Written in the Stars: Paul Hizer Outlasts the Field in the 2022 WSOP Colossus ($414,490)
If the ace of spades is the prettiest card in the deck, a king is right up there for Paul Hizer.
Twice at today��s final table of Event #51: $400 Colossus the Englishman had his tournament life on the line. Twice a king peeled off to save him. It��s the one card that made Hizer the newest World Series of Poker bracelet winner and $414,490 richer.
Hizer has been a professional poker player for around six years and played recreationally for several years before that. But he had never won a tournament before, despite $474,000 in career winnings before this event. He had made it to heads-up play four times but had come up short each time. That all changed today, as Hizer was the last man standing in a mammoth field of 13,565 players.
��It means a lot,�� Hizer said following his win. ��Played many tournaments. Had lots of deep runs. But I��ve never actually won a tournament outright. I don��t know if many people know that about me. I��m sure my close friends do. And maybe today was just written in the stars and I was meant to go all the way. I felt really confident, I felt like I had a really good game plan, and I��m just really thankful that it worked out.��
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Event #51: $400 Colossus Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Earnings |
| 1 | Paul Hizer | United Kingdom | $414,490 |
| 2 | Sam Laskowitz | United States | $256,170 |
| 3 | Jordan Pelon | France | $193,240 |
| 4 | James Scott | United Kingdom | $146,680 |
| 5 | Luong Quach | United States | $112,060 |
| 6 | Jeff Loiacono | United States | $86,160 |
| 7 | Anthony Ruttler | United States | $66,670 |
| 8 | William Gian | United States | $51,930 |
| 9 | Sean Shah | United States | $40,710 |
Day 4 Action
Hizer entered the final table in second chip position out of the final seven players, but still solidly behind chip leader Sam Laskowitz. With the average stack being only 19 big blinds at the start of the final table, there was little room for error or maneuvering.
Anthony Ruttler would be the first to bust, finishing in seventh place after running into the pocket queens of Luong Quach. On the first hand back from a 15-minute break, Jeff Loiacono picked up aces and moved all in for 19,000,000, with Hizer calling with 3?2? in the big blind.
Hizer didn��t improve and Loiacono doubled up, but he wouldn��t last much longer after losing with Q?10? to Laskowitz��s A?Q? to bust in sixth place.
Losing that pot began a long slide for Hizer. After Quach was eliminated in fifth place, Hizer was down to less than three big blinds during four-handed play before doubling up with A?2? against the J?5? of countryman James Scott. A few hands later, the two Englishmen would clash in another pot that would be pivotal to the fates of both players.
From the small blind, Scott moved all in for 59,500,000 and Hizer called, barely having Scott covered. If Hizer lost this pot, he would be on an extreme short stack, his bracelet dreams all but gone. Scott gave him further bad news when he showed 10?10?, having the K?9? of Hizer crushed. The 7?3?3? flop was no help, but the K? came on the turn as Hizer��s exuberant rail erupted in celebration.
The 4? on the river cemented Scott��s elimination in fourth place, and it wasn��t long before Laskowitz took out Jordan Pelon in third place to take a 412,000,000 to 131,500,000 chip lead into heads-up play.
Hizer chipped up somewhat in the early going before moving all in for 169,500,000 on the button. Laskowitz snap-called with two threes and was racing against Hizer��s A?Q?. The board read 10?8?5?J? and Laskowitz was one card away from the win. But the K? appeared on the river, and once more the British rail had cause for celebration.
��To be honest, I went to bed last night and I tried to kind of manifest some run good,�� Hizer said. ��Just having all my friends behind me screaming and shouting, and just for there to be some antics and some drama, I think that��s what makes final tables exciting. I��m pleased I didn��t go out on like a dry board or I didn��t go out on a bit of a limp. Tournaments are high variance, and today it was written in the stars for me to win.��
Hizer extended his chip lead when he picked off a bluff on a J?8?6?6?A? board with K?7?, then, with the blinds increasing to 8,000,000-16,000,000, put Laskowitz all in for his last 118,500,000. Laskowitz eventually called with 8?2? as Hizer turned over A?3?. Neither player hit the J?7?6?K?10? board and Hizer got the proverbial monkey off his back with ace-high. For Laskowitz, the 29-year-old New York native playing in his first live tournament, the $256,170 he earned would have to be a consolation prize.
The bracelet was the prize at the end of a long road for Hizer. Some of his friends on the rail said they had been playing with him since 2008. He didn��t know a lot about poker then, but he��s dedicated his life to the game over the last few years and that work paid off.
��I��ve applied a lot of my time to playing poker. I��ve made it my profession over the last six years. My parents initially weren��t so pleased. It��s not the career choice they wanted for me. Like always in life, I just trust my gut and I did my best,�� he said.
Hizer admits he doesn��t know what he��s going to do with the money just yet but says he plans on staying in Las Vegas for the next three weeks to play tournaments at the WSOP and other casinos.
He had a special person in his mind after the win. Hizer calls Steven Jackson like a second father figure. Jackson passed away a few years ago, and Hizer dedicated the win to him. ��He��s forever in my heart and I love him to pieces. Steven, this is for you,�� he said.
Jackson and the rest of his rail would be proud of him. Now it��s time for them to go out and celebrate his new reign as Colossus champion.
That concludes PokerNews�� coverage of the Colossus. Stay tuned throughout the rest of the 2022 WSOP for all the tournament updates.
In this Series
- 1 Can't Stop Kopp: Katie Kopp Wins First Bracelet of the 2022 WSOP
- 2 David Peters Wins 2022 WSOP Event #2: $100K High Roller Bounty for 4th Gold Bracelet
- 3 Scott Seiver Wins 4th Bracelet in 2022 WSOP Event #3: $2,500 Freezeout NLH ($320,059)
- 4 For a Higher Cause: Brad Ruben Wins 4th Bracelet in 2022 WSOP Event #4: $1,500 Dealer's Choice
- 5 Dan Smith Captures 1st Bracelet; Wins 2022 WSOP Event #6: $25K Heads-Up Championship
- 6 Norbert Szecsi Captures The Third Bracelet of his Career at the 2022 WSOP
- 7 Manig ''Ohio77'' Loeser Wins Second Online Bracelet in as Many Years
- 8 Amnon Filippi Wins First WSOP Bracelet in Event #7: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better ($252,718)
- 9 Chad Eveslage Wins 2022 WSOP Event #8: $25,000 High Roller ($1,415,610)
- 10 Alex Livingston Wins 2022 WSOP Event #9: $1,500 Seven Card Stud ($103,282)
- 11 Henry Acain Wins 2022 WSOP Event #5: $500 The Housewarming ($701,215)
- 12 Raj Vohra Wins His First Bracelet at the 2022 WSOP; Takes Down the $600 Deepstack
- 13 Ben Diebold Wins 2022 WSOP $10,000 Dealer's Choice 6-Handed Championship ($299,488)
- 14 Jake Schindler Wins First Bracelet and $1,328,068 in Event #12: $50,000 High Roller
- 15 First Time's the Charm: Michael Moncek Wins Event #13: $1,500 Limit Hold'em
- 16 Frenchman Leo Soma Wins First WSOP Bracelet in Event #14: $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em ($456,889)
- 17 Dominick Sarle Wins 2022 WSOP Event #17: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball ($164,243)
- 18 Bryan Schultz Wins 2022 WSOP Event #18: $1,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em ($330,057)
- 19 Stefan Lehner Wins First Bracelet in Event #16: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em ($558,616)
- 20 Denis Nesterenko Wins Event #20: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw ($108,250)
- 21 Tong Li Wins $1,467,739 and First Bracelet in Event #19: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller
- 22 Adam Friedman Wins Fifth WSOP Gold Bracelet in Event #22: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship
- 23 Brian Altman Captures His Maiden WSOP Bracelet in the Online $400 Ultra Deepstack
- 24 Christopher Chatman Flips to Win First WSOP Bracelet in Event #24: $1,000 Flip & Go
- 25 Rob Wazwaz Ships Event #25: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstacks For $358,346
- 26 Mike Jukich Wins the $1,500 Monster Stack at the 2022 WSOP For $966,577
- 27 K9 & Canine Lucky for Jonathan Cohen in Event #26: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship ($245,678)
- 28 Michael Simhai Hits the Mark in 2022 WSOP Event #27: Shootout NLH ($240,480)
- 29 Robert Cowen Wins Bracelets in Back-to-Back Years; Binks $50K PLO High Roller for $1.4M
- 30 Maxx Coleman Wins Elusive First Bracelet in the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
- 31 15 Years in the Making: Daniel Weinman Nabs 1st Bracelet in Event #30: $1,000 PLO
- 32 Nino Ullmann Wins His First WSOP Bracelet in the $3K NLHE 6-Max Event
- 33 Brian Hastings Captures Sixth Bracelet in Event #31: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship
- 34 Musician Steve Albini Wins (And Breaks!) Second Bracelet in 2022 WSOP $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.
- 35 Lok Chan Wins 2022 WSOP Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet on First Trip to WSOP ($144,338)
- 36 Ali Eslami Takes Down Event #36: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better for $135,260 and Maiden WSOP Bracelet
- 37 Justin Pechie Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in the $1,500 Freezeout
- 38 Pedro Bromfman Is Triumphant in Event #38: $10,000 2-7 Single Draw Championship
- 39 Ramsey Stovall Wins First Bracelet In 2022 WSOP $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty ($191,223)
- 40 Matt "PmpknHead" Szymaszek Wins WSOP Online Bracelet Event #4: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Max
- 41 Aleksejs Ponakovs Defeats Phil Ivey to Win Event #42: $100,000 High Roller for $1,897,363
- 42 Zack Wins Second Bracelet of the 2022 WSOP; $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship ($324,174)
- 43 David Perry Defeats Chris Moorman in the 2022 WSOP $500 Freezeout ($241,729)
- 44 Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! KFC Fan Kolev Wins 2022 WSOP Millionaire Maker ($1,125,141)
- 45 Phil Hui Mounts Comeback to Win Third Bracelet In $1,500 PLO at the 2022 WSOP
- 46 Andrew Yeh Rides to Victory in Event #44: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship ($487,129)
- 47 Frenchman Jonathan Pastore Wins 2022 WSOP Event #46: $5,000 6-Handed NLHE ($771,765)
- 48 First Bracelet for Cyprus; Menikos Panagiotou Wins 2022 WSOP Event #48: $1,500 Eight Game Mix
- 49 Alex Foxen Goes Wire-to-Wire in $250K Super High Roller on Way to Maiden Bracelet ($4,563,700)
- 50 Simeon Spasov Completes Come-From-Behind Win in Event #49: $2,000 NLH ($527,944)
- 51 Joao Simao Takes Down Second Bracelet For $686,242 In $5,000 No-Limit Hold��em/Pot-Limit Omaha
- 52 WSOP Rookie Kijoon Park Wins Event #52: $2,500 Nine-Game Mix 6-Handed ($219,799)
- 53 William "swaggyb" Corvino Captures First Bracelet in the $600 Online Deepstack Championship
- 54 Eric Smidinger Full of Emotion After Winning 2022 WSOP Seniors Event ($694,909)
- 55 James Todd Wins 2022 WSOP Event #54: $500 Salute to Warriors ($161,256); $74,809 Raised for USO
- 56 Written in the Stars: Paul Hizer Outlasts the Field in the 2022 WSOP Colossus ($414,490)
- 57 Martin "115FTW" Stoyanov Wins The $500 WSOP Bracelet Turbo Deepstack
- 58 Patrick Leonard & Espen J?rstad Win 2022 WSOP Event #55: $1,000 Tag Team ($148,067)
- 59 Lawrence Brandt Wins $1,500 PLO8 After Gruelling Final Day ($289,610)
- 60 Shota Nakanishi Wins His First Bracelet in Event #60: $10,000 Short Deck ($277,212)
- 61 Tamas Lendvai Wins Event #57: $600 Deep Stack Championship No-Limit Hold'em ($299,464)
- 62 Do It for Dari: Dash Dudley Wins 3rd WSOP Gold Bracelet for Daughter After Coming Back from 3BB Short Stack
- 63 Dan Cates Makes History; Wins Back-to-Back $50,000 Poker Players Championship ($1,449,103)
- 64 Come Back Kid: Massoud ��CBK�� Eskandari Wins First Bracelet in Super Seniors for $330,609
- 65 Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra Wins Fifth WSOP Bracelet in $10K PLO-8 Championship ($611,362)
- 66 Konstantin Angelov Wins 2022 WSOP Event #64: $600 PLO Deepstack ($199,466)
- 67 Nacho Barbero Takes 2022 WSOP $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty Bracelet Back to Argentina
- 68 Austria's Jessica Teusl Wins 2022 WSOP Ladies Championship ($166,975)
- 69 Young Sik Comes From Behind To Win The Mini Main Event For $594,189
- 70 Sean Troha Completes Comeback and Wins the $10K PLO Championship ($1,246,770)
- 71 Quincy Borland Crowned Champion of Event #68: $1,000 Million Dollar Bounty ($750,120)
- 72 Bradley Anderson Wins 2022 WSOP Event #72: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo ($195,565)
- 73 Daniel Strelitz Wins His Second WSOP Bracelet in Event #73: $1,500 Razz
- 74 Harry "timexCNT" Lodge Wins His First Bracelet in the $7,777 Lucky 7's Online High Roller ($396,666)
- 75 Pei Li Crowned Champion in Event #74: $1,500 Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha ($190,219)
- 76 Yevgeniy "Kazak132" Minakrin Wins Online Event #9: $1,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship ($238,315)
- 77 Former Professional StarCraft Player Jinho Hong Wins Poker Hall of Fame Bounty
- 78 Julien Perouse Captures Bracelet In Online $3,200 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller 8-Max ($324,767)
- 79 Mike Allis Potentially Going Out on a High After Winning the One Drop ($535,610)
- 80 Canada's Sebastien Aube Takes Down Event #78: $2,500 No-Limit Hold��em ($499,636)
- 81 Gregory [Removed:372] Wins 2022 WSOP Event #75: $777 Lucky Sevens ($777,777)
- 82 Romans Voitovs Wins 2022 WSOP Event #80: $600 Mixed NLH/PLO ($158,609)
- 83 Julien Martini Wins His Fourth Bracelet In Razz Championship for $328,604
- 84 Mo Arani Wins Event #81: $5,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em ($665,459)
- 85 Richard Alsup Wins Event #82: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack ($272,065)
- 86 Jo?o Vieira Outlasts Lander Lijo to Win Second WSOP Bracelet ($1,384,415)
- 87 Espen Jorstad Wins 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event for $10,000,000
- 88 Michael Wang Stages a Heads-Up Comeback to Win His Second Bracelet
- 89 Lawrence Brandt Wins Second Bracelet of 2022 in $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. ($205,139)
- 90 Gianluca "InMyHouse" Speranza Claims Maiden Golden Bracelet
- 91 Jaspal Brar Tops Field In Event #88: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em For First Gold Bracelet ($190,731)
- 92 Minh Nguyen Saves Bad Summer w/ Victory in 2022 WSOP $1,500 The Closer ($536,280)
- 93 Gregory Jensen Wins 2022 WSOP Event 86: $10,000 6-Handed Championship ($824,649)
- 94 Benjamin Kaupp Wins Tournament of Champions to Close Out 2022 WSOP ($250,000)
