Event #25: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Handed

The final day of Event #25: $3,000 Limit Hold'em (6-Handed) has concluded at the 2024 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. After the dust has settled, Las Vegas local Daniel Vampan has emerged victorious after a dominant final table performance to take home $148,635 and his first gold bracelet.

The event attracted 248 total entrants to generate a total prize pool of $662,160. Only 10 of those initial entrants found a bag for Day 3 to battle it out for the top prize.

Winner's Reaction

Vampan recalls a pivotal moment from Day 2 that helped boost him to victory:

"I had 2,000 chips, at 3,000/5,000 limits, and I tripled up to 6,000, then I had like six-nine off in the big [blind], and it came ten-nine-five turn nine and I beat queen-ten… it was at that moment that I was like, oh, I'm going to win this tournament… I just had this weird feeling, like I just knew it was going to happen…"

Although his biggest cash according to The Hendon Mob is $345,000 due to a 24th-place finish in the 2023 WSOP Main Event, the 35-year-old California native is mostly a limit cash game player.

"Yeah, my dad is actually an ex-professional limit hold'em player so you know, I would sneak into the Commerce and the Bike when I was like 18/19 so I've been playing limit for a very long time."

Vampan does admit that he hasn't been able to play as much as he used to, however, as he has been busy working on a business he and his friend are developing in the agricultural sector, with a launch date still TBD.

Day's Action

Ten players took their seats today for Day 3 (four of them named Daniel), but it wasn't very long before Daniel Idema hit the rail in tenth ($11,157), followed by Daniel Budovsky in ninth ($13,276). Then Yi 'Kat' Klassen (8th-$13,276) and Daniel Maczuga (7th-$17,704) busted almost simultaneously at separate tables to bring the remaining six to the official final table.

First to exit after that was Frank Yakubson who got it all in with pocket sixes on the turn, but Vampan had made a pair of sevens to send him home after the river provided no help.

Next to go was legend Roland Israelashvili who just made his 501st WSOP cash but fell just short of a bracelet when he tangled with Nick Caltabiano. Both players flopped a pair of threes and got it all in, but Roland's six-kicker was no good against the kin-kicker of Caltabiano and he was sent to the payout desk in fifth place.

After that, there was a lot of chip-trading going on and at one point, three of the four players were pretty much even, with Robert Wells ahead by a good margin. After another level or so, it was Lucas Wagner who had dwindled to become a short stack and got it all in preflop against Caltabiano and Vampan. After checking through the flop, Caltabiano bet Vampan out on the turn and tabled a pair of queens against the seven-five suited of Wagner. A five appeared on the river but it was too little too late and Wagner was sent out in fourth place.

A three-handed battle then ensued as each player took turns holding the chip lead, but before long, it was Vampan who started running away with the lead after making some big key hands. Caltabiano then became very short and got it all in preflop against Wells who covered. Caltabiano's queen-ten had Wells' jack-ten dominated, but Wells ended up making a straight on the turn and the blank river sent Caltabiano out as the third-place finisher.

Vampan Closes Out

Wells and Vampan then went into heads-up play with a huge chip disparity, as Vampan held a 6:1 chip lead. As everyone knows, anything can happen heads-up, but that was not the case as both players got it all in on the turn with a pair and straight draw, but the river bricked out and Vampan's superior pair secured him the victory and left Wells as the event's runner-up.

This got a huge reaction from Vampan's rail, who had been present since the late Levels of Day 2 yesterday, and they all swarmed the table to celebrate their friend's first bracelet, chanting "Hardware! Hardware!"

That wraps up the coverage for Event #25: $3,000 Limit Hold'em, but be sure to keep a tab open on PokerNews for all 2024 WSOP action and more!

After a preflop betting war, Nick Caltabiano moved all in and Robert Wells made the call to put him at risk.

Nick Caltabiano:   
Robert Wells:   

Caltabiano was in good shape with his dominating hand, but the runout was brutal as it came       to give Wells a straight to send him to the rail in third place for $67,919.

Robert Wells	1,400,000	750,000
Nick Caltabiano	0	-550,000

After an open from Robert Wells and a three-bet from Nick Caltabiano, Daniel Vampan called to see a flop of    .

All three players checked to see the   peel on the turn, and Caltabiano checked to Vampan who bet, which resulted in both adversaries folding.

Daniel Vampan	6,850,000	2,850,000
Nick Caltabiano	1,700,000	-1,600,000
Robert Wells	1,200,000	-1,200,000

After an open by Daniel Vampan, Robert Wells three-bet and both Nick Caltabiano and Vampan called.

The flop came out     and Wells bet, Caltabiano called, and Vampan folded.

On the turn  , Wells checked, Caltabiano bet, and Wells surrendered to award Caltabiano the substantial pot to put him into the lead.

Nick Caltabiano	4,450,000	350,000
Daniel Vampan	3,970,000	-530,000
Robert Wells	1,350,000	230,000

Lucas Wagner raised all in for 170,000 and both Daniel Vampan on the button and Nick Caltabiano in the big blind made the call.

The action checked through on the     flop, and Caltabiano put out a bet when the   hit the turn. Vampan quickly folded, and both hands were tabled.

Lucas Wagner:   
Nick Caltabiano:   

Wagner was drawing dead as the dealer put the   on the river, sending him to the payout desk in 4th place.

Nick Caltabiano	4,100,000	540,000
Daniel Vampan	4,000,000	300,000
Robert Wells	2,000,000	-560,000
Lucas Wagner	0	-440,000

Nick Caltabiano was on the button and Lucas Wagner was in the small blind as he got his last 180,000 in the middle before the flop.

Lucas Wagner:   
Nick Caltabiano:   

The     flop gave Caltabiano two live cards as well as a flush draw but the   turn and   river were bricks, sending the double to Wagner.

Nick Caltabiano	2,250,000	375,000
Lucas Wagner	440,000	-1,600,000

Robert Wells opened preflop and Daniel Vampan called to see the flop    . Wells bet, Vampan raised, and Wells called after a brief pause.

A third   peeled off on the turn and Vampan continued, followed by a call from Wells. The   appeared on the river, but that did not stop Vampan from firing again, and Wells called once more.

Vampan then tabled    for a full house and Wells quickly mucked to award him the pot.

Daniel Vampan	4,100,000	100,000
Robert Wells	2,400,000	-1,500,000

Robert Wells opened in the cutoff and Daniel Vampan defended the big blind.

When the     flop hit the felt, Vampan check-called a continuation bet from Wells.

The   fell on the turn, and Vampan check-called once again.

The dealer dropped the   on the river, and once checked to, Wells fired a third barrel. Vampan took a bit longer this time, but landed on a call.

Wells quickly flashed    before putting it in the muck as Vampan rolled    for bottom pair.

Robert Wells	3,900,000	-250,000
Daniel Vampan	3,250,000	1,565,000

Robert Wells currently has the chip lead as the players are still on an unscheduled break.

Robert Wells	3,570,000	-330,000
Daniel Vampan	2,190,000	90,000
Nick Caltabiano	2,180,000	30,000
Lucas Wagner	2,040,000	110,000