On June 2 (Sunday) a 46-year-old was able to reel in his very first gold bracelet after winning Event #4 of the 2019 WSOP. He says he was able to win thanks to the general ‘fun’ atmosphere at the final table.
2019 WSOP Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better
Buy-in: $1,500
Date: May 30 to June 2, 2019
Entries: 853
Prize pool: $1,151,550
Derek McMaster outlasted a player field of 853 to take home the prize money worth $228,228.
McMaster, a former pool player, usually plays mixed games and occasionally squeezes in some Omaha 8 or Better sessions around three to four times per week. The overall ‘fun’ atmosphere at the final table allowed him to enjoy and win this tournament. He said, “I try to just have fun when I’m playing. If I’m not having fun I’m usually not doing very well. The more fun I have, it seems like stuff goes my way.”
Final Table Action
This was McMaster’s very first final table. With seven players remaining, he entered the fourth and final day third in chips.
Chip leader John Esposito eliminated 3-time WSOP bracelet winner Ben Yu in 7th place and wasted no time eliminating Tom McCormick next, who ended up in 6th place.
As Joseph Aronesty went down in 5th place, Esposito was the strong chip lead with four players left. Meanwhile, McMaster was able to rack up more chips as play continued. He then was able to make his first knockout on the final table, using his pair of Queens to send WSOP bracelet winner David Halpern to the rail in 4th place.
After winning against Jason Berilgen for a huge pot during three-handed play, McMaster was able to finally take the chip lead position.
Berilgen dealt the final blow to Esposito, who settled in 3rd place for $98,807.
Afterwards, McMaster defeated Berilgen in the final heads-up showdown.
He said after he won, “It was very surreal to me. I’ve just been on cloud nine since last night, all week. I was happy to be here and I enjoyed playing with these guys.”
He brought many friends with him to the final table, and the whole rail surrounding the feature table stage was occupied. “We have a lot of poker players in town for whatever reason, and they just happened to be here today which I'm happy for!'”
He isn’t sure if this recent win would change any of his current plans for summer, but he may add another event to his schedule. This was just his second time to play a $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo event and he had a few other events to join in as planned. He said, “I came here to win this one and I lucked out.”
This is McMaster’s second-ever cash in the WSOP. His previous best WSOP score was back in 2017 where he got 74th place in Event #40 $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better event for $2,291. His main cashes came from state Minnesota where he lives. He now has $230,519 in career WSOP winnings, bringing his current total live earnings to $343,123, according to The Hendon Mob.
2019 WSOP Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better Final Table Results
|
|
Player
|
Country
|
Prize (USD)
|
|
1
|
Derek McMaster
|
USA
|
$228,228
|
|
2
|
Jason Berilgen
|
USA
|
$141,007
|
|
3
|
John Esposito
|
USA
|
$98,807
|
|
4
|
David Halpern
|
USA
|
$70,231
|
|
5
|
Joe Aronesty
|
USA
|
$50,646
|
|
6
|
Tom McCormick
|
USA
|
$37,063
|
|
7
|
Ben Yu
|
USA
|
$27,530
|
|
8
|
Shannor Shorr
|
USA
|
$20,760
|
|
9
|
Patrick Leonard
|
USA
|
$15,897
|
|
10
|
Richard Fuller
|
UK
|
$12,365
|
