them to go all the way – but, that wasn’t the case in this year’s main event.
Johnny Chan went out in 560th place, earning $24,560 while Chris Moneymaker busted in 687th place with a $20,200 prize. Chan has a whopping 10 bracelets on his arm and $4.6 million in WSOP winnings, while Moneymaker made history in 2003 when he became the first online player to win the WSOP Main Event.
If we’re talking about household names in the poker world, these players have faired even worse. Phil Ivey lasted less than an hour in the Main Event while Daniel Negreanu was eliminated on Day 2ab.
John Cynn, the defending champion of WSOP Main Event, was also eliminated before making the money on Day 3. Cynn lost 67c to Julian Sacks’ KJd on a 9d6d6s3s10d board. He’d hoped to have won with trip sixes but Sacks eliminated Cynn by rivering a flush.
The final table payouts were as follows:
- Hossein Ensan, 1st: 10 million
- Dario Sammartino, 2nd: $6 million
- Alex Livingston, 3rd: $4 million
- Garry Gates, 4th: $3 million
- Kevin Maahs, 5th: $2.2 million
- Zhen Cai, 6th: $1.850 million
- Nick Marchington, 7th: $1.525 million
- Timothy Su, 8th: $1.25 million
- Milos Skrbic, 9th: $1 million
Congratulations for Hossein Ensan for his big bracelet win in this year’s WSOP Main Event! He played a great game and this is a truly deserving win.
"As a USA player, I think Bovada is the best option. There are always a lot of games going on and the Bitcoin payouts get to me within an hour. No complaints.
Henry S.
UP TO $3,750 BONUS
- Use crypto for extra bonus
- Most traffic in the USA
- Payouts within 15 minutes
- Full casino and sportsbook
Bonus on 3 deposits
plus
Cash rewards
Bethany has been working in online gambling for over 13 years. She got her start in the industry as her first job after graduating from the Professional Writing Program at York University. Having written for many online gaming publications and worked with top casino operators, she has unique insight into the gambling market. Bethany maintains a personal interest in iGaming as she continues to play poker online as a hobby.