2018 WSOP Event 37: Eric Baldwin Wins Second Bracelet, Dedicates it to His Father
Eric Baldwin won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 2009, over nine years ago. Today, he won his second in Event #37: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em at the 2018 World Series of Poker.
"man it's fun! I wish everyone could experience this. It's so cool!"
On the extra fourth day of play, he started out with a dominant chip lead over Ian Steinman. Steinman didn't go down without a fight, though, and it took a suckout with ace-jack versus kings for Baldwin to win.
"It was a lot of hours of poker and a lot of short-handed play, that really sucks your mental energy," Baldwin said after his win. "But man it's fun! I wish everyone could experience this. It's so cool!"
Position | Player | Country | Prize |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Eric Baldwin | United States | $319,580 |
2 | Ian Steinman | United States | $197,461 |
3 | [Removed:4] | Germany | $140,957 |
4 | Aaron Massey | United States | $101,819 |
5 | Robert Georato | United States | $74,434 |
6 | Michael Finstein | United States | $55,077 |
7 | Stephen Song | United States | $41,257 |
8 | Gilsoo Kim | United States | $31,290 |
9 | Mathew Moore | United States | $24,032 |
On the last scheduled day of the tournament, the field quickly played down from the twenty that started to a final table of nine. Jason Guarinello was the first to fall at the final table after losing a race to Michael Finstein.
It took nearly twenty hands until Mathew Moore was sent home next. He lost a coin flip to Rudelitz to be sent home in ninth place. Gilsoo Kim dropped in eight place after shoving pocket jacks into the pocket kings of Robert Georato.
Next up with his head on the chopping block was Stephen Song. He finished in seventh place when he shoved jack-seven into Georato's ace-deuce and couldn't catch up.
"That was an incredible runout for me obviously, just a nasty cooler for him."
Right after, Baldwin won a massive pot against Aaron Massey in a cooler situation to take the chip lead. Baldwin bet the flop, turn, and river on a board where he made a backdoor flush with ace-three of clubs. Massey showed nine-ten of clubs for a flopped middle pair that had made runner runner flush as well.
"That was an incredible runout for me obviously, just a nasty cooler for him," Baldwin said afterward, reflecting on the hand. "It definitely propelled me, and I believe it gave me the chip lead."
Michael Finstein fell next in sixth place after losing a flip against Baldwin. Baldwin's pocket threes flopped a set and sent Finstein home. Baldwin eliminated Robert Georato in another coinflip when his pocket nines held up once again, this time against king-ten.
Aaron Massey was never quite able to recover from the cooler, and he was sent home in fourth place, losing a flip to none other than Baldwin. This time, Baldwin's eights held up against king-ten.
The final player to fall on Day 3 was [Removed:4] who got it in with ace-five against Steinman's queens and couldn't catch up.
"Heads up did not start well, and I ended up needing to get lucky allin one time, and then built back up some momentum," Baldwin said of the start of the heads-up on Day 3.
After two hours of play, the two remaining players got the option to either play another level or come back the next day. Baldwin wanted to continue. He had the lead, the momentum, and he wanted to be home the next day to celebrate his wife's birthday. Steinman, though, was more a fan of the idea to continue the next day and so the bags came out, and play was halted.
When the action resumed on Day 4, Steinman was the first to take a hit when Baldwin made two pair in a sizable pot.
Steinman won it all back doubling with sixes versus ace-king, and won some more getting two streets of value with a flopped top pair that he checked behind on the flop. That got Steinman up to his highest point, trailing with 4 million to 6 million.
Steinman wouldn't hold on to his newfound chips. He lost some smaller pots, doubled back with king-six against queen-deuce, but eventually lost it all in another pre-flop all-in situation. Steinman got it in good with pocket kings against the ace-jack off of Baldwin. The latter turned a jack and rivered an ace to win the tournament, $319,580, and the bracelet. Steinman had to settle for $197,461.
Eric Baldwin and Ian Steinman
Baldwin celebrated his win with his supporters on the rail. Not only fellow poker players had come out to cheer him on, as a surprise, his mother had come out as well. "It's surreal. My mum came out and surprised me. I had no idea she was coming, so it ended up being a blessing that we didn't finish last night. It gave her a chance to get out here and see it."
"In a lot of ways, this one is for him."
His mother hadn't been present when Baldwin won his first bracelet in 2009, and his dad, unfortunately, missed out on that one too. Since his first bracelet, his father came to Vegas anytime Baldwin made a final table but was never lucky enough to catch his son win his coveted second bracelet. "He kept coming out and trying to catch me when I'd make a final table, but I could never win one, including a grueling second place [to Matt Waxman in 2013.]"
Eric Baldwin's father passed away three years ago, so Baldwin junior dedicated his win today to him. "In a lot of ways, this one is for him," Baldwin said while wiping away a tear.
His mother chimed in; "He was here... His presence was here."
Baldwin reflected on the changes the game has undergone since that first bracelet in 2009. "A lot has changed in the game, but at the same time, it's the same game. You're sitting at the table with the other players and try to take each other's chips."
He was critical as well; "A lot of the advancement in strategy gets taken too far and can maybe seem intimidating to the recreational players. There are always trends in strategy, and there's always people talking like they're super smart."
"this is an awesome event that's going on out here, and it's still something that's incredibly enjoyable."
Baldwin offered a tip for newcomers to the game: "Don't be intimidated by something like that, this is an awesome event that's going on out here, and it's still something that's incredibly enjoyable."
Not only the game has changed since 2009, his life has changed dramatically as well. "It seems like a different lifetime ago because so much has happened between then and now. I started a family. I'll tell you, it makes you treat it a lot more professionally," Baldwin said laughing.
"We got real responsibility, comparatively. It's been an evolution and just the coolest thing in the world. My wife Mary [...] is an absolute superhero. She's so good with our kids, and I'm incredibly lucky. All of my support; I'm incredibly blessed. My mum, my sister, my grandma still follows [my poker career], and they're all just super supportive and incredible people. So I'm very lucky, in more ways than just this."
In this Series
- 1 2018 WSOP Event 1: Jordan Hufty Wins First WSOP Gold in $565 Casino Employees
- 2 2018 WSOP Event 2: Elio Fox Wins First Ever WSOP $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $393,693
- 3 2018 WSOP Event 3: Joe Cada Wins 2018 WSOP $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em SHOOTOUT for $226,218
- 4 2018 WSOP Event 4: Julien Martini Wins $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better ($239,771)
- 5 2018 WSOP Event 5: Nick Petrangelo Wins WSOP $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller ($2,910,227)
- 6 2018 WSOP Event 6: Jeremy Perrin Wins The GIANT Turning $365 Into $250,966
- 7 2018 WSOP Event 7: Roberly Felicio Wins the 2018 WSOP COLOSSUS for $1,000,000
- 8 2018 WSOP Event 8: Johannes Becker Wins $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball ($180,455)
- 9 2018 WSOP Event 9: Paul Volpe Wins Third WSOP Bracelet in Omaha Hi-Lo Championship
- 10 2018 WSOP Event 10: William ‘Twooopair’ Reymond Wins $365 WSOP.com ONLINE Event ($154,996)
- 11 2018 WSOP Event 11: Tim Andrew Triumphs in the $365 PLO GIANT for $116,015, Mizrachi Fifth
- 12 2018 WSOP Event 12: Jeremy Harkin Wins $1,500 Dealer's Choice for $129,882
- 13 2018 WSOP Event 13: Benjamin Moon Wins $1,500 Big Blind Antes for $315,346
- 14 2018 WSOP Event 14: Daniel Ospina Wins First Bracelet for Colombia in 2-7 Lowball Draw
- 15 2018 WSOP Event 15: Andrey Zhigalov Wins $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. for $202,787
- 16 2018 WSOP Event 16: Justin Bonomo Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in $10K Heads-Up Championship
- 17 2018 WSOP Event 17: Ognyan Dimov Wins Third Bracelet for Bulgaria in Event #17 ($378,743)
- 18 2018 WSOP Event 18: Adam Friedman Wins Second Bracelet in $10K Dealer's Choice
- 19 2018 WSOP Event 19: Craig Varnell Wins $565 Pot-Limit Omaha ($181,790)
- 20 2018 WSOP Event 20: Jeremy Wien Conquers $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em for $537,710
- 21 2018 WSOP Event 21: Arne Kern Wins $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em MILLIONAIRE MAKER ($1,173,223)
- 22 2018 WSOP Event 22: Philip Long Wins $1,500 Eight Game Mix ($147,348)
- 23 2018 WSOP Event 23: Brian Rast Wins Fourth Bracelet in 2-7 Lowball Championship, Brunson 6th
- 24 2018 WSOP Event 24: Michael Addamo Wins Event #24: $2,620 MARATHON No-Limit Hold'em
- 25 2018 WSOP Event 25: Benjamin Dobson Wins First WSOP Gold in $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo
- 26 2018 WSOP Event 26: Filippos Stavrakis Dedicates WSOP PLO Bracelet ($169,842) to His Brother
- 27 2018 WSOP Event 27: John Hennigan Wins 2018 WSOP $10K HORSE for Fifth Bracelet and $415K
- 28 2018 WSOP Event 28: Fortunate River Gives Gal Yifrach First WSOP Bracelet & $461K Prize
- 29 2018 WSOP Event 29: Hanh Tran Wins First WSOP Bracelet in $1,500 2-7 Triple Draw ($117,282)
- 30 2018 WSOP Event 30: Ryan Bambrick Wins First Gold Bracelet in Dominating Fashion
- 31 2018 WSOP Event 31: Steven Albini Wins $1,500 Stud to Deny Jeff Lisandro 7th Bracelet
- 32 2018 WSOP Event 32: Matthew Davis Tops Biggest Seniors Event Ever to Win $662,983
- 33 2018 WSOP Event 33: Michael Mizrachi Wins His Third Poker Players Championship Title
- 34 2018 WSOP Event 34: Robert Peacock Wins First WSOP Gold in $1,000 DOUBLE STACK
- 35 2018 WSOP Event 35: Yueqi Zhu Claims First WSOP Gold in $1,500 Mixed Omaha
- 36 2018 WSOP Event 36: Farhintaj Bonyadi Wins Event $1,000 Super Seniors ($311,451)
- 37 2018 WSOP Event 37: Eric Baldwin Wins Second Bracelet, Dedicates it to His Father
- 38 2018 WSOP Event 38: Yaniv Birman Wins First WSOP Gold Bracelet in $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship ($236,238)
- 39 2018 WSOP Event 39: Preston Lee Captures $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout Bracelet ($236,498)
- 40 2018 WSOP Event 40: Scott Bohlman Wins WSOP $2,500 Mixed Big Bet ($122,138)
- 41 2018 WSOP Event 41: Robert Nehorayan Wins $1,500 Limit Hold'em for $173,568
- 42 2018 WSOP Event 42: Shaun Deeb Gets Revenge on Ben Yu to Win $25K PLO for $1,402,683
- 43 2018 WSOP Event 43: Timur Margolin Takes Down $2,500 NLHE for $507,274
- 44 2018 WSOP Event 44: Nicholas Seiken Wins $10k 2-7 Triple Draw Championship for $287,987
- 45 2018 WSOP Event 45: Mario Prats Garcia Wins $1,000 Big Blind NLH For $258,255
- 46 2018 WSOP Event 46: David Brookshire Wins WSOP $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Stud Hi-Lo 8 ($214,291)
- 47 2018 WSOP Event 47: Matthew 'mendey' Mendez Wins First WSOP Online PLO Bracelet ($135,077)
- 48 2018 WSOP Event 48: Tommy Nguyen Wins Monster Stack for $1,037,451
- 49 2018 WSOP Event 49: Loren Klein Wins $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $1,018,336
- 50 2018 WSOP Event 50: Jay Kwon Wins $1,500 Razz ($125,431)
- 51 2018 WSOP Event 51: Ryan Leng Ships First WSOP Gold in $1,500 BOUNTY ($272,504)
- 52 2018 WSOP Event 52: Scott Seiver Wins $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship ($296,222)
- 53 2018 WSOP Event 53: Couden Tops Elezra, Matusow, Negreanu, and Fitoussi to win $1,500 PLO8
- 54 2018 WSOP Event 54: Portugal's Diogo Veiga Wins $3K Big Blind Antes ($522,715)
- 55 2018 WSOP Event 55: Giuseppe Pantaleo and Nikita Luther Win the $1K Tag Team for $175,805!
- 56 2018 WSOP Event 56: Calvin Anderson Wins His Second Bracelet in the $10K Razz ($309,220)!
- 57 2018 WSOP Event 57: Jessica Dawley Wins the WSOP Ladies Championship for $130,230!
- 58 2018 WSOP Event 58: Tribe Has Spoken: Jean-Robert Bellande Wins First Bracelet for $616K
- 59 2018 WSOP Event 59: Mike Takayama Makes History as the First Filipino to Win a WSOP Bracelet
- 60 2018 WSOP Event 60: Galfond Wins 3rd Bracelet in $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship
- 61 2018 WSOP Event 61: Ryan 'Toosick' Tosoc Wins WSOP.com $1,000 Championship ($238,778)
- 62 2018 WSOP Event 62: Galen Hall Wins $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em for $888,888
- 63 2018 WSOP Event 63: Chance 'BingShui' Kornuth Wins Second Bracelet in WSOP.com Online High Roller for $341,598
- 64 2018 WSOP Event 64: Matsuzuki Wins First WSOP Gold Bracelet in $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo
- 65 John Cynn Wins the 2018 WSOP Main Event for $8,800,000!
- 66 2018 WSOP Event 66: Longsheng Tan Wins $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em for $323,472
- 67 2018 WSOP Event 67: Anderson Ireland Wins $1,500 PLO Bounty for First Bracelet and $141K
- 68 2018 WSOP Event 68: Guoliang Wei Wins Fourth Chinese Bracelet in The Little One for One Drop ($559,332)
- 69 2018 WSOP Event 69: Ronald Keijzer Wins $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed for $475,033
- 70 2018 WSOP Event 70: Yaser Al-Keliddar Wins Event #70: $3K Limit Hold'em 6-Handed for $154K
- 71 2018 WSOP Event 71: Phil Hellmuth Wins 15th Career Bracelet in $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em!
- 72 2018 WSOP Event 72: Jordan Polk Wins $1,500 Mixed NLH/PLO for $197,461
- 73 2018 WSOP Event 73: Denis Timofeev Bests Leo Margets to Win the $1,000 Double Stack Turbo
- 74 2018 WSOP Event 74: Shaun Deeb Wins Second Bracelet of the Summer in $10,000 6-Max ($814,179)
- 75 2018 WSOP Event 75: Joe Cada Wins His Fourth Career Bracelet in The Closer ($612,886)
- 76 2018 WSOP Event 76: Brian Hastings Wins the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E and 4th Bracelet
- 77 2018 WSOP Event 77: Ben Yu Wins Third Bracelet in $50,000 High Roller $1,650,773